Ola! January 2011

Happy New Year and welcome to the January edition of Ola!, the e-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice. Another year has begun. Here at CPJ it promises to be just as full as the last. We’ve returned from our Christmas break re-energized and ready to tackle important public justice issues in Canada. Read on for our final notes on 2010, and to learn about some of the exciting things to come in 2011.

New Year’s Resolution? Get Active!

Let 2011 be your year to get active! Below are just a few ways you can do so.

Become a Public Justice Ambassador for CPJ!

CPJ is looking for supporters who want to get more involved and spread the word about our work. Help us expand the CPJ family: talk to your MP about CPJ and its efforts, share our resources and publications with others, or host an event using materials developed by CPJ. There are many ways you can get more involved. For more on the CPJ’s Social Justice Challenge and the opportunity to be a CPJ Social Justice Ambassador, see Darryl’s blog.

Support the Report

CPJ, as part of the Dignity for All campaign is looking for your help. Some great momentum has been generated around poverty issues in Canada and we ask you to help us keep it going. Support the recent HUMA Committee report calling for a federal poverty elimination strategy. Write to the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development (and copy your MP) asking her to adopt the Report’s main recommendation – that the federal government immediately commit to a federal action plan to reduce poverty in Canada that would see, during its first phase, the implementation of the recommendations in [the HUMA] report – and to inform you of her response.

Minister Finley can be contacted at: Finley.D@parl.gc.ca or Hon. Diane Finley, House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 (no postage is required to send mail to Parliament Hill).

Not sure what to say? See an example of a letter to Minister Finley or one you can use yourself.

Bill C-545 Petition Campaign

Want to be even more involved? Help raise the profile of poverty issues in Canada! DfA and CPJ are participating in a petition campaign in support of Bill C-545, An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada. Currently the search is on for those in key swing ridings willing to help distribute and collect petition forms and present them to their Member of Parliament, who (with a minimum of 25 signatures) will then present them to the House of Commons. The combined presentation of these many petitions will send a strong message to our elected officials: Canadians care about poverty and want to see action!

If you would like to be involved with the petition campaign, please contact Karri or 1-800-667-8046, ext. 222.

CPJ on the Road

What would you say if you were invited to address a gathering of your former high school teachers? CPJ’s Joe Gunn found himself immersed in this dilemma in Pickering, Ontario, when invited to deliver three hours of conferences to the 35 Spiritans and their associates from all over Canada in early December. Joe engaged this religious order and the men and women who collaborate with them in reflections about CPJ’s public justice efforts. The day seemed successful until the priest who once kicked Joe out of Grade 12 Chemistry class loudly opined from his wheelchair that the expulsion was “well-deserved!”

Also in December, Joe visited the Kingston and Belleville areas, speaking to Grade 12 students at Nicholson College and addressing a parish discussion about the role of faith communities in poverty eradication and public justice.

NCW Report Release in December

“We hold people in poverty with our rules…”

On December 13, the National Council of Welfare released its report Welfare Incomes 2009 with CPJ’s Joe Gunn and Jenny Prosser in attendance. The main message of the NCW’s latest report is that the current structure of Canada’s welfare system and social safety net are ineffective at lifting people out of poverty. In particular, Welfare Incomes 2009 illustrates the counterproductive nature of the current rules of asset stripping before gaining eligibility to receive welfare.

For further commentary on the report, see Jenny’s blog

Citizen for Public Justice AND Citizen of the Year!

CPJ would like to extend its congratulations to long-time Albertan member Everett Tanis, who was recently honoured by the Picture Butte and District Chamber of Commerce as Citizen of the Year. Tanis is receiving the award in recognition of his committed involvement in community organizations and his participation in the chamber.

Congratulations Everett!

Christian Peace Activist Wins Award

CPJ’s Joe Gunn was glad to be present at Governor-General David Johnston’s residence on January 21st to celebrate Ernie Regehr’s award of the Pearson Peace Medal. Ernie co-founded Waterloo-based Project Ploughshares, an ecumenical organization to promote disarmament and peace, in 1976. Ernie remains active in the organization, even at age 69, where his wife Nancy also labours in the area of fundraising. CPJ congratulates Ernie, Nancy, their entire family, as well as all our colleagues at Project Ploughshares, on the occasion of this well-deserved recognition.

Welcome to Daniela

CPJ is pleased to welcome our newest intern (and cat-lover!) Daniela Ljomov. Daniela comes to us from the Social Work program at Carleton University, and already has a BA with a specialization in history from Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario. During her placement at CPJ, Daniela will be looking at the issue of climate change and the moral responsibility we, as Christians, Canadians and citizens of the world, have in lowering our greenhouse gas emissions.

Welcome Daniela!

CPJ’s Policy Team published in the US Journal “Basic Income Studies” and Canadian print journal “The Ecumenist”

Many of you will be aware of the excellent work done in recent years by CPJ’s Chandra Pasma on issues relating to a Guaranteed Liveable Income. Chandra’s work is now being acknowledged far beyond CPJ circles. Her paper “Working through the Work Disincentive” was the runner-up for the 2009 BIS Essay Prize and was published by Berkeley Electronic Press in the December 2010 edition of Basic Income Studies: An International Journal of Basic Income Research. Chandra explores the assumptions underlying fears of a policy of basic income and points out that “experimental evidence demonstrates that the actual work disincentive of BI is quite small, rendering the work disincentive a largely political obstacle, rather than economic.” Congratulations Chandra!

