2024 Annual Report

Faith-inspired justice work in a changing world

2024 Annual Report
Read CPJ’s 2024 Annual Report (PDF)

A message from CPJ’s Executive Director and Chair of our Board of Directors

Throughout 2024, CPJ’s mission of promoting public justice in Canada remained critical and CPJ members and staff continued to make a faith-inspired and hope-filled impact!

2024 was a year of change: the intersecting cost of living and climate crises, along with diminished protections for migrants and refugees, wrought significant shifts in Canadian political and policy environments. Like many civil society organizations, CPJ urged the federal government not to lose focus on policies and programs that would uplift each person’s right to an adequate standard of living, despite the pressure to react to the short-term news cycle.

During this tumultuous year, CPJ was present and effective at key moments to keep public justice front and centre in national conversations. In November, when world leaders gathered at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan to build agreements on climate finance—the agreements that will determine Canada’s contributions to the global funding needed for a sustainable future—we were there as the only officially accredited member of the Canadian delegation from a faith-based organization. We amplified messages from our members and showed Canadian decision makers that people of faith are a strong and engaged constituency, and that we all have an obligation to care for creation through bold climate action.

In addition to engaging with decision makers and urging them to act for the common good, in 2024 CPJ was busy linking advocacy efforts between various civil society organizations and building impactful networks. Last fall, we co-convened the inaugural We Go Together Symposium, which brought together secular and faith-based civil society organizations advocating for an end to poverty in Canada.

Given our size, CPJ continues to show impressive capability in advocacy work and in shaping Canadian public discourse. At our 2024 AGM, attendees enjoyed a compelling panel discussion on the role of faith communities in driving change within public justice advocacy, which featured prominent experts in each of CPJ’s policy areas. In connection with our #AsylumWithDignity Interfaith Campaign, which called on the federal government to implement a comprehensive plan that addresses critical gaps in the reception and support of refugee claimants, and our calls to end immigration detention, our former Refugee and Migrant Rights policy analyst co-authored an op-ed in the Hill Times and took part in a parliamentary press conference.

The board was engaged throughout the year to support this important work. In addition to regular online meetings of the Board and committees, the Board met in person on May 31st and June 1st in Ottawa to thoroughly consider CPJ’s financial situation and the need for a robust strategic planning process in 2025, which has now started. The Board also updated a comprehensive document on the roles and responsibilities of board committees and migrated board documents to a secure Google Drive. We are aware of our challenging financial operational context and are taking steps to ensure long-term financial stability for CPJ.

It is crucial that we continue to make our outsized and faith-inspired impact on Canadian public policy. Your support enables CPJ to contribute an essential element to civil society advocacy efforts in Canada: the belief that all people are created in the image of God, and that our love for God compels us to honour our neighbours’ inherent dignity and share in God’s work for justice.

—Willard Metzger and Ian Van Haren

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