In “2015: A Big Year for the Climate,” Joe Gunn mentions that 300,000 people marched through the city of New York.
Judging from the tone of the article, the 300,000 who attended, probably most if not all, used a horse and buggy to travel to New York?
At a recent meeting of CPJ’s Board of Directors, an agenda item proposed changing one word in our mission statement. After a spirited discussion, we voted unanimously to replace “stewardship” with “the flourishing of creation.” Despite the word change, the fertile biblical concept of stewardship remains a core element in CPJ’s vision and mission. Thus, the fascinating, somewhat comical, history of the word “steward” is rich and worthy of brief reflection by CPJ’s community.
Near the end of 2014, reports emerged indicating that the Government of Canada planned to prioritize religious minorities when resettling refugees from Syria. This came amid increasing criticism of the government’s failure to meet even its dismal target of resettling 1,300 Syrian refugees by the end of the year.
In a remarkable display of solidarity, CPJ and the Canadian Council for Refugees brought together 25 Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Sikh leaders. They signed on to a statement declaring their opposition to the selection of Syrian refugees according to religion.
As a stay-at-home parent, I am grateful for a government that values our profound yet unpaid role in Canadian families. But did anyone ask stay-at-home parents if we want to enjoy income splitting tax savings when there are so many Canadians, especially children and our Aboriginal neighbours, in significant need? I for one don’t want to benefit at that cost. It is time to stand shoulder to shoulder and pay it forward to keep our promises.
On February 3, 2015, the Dignity for All Campaign released its long-awaited “National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada.” Support has been widespread: over 15,000 individuals, 600 organizations, and 130 Members of Parliament and Senators have all signed on, agreeing that Canada needs a national plan to address poverty.
Canadians might not know it, but we’ve been deprived of the good contributions that Indigenous people could have been bringing to our collective lives.
Budgets are documents that clarify our values – they say where our hearts really lie (they may also show how we “lie” if we do not walk the talk!) Politicians (just like faith communities, perhaps) may profess in speech to believe in the greater good. Where and how we spend money, and from where and … Read more
Originally published in Embassy News. There has been a lot of noise lately about how best to transport oil. Five trains carrying crude oil and other petroleum products have derailed in Canada and the United States in the last month. At least three of the spills led to serious fires that burned for days. At the … Read more
It is clear that unconscionable disparities exist in this country.
The statistics in the “National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada” should be enough to convince most that something needs to be done to address them. It also clearly tells us that the piecemeal efforts and siloed funding initiatives we currently have in Canada are not going to be enough to address what many would define as a wicked problem.
Several years ago, I participated in a poverty simulation that involved one day (8 hours, really) without food. It was miserable. My head ached, my brain was foggy, I was emotional, overwhelmed, and felt useless. I also learned a lot – a whole lot. Since then, I’ve valued the food that I eat more than … Read more
