Greenpeace campaigner roughed up, tossed from Harper campaign event

Activists were at the event to peacefully protest the lack of action by the government on global warming

Dave Martin, climate and energy coordinator with Greenpeace, was knocked to the ground by security officials, pinned down, handcuffed and taken to a police car. Laura Severinac from Greenpeace was also detained. Both were released an hour later without charge, after Harper departed the campaign stop at Tory headquarters in the west-Toronto riding of Etobicoke North.

The manhandling of Martin came on the same day that Greenpeace launched its own election push to encourage Canadians to elect a federal government that will take meaningful action to stop global warming.

"Stephen Harper can't hide the truth that he refuses to take the climate change crisis seriously," said Martin.

Greenpeace wants to see a government ready to take action on climate change in place before the world gathers next year in Copenhagen to decide on a post-Kyoto climate treaty. Greenpeace and 30 other groups have called for a strengthening and extension of the Kyoto Protocol – KYOTOplus. The UN climate change conference is widely anticipated to be a historic watershed in the fight against global warming. The government elected on October 14th will represent Canada on this world stage.

Before the election, the leaders of all four opposition parties signed a pledge to support the KYOTOplus targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020. Only Prime Minister Harper refused to sign. His government set a 2020 target that is less than three per cent below 1990 levels.

"The next federal government will make decisions on global warming that will affect an entire generation of Canadians," said Martin "This election will determine whether Canada supports a strong, post-Kyoto treaty through to 2020, or whether our children will be left to mop up our mess."