Karri Munn-Venn joined CPJ as the socio-economic policy analyst in 2008. She moved to the climate justice portfolio in 2012 and served as senior policy analyst from 2015 until August 2022. Karri lives, plays, and farms at Fermes Leystone Farms on the unceded traditional territory of the Anishinabewaki and Omamiwinniwag (Algonquin) Peoples in rural west Québec.
August 14, 2018
Read the letter
CPJ welcomes Minister Sohi on his new natural resources portfolio and urges support for immediate action to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.Â
In the midst of protests, politicking, and global proclamations, the Government of Canada bought the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project on May 29, 2018 for $4.5 billion.
While the federal government’s action polarized Canadians, it also emphasized the need for serious reflection on how we can move forward most constructively.
​ From the Catalyst, Summer 2018
The Patch: The People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands
By Chris Turner
Simon & Schuster, 2017
Reviewed by Karri Munn-Venn
Who knew that a 319-page book on bitumen could be so captivating? The Patch is undoubtedly the best book I have read in a long time.
In 2017, as part of CPJ’s inaugural Give it up for the Earth! climate campaign, people from across the country took action to reduce their personal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and encourage the federal government to respond boldly to the global climate crisis. This year we did it again! On July 17, a CPJ delegation…
Earth Day is the most celebrated secular holiday in the world. Still, I’m not quite sure what to make of it.
There is no doubt that the level of environmental awareness has risen immensely over the last generation. And, there is real power in being part of a community, a larger movement based in common concern and purpose.
But the celebratory sounds of these Earth Day events may be overwhelmed by the cries of the people on the front lines of climate change. Which begs the question: why are we celebrating?
Give it up for the Earth! – CPJ’s Lenten climate campaign – has prompted me to think seriously about my personal Lenten journey. In 2017, I decided to “give up” overpackaged goods, and, as much as possible to purchase food in bulk, using reusable jars and bins.Â
The way we spend our money reflects what we deem important. And the same is true of government spending. That is why Give it up for the Earth! is calling on the Canadian federal government to end all subsidies to the fossil fuel industry right away.
Welcome! Bula! Willkommen!
These were the words of greeting at the site of the UN Climate Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany. I was there for CPJ, to learn, to meet others in the climate justice community, and to bring a voice of Canadian Christians into the conversation. And I wanted to see firsthand how the Canadian government would frame their priorities in this international context.
From the Catalyst, Summer 2017
After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians
By Gordon Laxer
​Douglas & McIntyre, 2015
Reviewed by Karri Munn-Venn
After the Sands is a fascinating, if dense, history of Canadian energy policy, offered by prominent Alberta political economist, Gordon Laxer.
At its core, After the Sands is a call for a fundamental reorientation of government approaches to energy policy and societal understanding of the urgency of the climate crisis.
From the Catalyst, Spring 2017
Fasting is not my strong suit.
I have done it occasionally, but not at all gracefully. I really enjoy good food and I’ve been known, on occasion, to get a little “hangry” (you know, hungry-angry) if I haven’t properly fueled my body. For many years, however, I have given something up for Lent.
As we approached Lent this year, I found myself reflecting on the purpose of it all.
On Monday, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada plans to introduce a national price on carbon in 2018. This demonstrates the government’s firm acknowledgement of the integral role of carbon pricing in Canada’s climate action plan. Sadly, however, the level at which this price is to be set – beginning at $10 per tonne in 2018 and rising $10 per year to reach $50 per tonne in 2022 – will do little to meaningfully reduce Canadian GHG emissions.
