Document Category: English

Introduction The Sexual Exploitation in Canada Working Group is a subcommittee of The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), a broad and inclusive ecumenical body representing 26 member churches throughout Canada. Its purpose is to lead a shared church response to sexual exploitation as a justice and human rights issue that primarily affects women and children. We affirm the current legislation that strengthens the protection of the rights of children, women and men to be free …

We invite you to join The Canadian Council of Churches (the Council) in praying for a healthy and peaceful democratic process. Federal elections provide an opportunity for people of faith to reconsider what their faith commitments have to do with Canadian public life. Faith can provide an enduring vision of hope, a penetrating perspective on justice for all, and deep convictions about community, care for others, a love for creation, solidarity, and service. We need …

Dear Senator Ataullahjan, Thank you for your service to Canada as a Senator as well as your steadfast work in pushing forward Bill S-228 – An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons). You have our unwavering support. In 2005 Canada amended the Criminal Code by adding sections 279.01 to 279.04 to align with the definition of human trafficking articulated in the Palermo Agreement, which Canada signed in 2005. We are in favour …

Dear Senator Miville-Dechene, We are writing to you as the Sexual Exploitation in Canada Working Group, a body of The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC). Its purpose is to lead a shared church response to sexual exploitation, including pornography, as a justice and human rights issue that primarily affects women and children. Thank you for your service to Canada as a Senator and your steadfast work in pushing forward Bill S-216 – An Act to …

Dear Senator Miville-Dechene, Congratulations on your success with the passage of the Bill S-203 through the readings in the Senate and onto the House of Commons. This is a great accomplishment for the benefit of the children of our country, and we are so grateful for all the hard work you and your staff have generously given to this issue. The Sexual Exploitation in Canada Working Group is a body of The Canadian Council of …

Dear Minister Lametti, We write to express our support for the Government of Canada’s commitment to pass legislation that creates a framework to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Commission on Justice and Peace of the Canadian Council of Churches, along with many other faith communities, has affirmed the Declaration as a framework for reconciliation in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #48. Further parliamentary …

Dear Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers, We write regarding last week’s Federal Court ruling in which Justice Ann Marie McDonald concluded that the Canada/US Safe Third Country Agreement violates liberty and security of the person rights in section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Her judgement is based on extensive and compelling concerns about the prevalence, arbitrariness, and cruel and inhumane conditions associated with immigration detention in the United States, …

Dear Minister, In May 2017 the Governing Board of The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) decided to support the effort to challenge the US – Canada Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The CCC decided to join the court challenge because of the experiences of churches as refugee sponsors and a long history of support for including all people in the basic provisions to respect human rights in …

Dear Minister, In May 2017 the Governing Board of The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) decided to support the effort to challenge the US – Canada Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The CCC decided to join the court challenge because of the experiences of churches as refugee sponsors and a long history of support for including all people in the basic provisions to respect human rights in …

The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), Amnesty International (AI) and The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) welcomed today’s Federal Court of Canada ruling that sending refugee claimants back to the US under the Safe Third Country Agreement violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “We asked the Court to look at the impact of the Safe Third Country Agreement on women, men and children who can’t find safety in the U.S. and to assess …

On July 10, 2020, Turkey’s Council of State annulled the Turkish Cabinet’s 1934 decision to establish Hagia Sophia as a museum. That same day Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an subsequently ordered the reclassification of Hagia Sophia as a mosque rather than a museum. Hagia Sophia is part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has noted her deep regret of the decision and …

The events of the past weeks reveal broken relationships. Join us in condemning racism in all its forms and expressions in our communities and in our churches. Join us in committing to name racism and to make personal, institutional, and societal change so that no one experiences fear, hatred, oppression, violence, or marginalization because of the colour of their …

Canadians are experiencing the devastating impact of COVID-19 in what has become a rapidly evolving crisis. Understandably, this crisis has brought about feelings of anxiety, apprehension and fear. Critical elements of our daily lives are being thrown into uncertainty: health, employment, financial security, recreational activities, as well as our ability to gather as worshiping communities. In view of these difficulties, we as religious leaders wish to bring forward a message of hope, gratitude and solidarity …

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4) As representatives of Regional Ecumenical Organizations and the World Council of Churches, we share the challenges that our communities around the world are facing due to the corona- virus, COVID-19. …

Dear Prime Minister, We are writing to thank you for the support offered to registered charities through the recent announcements related to the COVID-19 crisis. As numerous studies have shown, Canada’s places of worship provide significant measurable benefits not only to their adherents, but more importantly to all members of their local communities. A Canadian study to be published this year shows that these benefits are about 12 times the total amount of tax concessions …

Today the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak (the new coronavirus) to be a global pandemic. In this situation as in others, The Canadian Council of Churches seeks to respond to Christ’s call for both compassion and community. We appeal to our member churches and other faith communities across Canada to respond to COVID-19 with an abundance of love and precaution, and to follow best practices as recommended by both federal and provincial medical …

“Justice, and only justice, shall you pursue” is the theme of the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This ancient appeal from the scriptures urges us to be focused on the main things: justice, redemption, right relationships. Include the prisoners, the strangers, and the poor in your community; do not be distracted by empty, symbolic actions or hollow promises. Federal elections provide an opportunity for people of faith to reconsider what their faith commitments …

