Tony Clarke (born 1944) is a Canadian

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

Biography

Clarke grew up in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, graduating from Chilliwack Senior Secondary School in 1962. He was class president. He studied at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

and did graduate work at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, obtaining a PhD in the history of religion. He presented a dissertation titled ''The Color Line and the American Metropolis: A Search for a Form of Ministry in the Aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago'' (1974). After Chicago, he worked for the

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB; french: Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada) is the national assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in Canada. It was founded in 1943, and was officially recognized by the Holy ...

for 21 years, serving as Director of Social Policy. Clarke was the chair of the Action Canada Network, a coalition of labor groups and activists that led the battle against the 1987 Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. The activists joined forces with anti-free traders from Mexico and the United States to oppose the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

. As a result of his leadership role in the anti-free trade movement, Clarke was fired from the Conference of Bishops. Clarke then wrote ''Behind the Mitre: The Moral Leadership Crisis in the Canadian Catholic Church'' (Toronto: HarperCollins, 1995), analyzing the role of the Catholic Church and church-state relations in the previous two decades. Clarke has continued his activism, working closely with

Maude Barlow Maude Victoria Barlow (born May 24, 1947) is a Canadian author and activist. She is a founding member of the Council of Canadians, a citizens' advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada. She is also the co-founder of the Blue ...

of the

Council of Canadians The Council of Canadians is a Canadian non-profit organization that advocates for clean water, fair trade, green energy, public health care, and a vibrant democracy. The organization is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario with regional offices in H ...

. In 1997 he formed the

Polaris Institute The Polaris Institute is a Canadian think tank based in Ottawa, Ontario. Its stated goal is "to help empower citizen movements towards democratic social change". It was formed in 1997 in response to its view that citizens were becoming politically ...

. and led the campaigns against the

Multilateral Agreement on Investment The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) was a draft agreement negotiated in secret between members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) between 1995 and 1998. It sought to establish a new body of universal in ...

, the

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy, economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

, and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

. As a result of his activist work, he and Maude Barlow were awarded the 2005

Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob v ...

"for their exemplary and longstanding worldwide work for trade justice and the recognition of the fundamental human right to water". Clarke sits on the board of directors of the International Forum on Globalization. His daughter is actor and artist

Tanya Clarke Tanya Clarke (born February 2, 1972) is an American film, television, and stage actress, known for her role as Nicole Brennan in the ''Dead Space'' franchise. Early life Clarke was born in Chicago, Illinois, while her father, Tony Clarke, comp ...

Books

Clarke has authored several books: *''Behind the Mitre: The Moral leadership Crisis in the Canadian Catholic Church'' (1995) *''Silent Coup:Confronting the Big Business Takeover of Canada'' (1997) *''MAI: The Multilateral Agreement on Investment & the Threat to Canadian Sovereignty'' (1997) with Maude Barlow *''MAI: The Multilateral Agreement on Investment & the Threat to American Democracy'' (1998) with Maude Barlow *''MAI Round 2: New Global And Internal Threats to Canadian Sovereignty'' (1998) with Maude Barlow *''Global Showdown: How the new Activists are Fighting Global Corporate Rule''(2001) with Maude Barlow *''Challenging McWorld'' (2001 with Sara Dopp; revised and updated 2006) *''Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water'' (2003) with Maude Barlow *''Inside the Bottle: Exposing the Bottled Water Industry'' (2005 revised and updated in 2007) *''Tar Sands Showdown: Canada and the New politics of Oil in an Age of Climate Change'' (2008) *''Getting to Zero: Canada Confronts Global Warming'' (2018)

Films

Clarke stars in the feature documentary '' Blue Gold: World Water Wars'' by

Sam Bozzo Sam Bozzo (born February 15, 1969) is an American film director and author. Overview Bozzo wrote, directed, and edited three short films. ''For Which It Stands'' (1990) was screened in the Sundance Film Festival. ''The Shadowed Cry'' (1992) was ...

. He is also featured in a documentary on the tar sands, ''H2OIL'' by

Shannon Walsh Shannon Walsh is a Canadian filmmaker, writer and scholar. She has directed the feature documentaries ''The Gig Is Up'', ''H2Oil'' ,''À St-Henri, le 26 août'', ''Jeppe on a Friday'' and ''Illusions of Control''. She has also directed music vi ...

References

External links

*Information o
Right Livelihood Award website
*Video interview {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Tony 1944 births Living people Canadian activists People from Chilliwack

Biography

Books

Films

See also

References

External links