Citizens for Public Justice

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Posts by Citizens for Public Justice

Birthing a New Ethic for Ecological Justice

Sister Maureen Wild, SC, asks how we can honour what God creates in Birthing a New Ethic for Ecological Justice. Sister Maureen highlights how our survival depends on choosing life for all creation.

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Press Release: CPJ lauds new bill calling for poverty elimination strategy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON: June 16, 2010 – Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) praised a new private member’s bill tabled in the House of Commons today calling for a federal poverty elimination strategy. The bill was tabled by Tony Martin of the New Democratic Party and seconded by Mike Savage of the Liberal Party and Yves Lessard of the Bloc Québécois.

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Press Release: Recession Increases Poverty and Economic Insecurity: New Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON: May 4, 2010 – The 2008-2009 recession created poverty for hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, according to a new report released by Citizens for Public Justice (funded by World Vision Canada).

Bearing the Brunt: How the 2008-2009 Recession Created Poverty for Canadian Families reveals the deep impact of the recession by examining key economic trends, comparing them to the baseline of 2007 – the last year for which we have poverty measures available. This trend analysis projects that the poverty rate in Canada rose to 11.7% in 2009, an increase of over 900,000 Canadians compared to 2007. The child poverty rate has likely risen to at least 12%, an increase of 160,000 children compared to 2007.

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Bearing the Brunt

May 2010
Bearing the Brunt: How the 2008-2009 Recession Created Poverty for Canadian Families details the rise in poverty and economic insecurity caused by the recession.

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Budget 2010 falls short by staying the course.

The recession has had a tremendous impact on Canadians. Job losses and a faltering safety net have added hundreds of thousands of people to the population of Canadians living in poverty. Economic stimulus and deficit spending are most certainly required to confront this vulnerability. Measures to create and sustain jobs and to build a strong and healthy country are needed. But this cannot be done at the expense of those on the margins, excluded from mainstream society.

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Parliament

Income Security for All Canadians: A CPJ backgrounder on GLI

This paper provides an introduction to guaranteed or basic income, highlighting the policy debates and the history of the idea in Canada. Participants in the BIEN Canada Ottawa conference should read this paper to provide context for the detailed policy discussions and conversations of the conference.

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Photo by festivio is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

Building an economy of care: 2009 pre-budget submission

Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance Pre-Budget Consultations
The present economic and environmental crises highlight the fact that our economy has not provided care for people or creation. Moving beyond the crises requires that re-think our fundamental economic orientation. We need to expand our understanding of prosperity beyond economic growth to encompass social and environmental well-being.

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Gerald Vandezande: Canada’s Unassuming Prophet

One of CPJ’s founders and a recognized name in religious and political circles, Gerald Vandezande’s life has been one of faithfulness, commitment and passion. Starting with his humble beginnings, the article outlines some life lessons from this Christian social activist.

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Justice and Jubilee: CPJ Backgrounder on Poverty

May 2009
Our foundational backgrounder on poverty is intended to be a resource for those who are wondering about the faith basis of CPJ’s work on poverty, highlighting our understanding of the Biblical call to justice and a Christian vision of economics. It also explains our public justice perspective on poverty, and the moral obligation of governments to take leadership on poverty, as well as the responsibility of every person and every social institution to eradicate poverty. 
It can also be a useful tool for small groups to explore the issue of poverty and to understand the values that perpetuate poverty, as well as the values and principles that call us to action on poverty.

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Prayers for Earth Day

Wednesday April 22, is Earth Day: a day to celebrate the bountiful gifts that creation offers, to reflect upon our relationship with the earth, and to take action towards practicing greater care and stewardship towards it. I wanted to share two prayers that celebrate creation and encourage reflection.

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