Ola! September-October 2010

Welcome to this September/October edition of Ola!, the e-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice.

Autumn is upon us, and it has already proven to be a busy time. We’ve participated in a number of events and have many more to plan for, including several related to Dignity for All: the Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada. Read on to see what’s been happening and what’s coming up. We hope you’ll share our excitement!

Government Misses Golden Opportunity to Offer Constructive Response on Poverty

Earlier this year, the Senate unanimously approved a groundbreaking report by the Senate Sub-committee on Cities. In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness contains a series of 74 recommendations “designed to lift Canadians out of poverty.” The government’s official response was released September 27.

At CPJ, we believe that the federal government has a key role to play in addressing the crises of poverty and homelessness in Canada. Unfortunately the response to this report illustrates a disappointing unwillingness to constructively assume this responsibility.

The Senate Report called on the federal government to coordinate a nationwide federal/provincial initiative on early childhood learning, increase both the National Child Benefit and Working Income Tax Benefit; substantially reform Employment Insurance; develop a national housing and homelessness strategy; and, explore the feasibility of a basic annual income.

In the official government response, there is no commitment to take any action on poverty; rather all 74 of the Senate’s recommendations will be taken “under advisement.”

CPJ's comments on the dissapointing government response to the two-year long Senate study were carried in a half-dozen newspapers across Canada.

For more information, see our September 27 press release and current feature, Government Response Void of Substance.

CPJ’s 50/50 Draw: The CPJ Family

We will soon be celebrating our 50th anniversary. Wow has time flown by! A lot has changed during these first 50 years. From infancy to the present, CPJ has grown from a grass roots organization to a nationally recognized NGO that is supported financially by over 1200 members and has the endorsement of almost 6000 Canadians for the Dignity for All campaign. Today, CPJ gets requests from parliamentary committees to provide input on the most important social issues of the day and we have become a reputable voice for many Canadians from many different Christian traditions and cultural backgrounds. CPJ’s staff, with the foundation laid by previous staffers, volunteers and members, is strategically situated to be active participants in public justice dialogue at both the political level and in the community. The next 50 years will be an exciting time as we will draw on our past and continue to support policies and practices that reflect God’s call for love, justice and stewardship.

See Darryl’s inaugural blog for more on how our family has grown and what you can do to join the party!

CPJ welcomes David Korten to Canada

David Korten, internationally-acclaimed economist and author, will be touring Canada in October. Korten’s best-known book “When Corporations Rule the World,” cemented his renown as a leading critic of globalization. His later book, “The Great Turning,” reveals his matured and holistic thinking concerning the need for economic, social and cultural awakening or “turning” to avoid “the Great Unraveling.” The Great Turning was reviewed in the summer edition of the Catalyst.

CPJ has increased our profile in the national capital by working to organize this event with the Council of Canadians, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Polaris Institute and the KAIROS Spirituality for Social Justice Centre of the Grey Sisters. Kathy Vandergrift, former CPJ Chair, will be among the respondents to David’s presentation. CBC Radio’s Laurie Fagan will serve as Master of Ceremonies. On Saturday, a follow-up workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Bronson Centre, to allow participants to discuss how “The Great Turning” can become a reality in our communities. Tickets are available at CPJ or on-line at www.thegreatturning.ca.

David Korten will also speak in London, Ontario on the evening of October 28th. For details, please contact former CPJ Board member Sue Wilson.

Poverty and Punchlines: Laughter with a Message!

All those in the Ottawa area are invited to join CPJ’s campaign partner Canada Without Poverty at Poverty & Punchlines, a night of laughter for a cause. The evening promises to be full of light-hearted fun and humour including stand up comedy and a silent auction.

Poverty & Punchlines will be hosted by Steve Patterson from CBC Radio One and will feature comedians Mary Walsh and Don Kelly. Mary Walsh is an accomplished actress, comedian (from such shows as This Hour has 22 Minutes), recipient of over 30 Gemini awards and host of the documentary, Poor No More. Don Kelly is the host and star of the Gemini-nominated television series, Fish Out of Water.

The event will take place on Friday, October 15 at 7:30pm, at Dominion-Chalmers United Church, Ottawa. All proceeds raised will go towards Canada Without Poverty. We hope you’ll come out and join CPJ and our friends for a night of entertainment and laughter…with a message!

To reserve or purchase tickets call 613-789-0096.

Ensemble, autrement – charting a path towards equality

It isn’t every day that you get an invitation to discuss federal politics in the province of Québec, but then again, stranger things have happened! On Tuesday, September 21, CPJ policy analyst, Karri Munn-Venn traveled to Québec City with Canada Without Poverty’s Christiane Mitchell. They attended “Ensemble, autrement” (roughly translated, “Together, differently”), a gathering of over 200 people from throughout la belle province to explore how best to advance the struggle against poverty in Québec. Karri and Christiane led a workshop entitled, “Québec, poverty, and the rest of Canada – an exploration of the federal role,” – once in French, and a second time in English. Participants engaged in a fascinating exploration of the potential benefits of a federal poverty elimination plan. The discussion also served to underline long-standing tensions surrounding federal involvement in the province, while also illustrating the rich subtleties and nuance of policy engagement, grassroots mobilizing, and movement building in Québec. Despite some of the challenges considered, participants offered strong support for Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada.

