Citizens for Public Justice

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.

CPJ has long advocated for electoral reform, engaging with the electoral system and its implications for politics from the very beginning of its work. CPJ believes that introducing proportional representation to our electoral system would make it fairer for the representation of views, respecting the reality of pluralism.

Two weeks ago, Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney stated that he believed immigrants should be required to speak English or French before being accepted into Canada, arguing that this would encourage newcomers to integrate more into Canadian society. His statement has since sparked a heated debate about immigration policy in Canada. How do we integrate newcomers into Canada? Is a language requirement fair and necessary for integration?

“Human dignity is a right to be protected and promoted.” People of many persuasions and perspectives in society would likely agree with this statement; and Christians in particular would nearly unanimously affirm that this is among the first principles of their faith.

While we might readily agree on the priority of human dignity in principle, putting principle into practice is a continuing challenge. Let me offer here a brief reflection on resources from Jewish and Christian biblical traditions that might help with the challenge of putting belief into action.

Poverty is an unnecessary injustice, for God created a world with abundant resources to use for sustaining healthy and dignified lives. The cause of poverty does not lie in the availability of resources and capital, but in the scarcity of practices such as stewardship and neighbourly love.

The federal government recently launched a National Consultation on Budget Actions to Protect Canada’s Economy. In the coming weeks, Canadians are invited to share their views and priorities on an economic stimulus plan for the 2009 Federal Budget.

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Ottawa, ON: October 17, 2008 – Friday, October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), along with the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO) and the Ottawa District Labour Council (ODLC), invites individuals to come out and Stand Up against poverty.

Stand Up, a global movement to end poverty, brings together people across the world to speak out against inequality. Over 43 million committed individuals stood up last year – and this year, even more people are expected to Stand Up and Take Action in solidarity against poverty.

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Ottawa, ON: , October 2, 2008 – Three Canadian social justice groups with members across Canada today demanded that poverty and social inequality issues be given greater attention by the political parties entering the home stretch of the 2008 federal election. These groups voiced their demands as a preface to a national debate on poverty and inequality. This televised, public event is being held on Monday, October 6th, 7pm to 9pm, Dominion Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper Street, Ottawa (wheelchair accessible from Cooper Street entrance).

In this thoughtful reflection, Jennifer deGroot comments on the inspiration of two strong women who stood up for change. She notes that while most of us may not have opportunities for such forceful, vocal action, the world still needs our voices. In our everyday lives, she argues, we can live out a commitment to justice and to change.