The full article is available online at Berkeley Electronic Press.

Joe Gunn has also had an article published in a print journal, called The Ecumenist: A Journal of Theology, Culture, and Society, Vol. 47, No.4 Fall 2010 pp. 1-6. The article is entitled, “Muted and Maligned Voices: Public Justice and the Canadian Churches.”

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The Catalyst: Analysis and Updates on Public Justice in Canada

Extra! Extra! The latest Catalyst has been published and contains many must-see items. With a comprehensive breakdown of the recent HUMA Committee Report on the need for a federal poverty elimination strategy along with CPJ’s role in the process, a reflection on The Great Turning event in October, an interview on the role of faith communities in response to climate change, and much more, the Catalyst is well worth the read.

If you would like to receive the Catalyst regularly, or would like to distribute it or other CPJ materials in your church or at an event, please contact us at cpj@cpj.ca! You can also view the Catalyst online.

Things to Look for in 2011

ISARC Book Launch

All are invited to attend the Ottawa launch of the new book: “PERSISTENT POVERTY: Voices from the Margins” by the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC) on Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 9 AM – 10 AM, at Ottawa City Hall, in the Councillors’ Lounge. The book is a compilation of data collected from 26 sites across Ontario, including the Social Audit in Ottawa, organized by Interfaith Sandy Hill and CPJ. The Ottawa audit involved some 65 volunteers, including seventeen witnesses to the life of poverty, whose testimonies form part of this book. Author Mira Dineen and ISARC Board member Tara Kainer, both from Kingston, will be present at this launch. This event will include politicians, representative Faith leaders, members of faith communities, active community members and spoken witness by people living in poverty.

The winter edition of CPJ’s publication, the Catalyst, features a report on the social audits and ISARC’s book, by one of the authors, Jamie Swift of Kingston, ON.

Dignity for All: Upcoming Events on Eradicating Poverty in Canada (Bill C-545)

You’ve no doubt seen references to Bill C-545, An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada, in recent CPJ publications. If you are in the Waterloo or Ottawa regions in the coming weeks, you will have the perfect opportunity to learn more about this important legislative initiative.

Poverty Free Waterloo Region, in collaboration with the Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, will be hosting “An Evening with NDP MP Tony Martin,” on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 from 7-9pm. MP Tony Martin will speak about his Private Member’s bill to create a federal strategy to eliminate poverty. He will joined by Rob Rainer, Executive Director of Canada Without Poverty and Co-chair of the Dignity for All campaign. This public event will take place at the Victoria Park Pavilion, 80 Schneider Ave., Kitchener. Free Parking is available and all are welcome to attend.

A second “Evening with NDP MP Tony Martin,” will take place in Ottawa on Wednesday, February 9, beginning at 7:30pm. Sponsored by the Dignity for All campaign, this evening will be the inaugural event of Centretown United Church’s 2011 speaker series on Faith and Public Life. This event is also open to the public and will be held at 507 Bank St. at Argyle. There is no charge, but free-will donations in support of the Artistic Expressions project to provide studio space to artist-clients of Centre 507 are encouraged. Anyone in the Ottawa area is welcome to attend. See the event’s poster.

Climate Change Event: Protecting What We Love, Deepening our Compassion and Faith as God's Earth-Keepers

As part of on-going initiatives to encourage faith communities to reflect on the moral issues related to environmental care, CPJ is co-sponsoring an evening of thoughtful reflection in Ottawa on Thursday, February 24 at 7 p.m. Entitled “Protecting What We Love: Deepening our Compassion and Faith as God's Earth-Keepers,” Mishka Lysack from Calgary’s School of Social Work will use personal reflection and group discussion techniques to direct the event. The theme is inspired by Wendell Berry’s reflection that, "…people exploit what they have merely concluded to be of value, but they defend what they love." All are welcome to St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Parish Hall, 154 Somerset Street West (corner of Elgin.) Similar events are being planned for Toronto and southern Alberta in future.

CPJ opportunity: Policy Intern position

For the last several years, CPJ has been able to offer a keen university graduate the chance to work for a year as a Policy Intern with our seasoned team of researchers and advocates. Located a half-dozen blocks from Parliament Hill, CPJ provides a unique, hands-on opportunity to experience work in the voluntary sector and engage with federal decision-makers. Visit the CPJ website for application details. This position commences in September 2011. Applications are due at 5 pm March 18, 2011.

Web Features

As we look back over 2010, we are pleased to celebrate the many successes that we were able to achieve, thanks to the support of our faithful members. We also acknowledge that much more needs to be done in the pursuit of public justice. See below for links to our most recent feature articles.

• Celebrating our Successes in 2010
• Cancun, Climate Change, and Canadian Democracy
• Time for a New Political Strategy?

Reflection

The Year of the LORD’s Favour
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn.” Isaiah 61:1-2

From all of us here at CPJ, Jenny Prosser. Happy New Year and may 2011 be a truly wonderful time for you and your family.