Bolivia marked Earth Day (April 22) with its Law of Mother Earth, which will establish eleven new rights for nature, including the rights not to be polluted and to continue vital cycles free from human interference.

Meanwhile, Canada's political and media establishment's election national election campaign barely mentions the world's ecological crisis. A conference entitled "Cochabamba+1", in Montreal April 15-17, marked the first anniversary of a world movement to defend the "rights of Mother Nature." More than 300 high-profile participants shows Bolivia's bold approach is gaining increased support in Canada.

"Civil society must unite with the Cochabamba platform" said Polaris Institute director Tony Clarke said.

"What kind of society could we build with laws that actually give the Earth and its species the right to exist and not be destroyed by us? It's introducing balance into our economic and development system," commented Council of Canadians Chairperson Maude Barlow.

The event was jointly sponsored by Alternatives, a Quebec-based social justice organization, and Canadian Dimension. Supporters include Council of Canadians, Greenpeace, Indigenous Environmental Network, and major unions: CAW, CSN, CSQ, CUPE, CUPW, FTQ, and PSAC.