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Before European contact in 1835, the population of the Haida Nation was upwards of 9000 strong. Fifty years later, disease brought by foreign merchants decimated the people, and there were less than 1500. Let that sink in. Over 80% of your community… gone. It’s an apocalypse. And yet the Haida’s experience, unbelievably, was far from…

Collectively, we have lost our way. Across the world, greenhouse gas emissions are rising to levels that threaten other species, biodiversity, and ourselves. We have failed to understand how polluting industries and constant economic growth cannot coexist with sustainable living if profit and materialism remain the focus. We have failed to acknowledge how low-income countries…

In the face of the climate crisis and growing inequities, all hands are needed on deck to place justice at the top of the agenda. Polls repeatedly show that concern for inequities and climate catastrophe is on the rise. Meanwhile, opportunities to make a life out of activism are more numerous and more accessible than…

In June, 2000, the city of Windsor, Ontario hosted the Organization of American States General Assembly. I had just started my first full-time public policy job and was excited to attend such a high-profile event. Rallies and protests were already familiar spaces to me and I considered them important opportunities to encourage political change. That…

From calling on a papal apology for residential school abuse to ending poverty in Canada, online petitions have been increasingly present in digital space. But do they actually bring about change? Our own Socio-economic Policy Analyst, Natalie Appleyard, was one of the panellists on “The Agenda,” aired on TVO Today on May 15, 2023. Are…

I was still living in the refugee camp in Swaziland when, on the night of October 8, 2014, I woke up to high pitched screams and hysterical, distressed cries of three women—two of whom I would soon learn were my teen peers. It was around 4.30 a.m. I seemed to hear sounds of burning. I…

We often see changemakers as those with immense power that can shift societal norms. From politicians to civil society, to activists, we tend to view change through the eyes of social capital. However, more and more youth are being looked to for their leadership and expertise, as we seek to build a better future. And…

In the final video of the series on poverty and congregational responses by the Flourishing Congregations Institute, I encourage us to embrace a life of curiosity rather than control when facing the unknown – a timely reminder for the Eastertide season. Discover how a curious mindset can help us better understand and address the complex…

I don’t normally think of myself as “an agent of change.” The problems we face today are so daunting that I often feel powerless to help bring about the kind of change our world so desperately needs. I sense I am not alone in struggling with this sense of powerlessness. Yet I think there is…

The 2023 Federal Budget was announced at a time when Canadian residents share deep concerns about affordability, access to health care, and the ever-accelerating climate crisis. The question that CPJ asks around every federal budget cycle remains the same: Does this budget prioritize systemic solutions that could eradicate poverty, uphold the rights and dignity of…