A Response from Garry Neil From The Council of Canadians

This letter is the response to: A Letter to Maude Barlow at the Council of Canadians
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December 20, 2011

Dear Greg,

Thank you for your December 16 email concerning the Council of Canadians and the Occupy movement. I want to assure you that the Council is not in any way trying to “take over” or co-opt the Occupy movement. We are very supportive of the movement because the concerns of the occupiers are ones we share. But, we believe that among the real strengths of this movement are the fact that it arose spontaneously as an expression of outrage and concern about the many inequalities in our society, and it does not have identified “leaders.”

Many Council activists, members and Chapters provided varying degrees of support to local Occupy encampments. Some of our members were among those who stayed over in the various cities. The Council did pay for the portable toilets in Vancouver and Regina, and may have provided other logistical support elsewhere. But we saw this merely as enabling activists to take action.

The members of the Council’s Board of Directors are elected at the Annual General Meeting of members. Directors are not compensated for serving on the Board. Directors may speak in the name of the Council but must do so only within the various policies and positions that the Council has adopted. Several Directors spoke in support of the Occupy movement.

We value your support of the Council and hope it will continue.

In solidarity,

Garry Neil

Executive Director
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My Response to Mr Neil of The Council of Canadians

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