With Trudeau’s visit, PH awaits just end to Canada trash issue

WE WRITE in reference to the article “Canadian trash hounds Trudeau” (News, 11/14/15).

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit is a good opportunity for him to announce that Canada will no longer dump its rubbish in the Philippines and arrange for the immediate return of all Canada trash exported to the Philippines for environmentally-sound disposal back home.

More than 50 garbage-filled container vans from Canada have been shipped to the Philippines. They remain languishing in a Manila port for a long time, until 29 of these were illegally disposed of in a landfill in Tarlac, President Aquino’s home province.

Trudeau should assure his Filipino host and audience that Canada does not and will not condone illegal waste trade that treats low- and middle-income countries like dumps. No country deserves to be treated like a garbage dump.

In its last election, the Canadian electorate indicated its overwhelming desire for change by electing Trudeau. His response to a question about why he appointed a gender-equal Cabinet (“because it is 2015”) should guide his response to this issue as well. Engaging in an illegal waste trade that treats low- and middle-income countries like dumps is a failed policy of the past.

Continuing this practice—which is in violation of the Basel Convention—will only deepen the wounds between our countries and exacerbate the injustice to the Filipino people.

Trudeau should end this practice and do it now because it is the just thing to do, and we offer to work with the governments of the Philippines and Canada to make this happen.

—AILEEN LUCERO, coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition, [email protected]