2025 Annual Report

CPJ in 2025 and beyond: Grounded and Growing

A message from CPJโ€™s outgoing Board Chair, Michael De Moor

Last November, the CPJ Board and staff met in Ottawa for three intensive days of grappling with big questions: What public justice work does Canada need right now? How should CPJ carry out that work? And What do we want CPJ to look like in the years to come?

Some of the answers we came up with were stark: while our political leaders ought to be taking bold climate and social action to address injustice amid the worldโ€™s deepening intersecting crises, the trend in our federal and provincial governments has been towards austerity rather than economic justice, and โ€œsecurityโ€ rather than welcome. We also recognized that the past couple of years have been challenging for CPJ from a financial point of view and we needed a plan that can also set us on the path back to balance.

But CPJ has been doing faith-inspired public justice work for more than six decades, and this isnโ€™t the first time weโ€™ve operated in a challenging context, whether political or financial. Thatโ€™s why we believe that the five-year strategic plan we came away from those meetings withโ€”which brings us back to our faith community advocacy rootsโ€”is tremendously exciting. We call it Grounded and Growing. It sets out a vision of CPJ where we return to the community-born advocacy strategies that built us in the first place, and expands our movement to new audiences.

This annual report reflects the remarkable work of CPJ staff. In particular, the development and implementation of our new strategic plan has been led by Willard Metzger, whose time as Executive Director is coming to an end in 2027. On behalf of the Board, I thank Willard deeply for eight years of dedicated service, and look forward to another exciting prospect: you will hear from us about a search for a new Executive Director this summer.

My time as Board Chair (and, indeed, my time on the Board) is coming to an end this summer, along with those of Willow Baarda and Marlene Bergsma. Weโ€™ve also had to say goodbye to a couple of members before the end of their terms (Sepase Barnabas Tersoo-Gwaza and Njamba Koffi). I am honoured to have worked with such devoted workers for faith-inspired public justice. The Board of CPJ is a dedicated, diverse, and active group who share a deep love of CPJ, its staff, and its work. Itโ€™s my prayer that leaders will continue to emerge to help direct and care for CPJ into the next phase of its work.

โ€”Michael DeMoor

A message from CPJโ€™s Executive Director, Willard Metzger

Since our last annual report, the need for Canadian citizensโ€”in particular, those who belong to faith communitiesโ€”to be actively involved in public justice work has only grown. Our headlines are full of alarming social and environmental issues, but the federal governmentโ€™s response has been underwhelming: instead of maintaining Canadaโ€™s reputation as a welcoming country, we are mirroring Americaโ€™s restrictions on immigration; instead of building out our clean electricity system, we are subsidizing the fossil fuel industry; instead of building critical social programs, we are cutting them while increasing spending on defence. As a Christian himself, Prime Minister Carney should know that responding to Godโ€™s call for love and justice in the world means implementing bold and progressive policy solutionsโ€”but his government is missing the mark.

CPJ members, on the other hand, responded to these crises in astounding ways. Throughout 2025, you gathered at justice events across the country, raised your voices for climate justice, refugee and migrant rights, and poverty eradication when we asked you to, and responded enthusiastically with financial support when we held matching grant campaigns and project-specific fundraisers. You are playing a key role in our countryโ€™s political discourse at a time when itโ€™s most critical. Thank you for your visionary support!

Although my time as Executive Director will end in 2027, my commitment to working for public justice remains. I have had the opportunity to build many relationships and be inspired by many CPJ supporters and members. Many of you have been faithful members and supporters for over 60 years. I thank God for your visionary support and your partnership with the Spirit of God in seeking justice. It has been a special privilege to lead an organization whose members so clearly see and live the connection between Christian faith and public life.

โ€”Willard Metzger

Annual Report Archives