Other Work - Blog

Some weeks I find politicking especially hard to stomach. The recent response to the situation in Attawapiskat makes it one of those weeks.

When the community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency, they weren’t asking for a cyclical public debate about who is to blame. They weren’t asking to be a tool to shame or prop up certain political parties. And they certainly weren’t asking to be painfully reminded of Canada’s colonial attitudes in the arrival of a third-party manager.

They were asking for survival. For water, blankets, shelter. Read more »

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) taking place in Durban, South Africa, has begun! There, leaders will discuss progress in dealing with climate change, and negotiate a new international agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires this year. Canada’s Minister of the Environment travels to Durban next week.

CPJ created a petition based upon the Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change. It highlights CPJ’s value for the Earth and the importance of creation care. We hope to have many signed petitions tabled in the House of Commons during COP17 (November 28 – December 9, 2011). Take a look at comments from CPJ supporters who have already taken up the petition in their communities. Read more »

Canadians have been deeply saddened by Jack Layton’s untimely death earlier this week. Here in Ottawa – like in so many other places around the country – we’ve witnessed an outpouring of grief and reflection over this loss.

To be sure, Jack was human. Like you and me, he had his shortcomings. He was far from perfect. Many of us didn’t agree with all that he said or did.

But regardless of your politics or theology, I think we can all admire him for the positive, hopeful vision that he so adeptly articulated and promoted. Jack was for something. And, again, even if you don’t agree with all the things he was for, we must admit that there was something likeable and contagious about his ability to inspire change. Read more »

In this week’s web feature, I highlight the increased spending on prisons, noting that in terms of effectiveness, we’d be better off investing in cheaper approaches such as crime prevention and restorative justice. In choosing to put more people in prison for longer periods, Canada is emulating our neighbour to the south, which has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. But just as we are moving in this direction, some US states are starting to back away from it. Their primary motivation? They just can’t afford to be “tough on crime” any longer.

One in 100 adults in the US is now in county jail, state or federal prison, compared to 1 in 400 in the 1970s. This incarceration boom had a significant impact on prison budgets – according to a study by the Pew Center on the States, 1 in every 15 state dollars is now going to corrections. In 1987, the 50 states spent $10.6 billion of their general funds on corrections; but 2007, they were spending $44 billion, an increase of 127% when adjusted for inflation. Read more »

With the Conservatives winning a majority government by virtue of 6,102 votes and only 39.6% of votes cast, talk of electoral reform is surfacing once again. In fact, rallies were held across the country on May 14 calling for electoral reform and some form of proportional representation in Canada.

Meanwhile, a referendum in the United Kingdom – a key component of the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and the Liberal-Democrats – saw Alternative Vote go down to defeat on May 5 with 68% of voters opting in favour of first-past-the-post (FPTP). Read more »

Words are powerful, they can mean a lot. Unfortunately, they can also be completely meaningless. Although the Canadian government has signed on to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and claims to work for Canadian corporate social responsibility (CSR) its actions prove these commitments to be empty. Read more »

The statistics on climate change are often scary enough to make a person feel like they are in a science fiction movie. In response to this, there is a tendency to focus on the little things we can do as individuals, such as biking to work, reducing our home energy use or using different light bulbs. These are important changes that everyone can and should make, but sometimes when we focus too much on the little things we lose sight of the bigger picture. And it’s a very big picture. Read more »

June 11 is the second anniversary of the government’s official apology for the Indian Residential Schools, which represent a disturbing legacy in Canada’s history.This June there are various events and conferences being held across the country to mark the anniversary of the apology and promote ways for the people of Canada to move forward: Read more »

Last week Karri and I participated in Community Justice Camp in Hamilton, Ontario. An initiative of the Anglican Church of Canada, Justice Camp seeks to bring people together from across Canada to explore, promote and expand our knowledge of various issues of social and public justice, and Christ’s calling for us to participate in these activities. This year the focus was community development and how we can build community through our work in various aspects of justice. Read more »

Today, April 22, is Earth Day. Initiated by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 as a national movement for education and promotion of environmental care, Earth Day eventually was recognized and is now celebrated around the world.

The first International Earth Day was held in 1990, with over 140 countries joining the movement. Today, with over 170 countries involved, Earth Day is one of the biggest movements in the world in terms of global environmental education and action. Read more »