October, 2009

Check out our photos from Justice Jam, a night of entertainment and celebration as we renewed our commitments to poverty elimination with our Dignity For All Campaign on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Musical entertainment included the CBC’s Bob Carty and Friends as well as Canterbury High School’s Otis Lives!

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Check out the photos from our Stand Up event on October 16, 2009, sponsored in part by Make Poverty History and CPJ's Dignity For All Campaign, to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty!

Last week I attended an all-day seminar on the integration of newcomers and the issue of language skills within immigration policies. The seminar was hosted by Metropolis Canada, a network for policy research on topics relating to immigration, diversity and citizenship, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Panellists and other participants included public servants, academics and practitioners.

One of the major themes throughout each session was the importance of language within community development and citizenship. Often employment and political and civic participation come to mind when language is discussed, especially with topics such as immigration. Read more »

We often talk about justice in my community, and lately I have been thinking about how we can live out justice and how it can nourish and sustain the life of the community and its members. The Biblical notion of justice is concerned with caring and protecting the most vulnerable members of society, particularly those who experience poverty, abuse and exploitation.

Living in Vancouver, I see many complex issues of injustices in the city, including lack of affordable and adequate housing, income inequality, food insecurity, poverty and homelessness. Yet many groups are finding creative ways of practicing justice, living together in communities and sharing life with people who are marginalized.

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I myself was brand new to the idea, and very excited about it. But given the lack of awareness and lack of attention paid to GLI, I was cautious in my optimism, believing that there would be a long, hard, public education effort ahead of the guaranteed income network.

I could never have predicted then how the idea has taken off in people’s imaginations. The energy certainly crystallized with the large Canadian presence at the BIEN International Congress in Dublin and the creation of BIEN Canada, and our first event, the conference in Ottawa last month.

But there’s been some media attention paid to GLI recently too. Here are the highlights: Read more »

At the BIEN Canada conference earlier this October, I gave an introductory presentation to the topic of guaranteed livable income: Read more »

People with disabilities are twice as likely to experience exclusion, poverty and isolation as other Canadians, and a strong vision is needed to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. The End Exclusion 2009 roundtable held in Ottawa explored the need to connect the disability community with the poverty elimination community in Canada. Read more »

The gap between the rich and poor is a growing problem in Canada. It affects the general well-being of Canadians and especially that of more vulnerable groups in our society, including children.

Ed Broadbent, former leader of the NDP (1975-1989) and long time MP (over 20 years) is challenging Canadians to work towards narrowing this gap. While involved in politics, Broadbent constantly advocated for causes such as this in the House of Commons, gaining much admiration from supporters across the political spectrum.

Since his resignation a few years ago he has continued to speak out about issues of poverty and social justice. Speaking at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton on October 19, Broadbent outlined some of his proposals for narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor. Read more »

In April 2009 the congregation at St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick opened the doors of their brand new facility, Luther Place. This facility not only included a new space for worship, but also 45 apartment units for affordable housing.

One of the most important roles of the church is to spread the love of God throughout the surrounding communities. This means looking beyond the walls of the church building to the needs of society. The congregation at St. Matthew did just that in their latest project. Read more »

Last year, when I began my internship, I was a part of a number of discussions that arose within the policy team about pluralism and diversity in Canada. In response to some of my questions about pluralism, Chandra recommended Shifting Boundaries: Aboriginal Identity, Pluralist Theory, and the Politics of Self-Government by former CPJ staffer Tim Schouls as a book that offers insight into pluralism in Canada. Read more »

On Friday October 16, we at CPJ along with our partners and supporters in Ottawa organized two events for the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (officially October 17). First, there was a Stand Up event at Parliament Hill in the afternoon, followed by a celebration in the evening, Justice Jam, with great live music by local artists and a chance for local supporters to gather together. Read more »

Friday and Saturday, I was in Oakville and Ancaster, Ontario speaking at a number of events. My first stop was at John Knox Christian School in Oakville. The Grade 6 students there have been studying non-governmental organizations, so I shared with them about what it’s like to work for an NGO. We also talked about justice and charity, and why both are important. Read more »

Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, has an article on the basic income project in Namibia. The article highlights some of the outcomes of the basic income experiment in Otjivero-Omitaro, as well as some photos of the village. It is well worth checking out. Read more »

Last Thursday, New Brunswick’s newly appointed Minister of Social Development Kelly Lamrock made a bold move when he openly criticized his government’s lack of action in the area of poverty alleviation and social assistance programs such as welfare.

Lamrock claims the current welfare system in New Brunswick is flawed and the rules are overly strict in an attempt to save money. Read more »

On September 25, Rob Rainer of Canada Without Poverty and I went on a local radio show to talk about guaranteed livable income, poverty, and the BIEN Canada conference.

Dialogue with Diversity is created and hosted by Qais Ghanem, a physician, activist, and poet. The show plays weekly, Fridays at 12:30, on CHIN in Ottawa (97.9 FM) in addition to streaming live on the internet. Read more »

Glen Pearson has reflected on the implications of faith for political behaviour before, thinking in particular about Question Period.

This week, he has offered another rumination on faith and politics, asking more broadly what the implications of faith are for how partisan opponents interact. Read more »

Access to affordable and decent housing is something many Canadians take for granted, but it is an issue of great importance. In 2004, one in seven Canadian households was paying 30% or more of their incomes on housing. The issue of homelessness is significant in most of Canada’s biggest cities, such as Vancouver and Toronto, as well as smaller urban communities. Yet there is no national housing strategy in order to assure all Canadians have access to affordable and appropriate housing.

Throughout the 1970s, 80s and early 90s, the federal government administered a program for affordable housing which provided homes for over two million Canadians. So, what happened? Read more »

On Sunday evening, I attended the Sisters in Spirit vigil in Ottawa on behalf of the Christian Reformed Church. Sisters in Spirit vigils were held across the country to remember the more than 500 missing and murdered Aboriginal girls and women.

I was astonished when I first heard that number – 520 women as victims of extreme violence sounds like a pandemic to me. The reality is the number is possibly much higher. 520 is the number of known cases, there is some speculation that the number of unknown cases would double that number. Read more »

Over 50 participants from across Canada gathered in Ottawa last week to discuss guaranteed income at the inaugural BIEN Canada conference. The conference featured thought-provoking presentations on the nuts and bolts of guaranteed income, its expected impact and outcomes, and questions of implementation. Participants eagerly contributed comments and questions, creating an atmosphere of curiosity and dialogue. Read more »