Canada is cutting the quantity of overseas development assistance, as well as the quality of our aid. Development NGOs with admirable track records, several of them funded by Canadian faith communities, have seen their budgets slashed. New rules for competing for grants from the federal government mark a new trend. Will such changes assure Canada does its part to meet the Millennium Development Goals? Read more »
Eleven years past the federal government's deadline of eradicating child poverty by the year 2000, 1 in 10 children continue to live in poverty. Why hasn't more progress been made? Read more »
By Shana Conroy | Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 - 3:20PM
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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 »
Refugee policies are complicated, require sensitivity, and stir up much emotion. As a result, it is crucial that the public be involved in the development of such policies to provide various viewpoints and options. But with the recent refugee bill public debate was only held during the amendment process, not in the drafting of the legislation. Eventually all parties and many refugee advocacy organizations accepted the amendments, recognizing that there were some improvements, but still cautious about the prospects for future refugee cases. Read more »
Rebekah Sears looks at the proposed changes to the refugee system, questioning whether they emphasize Fast at the Expense of Fair? Rebekah notes several conditions the proposed changes need to meet in order to ensure the system remains fair. Read more »
By Rebekah Sears | Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 - 9:45AM
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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 »
By Rebekah Sears | Thursday, April 1st, 2010 - 11:31AM
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April 4 is Refugee Rights Day in Canada, when we commemorate the declaration by the Supreme Court in 1985 that the Charter of Rights of Freedoms is meant to protect the rights to liberty, personal security and justice of everyone in Canada, including refugees. This means that all refugee claimants are entitled to an oral hearing to make their case.
This year, Refugee Rights Day comes less than a week after Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announces major changes to Canada’s refugee and asylum system. In response to the rising number of asylum claims and the long waiting list Kenney has made changes, part of which is the proposal of a "safe country" list which will categorize applications.
False claims are a real concern, as is the daunting backlog of applicants, but is the categorization of refugee applicants by country a viable solution? What about the Supreme Court decision which emphasizes equal treatment? Read more »
Controversy swirls as world leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Summit. Global warming caused by human action is still denied by some, while others perceive it to be the defining issue of our age. How are we to know what to believe? For CPJ members, a public justice framing of the complexities of climate change yields some helpful perspectives. Read more »
The United Nations meetings on climate change have begun in Doha: what stand will Canada take on cutting our greenhouse gas emissions? 
Canada is cutting the quantity of overseas development assistance, as well as the quality of our aid. Development NGOs with admirable track records, several of them funded by Canadian faith communities, have seen their budgets slashed. New rules for competing for grants from the federal government mark a new trend. Will such changes assure Canada does its part to meet the Millennium Development Goals? 
Eleven years past the federal government's deadline of eradicating child poverty by the year 2000, 1 in 10 children continue to live in poverty. Why hasn't more progress been made? 
Refugee policies are complicated, require sensitivity, and stir up much emotion. As a result, it is crucial that the public be involved in the development of such policies to provide various viewpoints and options. But with the recent refugee bill public debate was only held during the amendment process, not in the drafting of the legislation. Eventually all parties and many refugee advocacy organizations accepted the amendments, recognizing that there were some improvements, but still cautious about the prospects for future refugee cases. 
Controversy swirls as world leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Summit. Global warming caused by human action is still denied by some, while others perceive it to be the defining issue of our age. How are we to know what to believe? For CPJ members, a public justice framing of the complexities of climate change yields some helpful perspectives. 
