Toronto,  Ontario, June 27th, 2024 — At 7pm this evening, two supporters of Last  Generation Canada interrupted the Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees  baseball game at the Rogers Centre demanding stronger climate action  from the government. The supporters ran onto the field throwing pink powder paint into  the air, wearing Last Generation Canada T-shirts with the slogans “Stop  Fossil Fuels Now” and “Canada is Burning” on the back.

The two Last Generation Canada  supporters are taking action to demand an emergency plan to end the  extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by calling on the Canadian  government to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty proposal.  Last Generation Canada is also demanding government action on the  climate crisis with the creation of a national firefighting agency. In  addition, the group demands that the government implement a citizens'  assembly with legally binding power to decide how to tackle the climate  and ecological crisis. This action follows the group blocking Highway 417 in Ottawa, the disruption of the bridge leading to the F1, and the delivery of an ultimatum to Justin Trudeau.

Since 2023, the campaign has  undertaken peaceful actions by interrupting the Juno Awards, painting  museum exhibits, throwing paint on art and causing traffic delays - all  to call attention to the urgent need to fight fossil fuels, the main  cause of the planetary climate crisis. A part of the global A22 Network, Last Generation Canada is coordinated by ordinary people driven to act as climate impacts ravage the country.

Eulalie Reesink, an 18-year old humanities student at Carleton University, says:

“I know that it’s unfair for me  to disrupt somebody's outing to the ballgame. But when the UN told us we  have 1-2 years left to save the future of humanity, actions like these  are necessary. 240 000 people were displaced from their homes last  summer because of the wildfires–and that is just the beginning of Canada  feeling the impacts of the climate crisis. We are asking our government  to do the bare minimum to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis by implementing a  national firefighting agency and endorsing the fossil fuel  non-proliferation treaty.”

The group’s demands are fueled by the out-of-control Canadian wildfires. In 2023, the fires released two billion tonnes of CO2, an amount greater than the total emissions of 100 countries. The wildfires destroyed five per cent of Canada’s Boreal forest.

Currently, over 70 per cent of Canadian firefighters are volunteers. As Alberta Fire Chiefs urgently call for a provincial strategy, Quebec firefighters prepare for a strike and Ontario cuts its wildfire fighting budget, Last Generation Canada calls on the federal government to train and employ 50,000 firefighters this year.

Ben Welchner, 32, says:

"Last year's wildfire season was  devastating, and it's not going to get gentler going forward. Three out  of four Canadians support a national firefighting agency, and in a  healthy democracy that would be enough. It clearly isn't. We've tried  being polite, and we've tried keeping our disruptions out of ordinary  Canadians' way. Now, if we want to survive, this is what we have to do."

The nonviolent campaign says  disruptions will continue into this summer as it launches into  international actions with 5 other countries, and the campaign will  undertake further nonviolent disruptive action in the future until their  demands are met.

Tzeporah Berman, Chair and founder of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, says:

“We  cannot continue living our lives as if the world around us is not  burning. We must end the fossil fuel era before it ends us. Just like we  once had international treaties to neutralize nuclear threats, we now  need a global pact to quickly and fairly move away from fossil fuels.  This means helping economies, workers, and communities switch from oil,  gas, and coal to cleaner, safer energy. Yet, wealthy governments like  Canada’s are still choosing the wrong side and backing the industry  that’s most responsible for burning our climate and our lives. As they  keep expanding fossil fuels, citizen's frustration grows, driving  stronger action. This is a growing global movement, and it’s critical  for governments to listen to their people's demands and join the 13  nations trying to negotiate a Treaty to stop fossil fuel expansion,  support a fair transition, and protect our nature and our communities.”