IS IT TOO LATE?

Introduction
Dear Prime-Minister Carney
We are in a planetary crisis!
Maybe this letter is too late
1 - How it is
2 - Planet Earth - One of a kind
3 - STOP Growth, GO Sustainable
4 - Shifting Consciousness
5 - Unity
6 - Canada can do this!

INTRO: This letter was sent, via Canada Post, to Prime-Minister Carney, and was individually addressed to Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, and to every Premier across the land. It is an update of 'STOP Growth, GO Sustainable' sent in 2021. At this time, 2026, the issue is more pressing as southern British Columbia faces a potential dry summer after low snowpack and no real winter. And so the question - IS IT TOO LATE?

February 13, 2026

Dear Prime-Minister Carney,

Thank you for choosing to serve Canada – which at this time in history must be no easy task.

I am a Canadian, a senior Canadian, and love Canada, my chosen home. As I type, it’s February, and it’s 8° Celsius. Where has winter been these last few years? Where is the snow? We are having such unusual weather here in British Columbia’s southern interior that we wonder how the summer will be, and how many people, and living beings, will have to flee wildfires, floods and landslides?

And so, this letter to you, as I see and hear of international trade deals, and threats of separations within this great Nation, all without due consideration of the amazing and wonderful planet we live on.

We are in a planetary crisis!

Never mind the political mess, wars, greed, violence and huge migrations, Planet Earth itself and all life upon it is in danger! We have been warned for many years! I say this from having been on this planet long enough to have witnessed a world with far less people - a world without plastic, computers, satellites, artificial intelligence, and so much stuff – and heard the warnings.

Maybe this letter is too late?

Maybe humanity has gone too far? Yet there are those of us who still hold hope that our fellow Canadians, and people around the world, will wake up and see the bigger picture, will realize the reality of what we are doing, and adjust our ways of thinking and being, instead of just going on doing the ‘same old, same old,’ without thought of consequences. We have been warned for many years!

Granted, what is proposed here in this letter is a BIG stretch, and you may initially balk at it and say it’s a load of drivel, but it’s a beginning, a thought that can grow – a seed that can be planted, for it is through a shift in individual consciousness and awareness within every person in Canada that change will occur, not through government policies. As an elected official, maybe you can help lead the way.

To assist, I am writing this letter with the following sections:
1 – How it is.
2 – Planet Earth – One of a kind.
3 – STOP Growth, GO Sustainable.
4 – Shifting consciousness.
5 – Unity
6 – Canada can do this!

1 – How it is

We are presently engaged in World War III, an economic trade war. While countries, including Canada, create new trade partners, and reel with tariffs imposed by the present unpredictable U.S. administration, what has been left out of the equation is Planet Earth - the Environment, and the natural world.

Trade deals are all about STUFF which will eventually end up in a landfill, with more containers being shipped overseas, polluting the oceans. There will be more stuff going to landfills as we continue the throw-away ideology in manufacturing of everything from automobiles to technology to clothes - basically everything - polluting the land. Let’s not forget all the satellites and junk and radio waves floating around the planet, helping pollute space and the air around us.

Do we really need more STUFF? Please look around you at this moment, at everything you have in your office; how much of that will eventually end up in a landfill?
Now think of a big box store and look around; how much of that will eventually end up in a landfill?
Now think of a city and look around; how much of that will eventually end up in a landfill?
Think of a shipping port, filled with containers; how much of that will eventually end up in a landfill?
And how much of that will be plastic?
Even buildings, like the many sky-scrapers you see, don’t have a long life-span. How long will a 50-floor tower last? And how much of that will eventually end up in a landfill?
Now think of everything that is in one of those towers – filled with stuff. And we need more?

2 – Planet Earth – One of a kind

Our economies are created on the back of Planet Earth, taking and not giving back. How much more blood (oil and water) and flesh (minerals, trees, sand, rock etc.) can Planet Earth give? Please pause for a moment, and think - how much blood can YOU give before you start feeling weak?

Earth is finite. While we build to house and feed an increased population, we are encroaching upon and destroying habitat and species of wildlife, all around the planet, while adding pollution to the lands, oceans, waters, air and space. In 2017 over 50% of Earth was taken by humans, for buildings and food production. What percentage would that be now? There is no second Planet Earth. This is it. Look at how we have abused it. Is it too late? It’s time to put the needs of Planet Earth and Nature ahead of political and financial gain.

3 – STOP Growth, GO Sustainable

'Sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. We cannot continue to grow on a finite planet.

Humanity at this time is not content with what is, or what we have, and expects more and more. It is the ‘more’ that is killing our planet. What is wrong with being content with what is – be it a business, a thing, stuff, a simple way of life, the economy?