Creating a Better Future for Our Children: Poverty and the Social Determinants of Health

On Friday September 27, CPJ’s Executive Director Joe Gunn and policy intern Jenny Prosser attended a workshop in Pembroke titled ”Creating a Better Future for Our Children.” The day featured a keynote address by Dennis Raphael, a well-known expert on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and professor from York University. In the break-out sessions that followed, smaller groups gathered to discuss more specific aspects of the SDOH. Although there were a lot of detailed statistics on the many aspects of poverty and health, the main theme of the day can be summarized simply: poverty is bad for your health. Logically extending from this conclusion is the lesson that if we want to improve the health of hundreds of thousands of Canadians we need to address the social conditions that cause ill health. Rather than teaching about the importance of a balanced diet, etc, we need to demand that our government take preventative action against poverty.

For more information see Jenny’s blog post. Details on what the government can do can be found at Dignity for All.

Outrunning poverty: A good way to spend a Saturday

On Saturday, September 18 the CPJ team laced up their running shoes for OutRun Poverty. Joe Gunn, Karri Munn-Venn and Rebekah Sears all ran 5 kilometres to raise awareness about poverty at home and abroad. The event, organized by Micah Challenge and Make Poverty History, was held on the eve of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit in New York. It included dynamic speakers, raffle prizes, information on poverty and some of the groups working against it, and activities for the whole family.

Decked out in blue feather boas, flower petal headbands, Dignity for All stickers and a wig the team garnered a lot of attention. Assisted by policy intern Jenny Prosser, and former CPJ Dignity for All intern, Kathryn Cummings, they gathered many new signatures and enjoyed the chance to talk about domestic poverty issues and initiatives with those who came by.

To all those who attended and participated, we echo the words of City Councillor Clive Doucet as he welcomed the crowd: “Good on you!!”

For more details, see Jenny’s post.

Welcome baby Mira!

Everyone at CPJ was pleased to hear of the arrival of Mira Danielle Pasma-Helleman into the world on Sunday, August 29. Baby Mira was born to CPJ policy analyst, Chandra Pasma and her husband Matt Helleman “13 days late, and just on time.” All three are doing well as they adjust to their life as a family. Congratulations Chandra and Matt!

Web Features

Poverty has been a big theme of our recent web features. We’ve taken a close look at just some of the many aspects of poverty and how it fits into the Canadian political landscape.

Poverty Elimination - Why in the World Not?

From September 20-22, 2010 the United Nations hosted a large gathering of heads of state to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The international community received progress reports on poverty alleviation in the Global South and confirmed new strategies. Canada has frozen international development spending, but in the end Prime Minister Harper attended the meeting. How did Canada measure up? Read more...

Part VII – A Deeper Look at GLI: Reshaping the Protestant work ethic

Our Judeo-Christian heritage has contributed to a work ethic that shapes our understanding of poverty and income security, creating cultural attitudes that make many uncomfortable with the idea of guaranteed income security. Some people feel that a guaranteed livable income is not only economically unfeasible, it is immoral, because it rewards people who are not working. There are, however, major problems with using the work ethic as a justification for withholding income support. As Christians, we are called to respect and protect the dignity of every individual created in the image of God. When poverty harms that dignity, we are not to punish the poor. Rather, we have an obligation to respond with justice, generosity and compassion. Read more...

Closing Prayer: God of justice, God of struggle

God of justice, God of struggle,
through the resurrection of Jesus
you delivered humankind
from the oppression of darkness,
from death and from sin.
You invite us to new life,
to freedom and joy.
Kindle your fire in our hearts, kindle your fire in your world

As your Spirit in Jesus
changed the course of salvation history,
encourage us
to transform those structures and institutions
that demean the dignity of your people,
especially the homeless, the poor, the untouchables,
those without power, without rights and representation.
Kindle your fire in our hearts, kindle your fire in your world

Give vision and purpose to those who serve this country.
The vastness of our land brings with it a variety of peoples and cultures,
of needs and abilities.
Let you wisdom rest on the leaders and people of all provinces
Shine the light of peace and justice on our land.
Encourage our global citizenship and partnership pursuing dignity for all.
Kindle your fire in our hearts, kindle your fire in your world

AMEN

*excerpt from Prayers for Peace and Justice by Annette Smith, originally written for the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Lutheran Conference, June 2010.

For everyone at CPJ, Jenny Prosser. Thanks for your support and may the fall be a happy time for you and your family!