Can a formal appeal to human decency and traditional national values cause a massive uprising that might impact how a country is governed? And can celebrities help the cause?
The Leap Manifesto is a call to arms to create a Canada based on caring for the Earth and each other. The Manifesto outlines a set of demands ranging from implementing rights for indigenous peoples, to a complete shift to green energy, to national childcare programs, to major investment in green technology, transportation, and training for those shifting out of traditional energy sector jobs.
“We could live in a country powered entirely by truly just renewable energy, woven together by accessible public transit, in which the jobs and opportunities of this transition are designed to systematically eliminate racial and gender inequality. Caring for one another and caring for the planet could be the economy’s fastest growing sectors. Many more people could have higher wage jobs with fewer work hours, leaving us ample time to enjoy our loved ones and flourish in our communities.”
Canada does not look like this currently, but it could. Canadians have been invited to sign the manifesto and download a graphic outlining the 15 demands and supporting research paper from the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives on why the country can ‘afford to leap.’ Prominent Canadians are supporting the Manifesto, and helped to launch it on September 15, 2015. Those involved included Leonard Cohen, Stephen Lewis, Pamela Anderson, Arcade Fire, David Suzuki, Maude Barlow, Tegan and Sara, Joseph Boyden, and many others, including religious and First Nations leaders.