The following are some suggestions. I could elaborate with research information and give data but for the sake of brevity, headings will have to suffice:
- STOP economic growth and all growth – be content with what is.
- STOP depleting Earth’s resources – such as – oil, forests, minerals, marine life, and more.
- REDUCE CONSUMPTION – use less - which will require a shift in consciousness.
- STOP ALL MANUFACTURING that requires new resources and materials.
- RECYCLE absolutely everything, from energy to building materials, metals, plastics, electronics, glass, fabrics, gray water, and so forth.
- DEVELOP ENERGY that is not reliant upon natural resources. Solar panels and windmills have a short life-span and are dependent upon resources - metals and plastic.
- STOP manufacturing and distribution of single use items. Design products to last – change the throw-away mentality.
- STOP creating more automobiles – at this moment the biggest economic challenge in Ontario seems to be to the very industry that is creating the most harm to Earth.
- STOP TRAVEL – another one of the biggest causes of pollution, not just from fuels (air and sea), but fecal excrement and trash left behind. (Earth has a poop problem.) While people travel to experience different cultures, those cultures are changing to accommodate tourism.
- STAY HOME – it’s time to be in local community, support community, local farmers and suppliers. Community gardens. Share rides. Use the bus.
- HAVE A NATIONAL BUS SYSTEM - Canada once had a very valuable bus system, connecting communities across the nation, especially rural communities.
- LET CANADA BE A FORERUNNER in developing an economy and a culture that supports itself, maintains, sustains and restores life within the country, and removes all barriers between provinces and territories. This means NO trade deals with other countries – deals that are all about stuff – and the inevitable transportation of goods that will eventually end up in landfills.
- MAKE IT IN CANADA – as is returning now (thank you), as it used to be. Remember the rag trade in Toronto? Furniture made in Canada? Wallpaper made in Canada? Etc…
- STOP POPULATION GROWTH. The population on Earth has tripled since 1960. This means more people to feed, house, provide jobs and services for, have stuff for, while at the same time creating more pollution and garbage. As population grows, so does consumption which eats away at resources and materials, threatens Nature, destroying life and the natural world.

4 – Shifting consciousness

All the above will require a huge shift in consciousness and awareness, particularly about how we view family and birth control, about individual needs and wants, and the mindset of consumerism.

There is a rising awareness around the world towards preservation, protecting life. Humanity has ravaged resources, going back thousands of years. For example, the green hills and islands of Ireland and Scotland were once treed. Today the Amazon forests, and forests everywhere, are being destroyed for wood, paper, housing and farming, affecting the Earth’s lungs and the wildlife that call them home.

IMAGINE Canada and Earth two-hundred years from now, or one-thousand years from now. What will archeologists find? Landfills and oceans full of plastic and garbage? Soils and waters contaminated with chemicals? And wildlife – GONE? We have been warned for many years!

There is an ability within each and every one of us to become aware of everything we do, to be consciously aware and mindful of our actions and their consequences. It will take time, for we have become a population of ‘must have,’ ‘need more,’ ‘deserve,’ ‘entitled to,’ and ‘be damned about consequences.’

Thankfully I grew up in post-war Europe when there was still rationing and we were quite content to do without. So many regions of this world have nothing, or what they have had is now destroyed. In Canada we are truly blessed, and fortunate, in fact, truly spoiled and have too much.

In addition, people are becoming dependent upon technology for making choices, decisions and for remembering. We are in danger of becoming robots. Artificial intelligence, technology and social media are destroying truth and affecting people’s emotional health. And what of the effects of all those radio waves on people’s physical health and wellbeing? It’s time for Canada to put down the cellphone, be in the moment and be mindful of what we are doing as individuals.

It is through action from within ourselves that we can make a difference – not through a government bill, or a new law. Most of all, a shift in consciousness and awareness will help us acknowledge we have enough stuff, we can change, and we can make a difference.

5 – Unity

People and countries are being weakened by division. Threats from those having the illusion of being more powerful are instilling fear and uncertainty everywhere. There is a need for unity, for there is strength in being united. For the sake of the future, for the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren (and seven generations), please work together Canada. Put country and planet over politics and money. With a positive working together, supporting each other, Canada can be stronger, avoid a complete crumbling, and retain its sovereignty. Please avoid negativity. Find the positive in everything and work towards it. Please stop thoughts and actions promoting separation.

6 - Canada can do this!

Canada is already gaining more respect (thank you) in the new world order as powers are changing, and will continue to change in the coming months.

Meanwhile, in Canada, thousands are losing their jobs because of tariffs, AI, federal cutbacks, etc. In the Depression, people were put to work repairing or building infrastructure. Another suggestion - what about turning the land back to people to farm, away from huge industrial farming where corporations control what is grown – to encourage local farming and local seed saving? FOOD for Canada! Think outside the box!

Come on Canada! We can do it!

But then, maybe it is too late and we have gone too far!

We have been warned for many years!

May you and all living beings be well, be happy and at peace.
Respectfully yours, in gratitude and peace,
Rosemary Phillips

What do you think? Let me know.

Here is an image of the list of recipients of the printed letter, which was personalized to each, and sent via Canada Post.

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