FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON: April 10, 2015 – Beginning Monday, April 13, 2015, a delegation of national church leaders will be touring Western Canada to engage people of faith in conversations about poverty in Canada and climate change.
Each stop on the tour will include an intimate listening event in the afternoon. Local faith leaders will brief the delegation on climate justice and anti-poverty work happening in their communities. They will also discuss plans for further engaging faith communities in the coming months.
In the evening, a public engagement forum will raise the profile of these faith communities engaged on issues of climate justice and poverty. Members of the delegation will speak and respond to public questions. The evening event will also include elements of music, worship, and prayer.
Throughout the tour, the delegation will develop a public engagement strategy for faith communities in Canada that will include a Church Leaders’ Pastoral Statement. The tour is designed to engage Canadian Christians in the lead up to the 2015 federal election, the UN General Assembly on Sustainable Development Goals, and the UN Climate Conference in Paris.
The delegation includes three church leaders:
- Rev. Dr. Susan Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
- Rev. Dr. Willard Metzger, Executive Director, Mennonite Church Canada
- Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, General Secretary, Canadian Council of Churches
Throughout April and May, “Justice Tour 2015” is travelling across Canada:
April 13 – Vancouver
April 14 – Edmonton
April 15 – Saskatoon
April 16 – Winnipeg
May 10 – Kitchener-Waterloo
May 11 – Halifax
May 12 – Montreal
May 13 – Ottawa
“Justice Tour 2015” is organized by the Canadian Council of Churches and Citizens for Public Justice.
For more information or event details, please go to www.cpj.ca/justicetour2015 or contact:
Peter Noteboom, Canadian Council of Churches, noteboom@councilofchurches.ca, 416 972 9494, ext. 26
Brad Wassink, Citizens for Public Justice, brad@cpj.ca, 613-232-0275, ext. 225
