Prentice's constituents stage sit-in at Alberta office

Seven activists have occupied Environment Minister Jim Prentice's office in Calgary today. 

According to a press release, this is the first of a series of citizen-organized peaceful sit-ins targeting elected officials, tar sands financiers and coal and tar sands industries.

The sit-in began shortly after 10am, with the activists demanding that the Harper government and all parties act to combat the climate crisis.

“We won’t be changing our target as a result of an office occupation,” said Mr. Prentice’s spokesman, Bill Rodgers told the Globe and Mail's Shawn McCarthy in a phone interview.

“Despite the growing crisis, the Harper Government is trying to sabotage efforts to solve the challenge of global warming, expanding the tar sands rather than leading the push for real solutions,” said Russell Charlton said in the press release. “Letter writing, rallies, meetings, and phone calls are all important actions, but our Government’s inaction indicates that these tactics are not enough. We must step up the pressure, so we are engaging in peaceful civil disobedience, like those before us in the civil rights and other great movements, to ensure we do our part to solve the biggest environmental and economic threat of our time.”

The activists will most likely be forced to leave by police, but said that they will ensure that they will leave peacefully.