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David Suzuki's Blue dot tour drops in on Confederacy By Lynda Powless, Editor Standing in the middle of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) circle, renowned environmentalist David Suzuki told the chiefs, "Everything I have learned I have learned from Indigenous peoples. "I came here today to thank you, as indigenous people in Canada. The Indigenous people of the world have taught me everything I know. You have inspired me to do what I do." The award winning geneticist, author broadcaster and co founder of the David Suzuki Foundation is on a whirlwind Canada wide tour making a last ditch attempt to convince Canadians that clean air, clean water and a clean environment is a constitutional right. The 20 community Blue Dot tour is spreading the message that all Canadians should have the right to drink clean water, breathe fresh air and eat healthy food. "Blue Dot" is a reference to a famous 1990 NASA photo of Earth from Voyageur One. The satellite was turned to take the photo of our tiny planet, just before it left our solar system. "That's our home. That's where every tyrant and dictator has spilled blood trying to gain a foothold on that little dot. That's where every lover, every poet, every singer, every human being who's ever lived, lived out on that little pale blue dot," he told a crowded longhouse. He said he began his career as a scientist in the 1960s and came from an immigrant family who were taught the mantra to work hard and get ahead. "At that time there were no departments of the environment anywhere." He said it was environmentalists in the 60 and 70s that forced the creations of environmental departments. He said his blue Dot tour is seeking the support of Canadians to push for an amendment to the Canadian Constitution to make it a right to have a healthy environment. "We want to see it enshrined in our Constitution that it should be the right of every Canadian to have clean air, clean water and a healthy environment," he said. He said 110 countries in the world have some kind of right to healthy environment enshrined in their constitution but not Canada. "Where is our right to it in the Constitution," he said. He said his tour is asking every Canadian to seek out their municipal politicians and pressure cities to put pressure on their province to push for the amendment. "We need seven provinces and 50 per cent of the population to amend the constitution." He said during the protests of the 70s "we didn't know the effects of contaminants on the lands. We didn't know DDT would kill insects but also seep into the fish and then into the eagles. We didn't know. We didn't know that nuclear bombs would create a radioactive fallout. "We just didn't know", he said. He said in the 1970s during the logging fights for Haida Gwa, "I know the Haida had high unemployment but they were 100 per cent opposed to logging despite the high paying jobs." He said he spoke with a young artist that was leading the fight against logging. "I asked him why he was against it when it could bring down against it when it could bring so much to his people. Jobs, progress." Suzuki said "he told me 'when they cut the trees we will still be here, but then we will be like every- (Continued on page 7)