Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen Take Action

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STAND Canada Action Alert - March 19, 2007
TELL YOUR MP TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT DARFUR
Friends,
Today the House of Commons returns from a two-week break. It’s time to address the situation in Darfur. We have done nothing for too long. This government says it’s serious about human rights; it’s time for them to show it.
On March 1st Canada announced increased funds for the African Union (AU) mission; however, this is not enough. Canada needs to be a vocal leader on the international stage to rally international efforts and catalyze action. Money alone won’t save Darfur.
Our government is not serious about Sudan. It is doing the minimal amount necessary to appear that it is. It is not taking any constructive steps to:
End the violence in Darfur and implement a robust-international protection force
Condemn the Government of Sudan for its flagrant disregard of past agreements
Condemn the Government of Sudan for failing to take seriously the recent ICC naming of two Sudanese suspects for war crimes and crimes against humanity
Condemn the Government of Sudan for failing to take seriously the recent UN human rights report that outlines its role in perpetrating crimes in Darfur
Work with rebel groups to also hold them accountable to past agreements and unite under one banner committed to peace
Significantly increase funding for Darfuri refugees and urge other countries to do the same
In short, Canada is not doing nearly enough, but you can help change that.
Write to your MP – and after 3 days when they don’t respond, send a follow up, and keep following up until you hear back from their office. It’s time to make our voices heard. In your letter you should outline the points above. Yet, the most important part of your letter is demanding a response. Ask your MP what s/he personally plans to do to address this issue and how s/he will work with his/her peers to make Darfur a priority of the Canadian government.
You can find your MP’s email address here: http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html#mp
A sample letter is below.
Please pass this email to friends and family. We need to make our voices heard for those in Darfur who no longer have their’s.
STAND Canada (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur)www.standcanada.org

Dear ___buch___________:
I am one of your constituents. I would like to thank you for all the work you have done on my behalf. However, there is one issue, close to my heart, that has not been getting the attention it deserves and I am looking to you as someone who can help change that.
Darfur. I do not need to remind you why we cannot turn our backs Darfur. I do not need to remind you of the 400,000 dead or the over 2 million displaced persons. Nor should I have to remind you about the countless women who have been raped and villages razed. As an MP, you already know about these horrors.
Then why have we remained so silent? Our government is not doing nearly enough to end this crisis.
We are not vocal enough in our criticism of the Government of Sudan and its constant human rights abuses, refusal to abide by past agreements and its intransigence towards international efforts – whether those of the AU, ICC or UN – to help end this crisis
We are not generous enough in our humanitarian dollars to help feed and assist Darfur’s refugees in what is currently the World Food Programme’s largest aid project
We are not active enough with our allies in putting together and implementing the necessary international protection force for Darfur that will takeover for the struggling African Union mission
There can be no more delay. We have just passed the four-year anniversary to the start of hostilities in Darfur. Our silence speaks loudest in the cries of the victims.
In this light, I would like to know what you plan on doing in this coming session of Parliament to address the plight of Darfur. How will you work towards making this country’s response to the crisis more effective? How will you work with your peers to make Darfur a priority of this government?
Together let us realize the potential of this great country by working harder to end the suffering in Darfur. The road will not be easy; it will take determination and persistence. However, we cannot afford to do any less. As Canadians we have a special responsibility, to others, but most importantly, to ourselves.
Thank you,
YOUR NAME Alrabae Adam EzaldeenYOUR CONTACT INFORMATION