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Suzuki says thanks

Adam Johnson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 17/06) - "If it weren't for these people, I would have been taken off the air a long time ago."

Hastily packing up his things after his presentation, renowned author and environmentalist David Suzuki summed up the purpose of his recent visit to Yellowknife and other cities across Canada - to say thanks.

NNSL Photo/graphic

David Suzuki speaks to a sold-out crowd at the Explorer Hotel last week. The author and environmentalist spoke about his life and his passions, touring for his new book, "David Suzuki: The Autobiography. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo


"Me speaking out is nothing without the people to support it."

Last week, Suzuki spoke out to a capacity crowd at the Explorer Hotel, part of the national tour of his new book, "David Suzuki: The Autobiography."

In a warm, thoughtful and occasionally fiery two hours, the "Nature of Things" host and founder of the David Suzuki Foundation talked about his life, his work and the state of environmental policy in Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"Where was the environment? It wasn't even on the agenda," he said of the latest budget.

"We have to raise shit between now and the next election," he said during the speech's finale. "We have to put (the environment) back on the agenda as the highest priority."

Despite the talk's forward-looking close, Suzuki's focus was mainly his past.

He described his early life as a third-generation Japanese-Canadian, sent to an internment camp with his family after the attacks on Pearl Harbour.

"We were considered a threat because we looked like the enemy," he said.

Suzuki, 70, often digressed to talk about fishing, his wives and his children, which he said were "the only thing I think I've contributed to Canada."

He put his youngest daughter, Severn, in the spotlight, playing a clip of her speech to the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro in 1992, at the age of 12.

Her impassioned words brought a few members of the audience to tears, including local naturalist and author Jamie Bastedo, who introduced Suzuki at the event.

"He grabs you right in the heart, but he doesn't stop there," he said. "He urges the hand to follow."

"He's giving thanks to Canadians for their support," he said, "But it's an opportunity for us to give thanks to him."

Jennifer Morin, board director of Ecology North, hoped that people were inspired by the event.

"It's great to see so many people out," she said. "I hope people will walk away from this event and look at what they can do."