Citizens for Public Justice

CPJ’s infographic on why Christians are asking for a strong pan-Canadian climate plan.

Climate change is the defining issue of our time. It is altering the physical environment of the Earth, devastating ecosystems, and contributing to social, economic, and political instability around the world. Still, many continue to see climate change and its impacts as someone else’s problem – whether they be elsewhere in Canada or across the…

On March 31, 2016, McCallum announced some exciting changes that directly respond to the concerns of private sponsorship groups and the SAH Council. These changes respond directly to CPJ’s concerns over restrictive caps and the government’s processing speed.

The federal government will fully restore the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) to all refugees starting April 1, 2016. 

Citizens for Public Justice is celebrating, and across Canada refugees and their sponsors are sighing in relief—they no longer need to worry about how they will pay for their health needs.

March 2016
Read the Statement
In June of 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) released 94 Calls to Action to guide us towards a repaired relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and a more just and equitable future. CPJ has released a statement in response to the TRC’s Call to Action #48 and has also endorsed the KAIROS Education for Reconciliation campaign in support of the TRC’s Call to Action #62.i.

In the lead-up to the COP21 climate negotiations last December, Citizens for Public Justice produced resources to support faithful worship, action, and reflection on climate change. CPJ also coordinated a national prayer chain. Canadians were praying for climate justice for 296 consecutive hours during the climate negotiations.

Significant progress, glaring omissions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, ON: March 22, 2016 — The 2016 Federal Budget, released today by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, includes significant measures that work to advance public justice in Canada. However, Citizens for Public Justice, noted that this budget fails to live up to the federal government’s commitments to national plans…

“Growing the Middle Class” is the title of the first budget presented by Canada’s new federal government. The Liberals hope that citizens will find “sunny ways” inside these pages – and in several ways we should. But this budget also raises some important, longer-term challenges for Canadians.

From The Catalyst, Spring 2016

by Anita Khanna

With the election of a new federal government, Canada must seize the opportunity for overdue transformation of its shameful poverty record. 

March 2, 2016 marked a turning point for federal-provincial cooperation on climate policy in Canada.

Federal and provincial leaders, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis representatives, and a wide range of civil society organizations are gathering in Vancouver to discuss the future of climate change policy in Canada.