“Justice, and only justice, shall you pursue” is the theme of the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This ancient appeal from the scriptures urges us to be focused on the main things: justice, redemption, right relationships. Include the prisoners, the strangers, and the poor in your community; do not be distracted by empty, symbolic actions or hollow promises. Federal elections provide an opportunity for people of faith to reconsider what their faith commitments …

I am writing regarding Bill C-262 – An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Already in 2015 church leaders and faith leaders in Canada called on the Government of Canada to: respond fully to those recommendations directed to government in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools (TRC), including using the United Nations …

On Earth Day 2019, Christians leaders from across Canada have come together to issue an urgent call to climate action. Their collective message is clear: the global climate crisis has reached a critical stage and requires an urgent moral and spiritual response. “In October 2018, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a landmark report indicating that our global community has until 2030 to dramatically change course and avoid serious climate consequences,” says …

Dear Ministers: The Commission on Justice and Peace (CJP) of the Canadian Council of Churches expresses its concern that changes to the refugee determination system have been included in the Budget Implementation Bill (Bill C-97). Of primary concern to the CJP is that all persons in Canada claiming refugee status experience a just, fair and respectful determination process in Canada. Members of the Canadian Council of Churches have been involved in sponsoring refugees and advocating …

The Honourable Minister Hussen, There are millions of refugees around the world today. Each displaced person has a story of pain, hardship and sadness; and multiplying this suffering by millions is a tragedy and a crisis. Recently, Canada has seen an increase in the number of refugees entering Canada from the United States via irregular and life-threatening border crossings in order to have their claim heard. We are concerned that, due to the Canada – …

Dear Bishop Mina, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is with very heavy hearts and on behalf of the 25 member denominations of The Canadian Council of Churches that we write to you at this time of profound grief, loss and horror. It was with shock that we heard of the massacre of children, women and men at prayer in St. Peter’s Chapel of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo. It was with shock that the …

The President of The Canadian Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Canon Alyson Barnett- Cowan, has articulated the following foundational biblical principles of the Canadian Council of Churches working through Project Ploughshares. The word ‘peace’ appears far more often in the Bible than ‘justice’, ‘righteousness’, ‘grace’ and ‘mercy’. The Bible witnesses to the creation of the world by God who intends that creation reflect the fundamental harmony we call ‘shalom’. We derive our understanding of …

Re: Sexual Exploitation and Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Dear Ministers, We are writing to commend you on the launch of the National Inquiry and to call your attention to the link between sexual exploitation and missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We ask that the causes and consequences of gendered, racialized and sexualized violence be examined and included in the National Inquiry. As we highlighted in the letter to Minister Wilson-Raybould …

Re: Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act Dear Minister Wilson-Raybould, We write to you to reaffirm our position on the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA). On April 15, 2014 we wrote to the Minister of Justice with recommendations for protecting those who are commercially sexually exploited in Canada and preventing vulnerable populations from future exploitation. We look forward to continuing this conversation with you. Attached please find previous correspondence outlining our …

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Congratulations on becoming Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. You may remember meeting with a delegation from The Canadian Council of Churches in May 2014. May you and your ministers govern with wisdom and a commitment to justice and fairness for all. I write to commend to you the attached statement on climate justice and poverty signed and endorsed by the denominational leaders of members of The Canadian Council of Churches – 25 …

The Storforsen Appeal was composed at a conference hosted in 2015 in Storforsen, Sweden by the Church of Sweden and the Canadian Council of Churches. The appeal, addressed leaders and representatives of Indigenous Peoples and faith communities worldwide, calling on them to urge delegates and leadership attending the Paris Climate Conference take bold action and make brave decisions on climate change. Introduction: Meeting on Sami Territory in Sweden, October 5-8 2015, we – participants attending …

News release: https://www.councilofchurches.ca/news/faith-climate-justice/  Introduction In our day, the causes and effects of global climate change are becoming more and more visible. The measurable amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has surpassed 400 parts per million, more than at any time in recorded human history. This most serious development is caused mainly by humans removing forests and burning fossil fuels, namely oil and gas. We see the interconnected effects of these unprecedented levels of carbon …

This election resource has been prepared by several ecumenical organizations in Canada to inform and challenge all who are participating in the 2015 federal election. It identifies a range of priority issues, offers sample questions you can ask of candidates, and provides links to resources where you can learn more about these particular issues. We invite you to use this resource to: think through your own election priorities; call a group together to prepare for …

Any one of us might be struggling to make ends meet: overdue on rent payments with eviction notices arriving, overdue bills and credit card payments piling up, struggling to find employment and earned income, held back by health difficulties, not having access to good food choices and having to skip meals. They can all so easily feed a downward spiral and weigh heavy on your spirit. Recent immigrants, lone parent families, aboriginal peoples in Canada, …

We welcome the recent efforts of the Department of Justice to strengthen the protection of the rights of children, women, and men to be free from violence and exploitation, specifically sexual exploitation, and to criminalize those who profit from and exploit others for their own benefit. We affirm the steps taken in this proposed legislation towards framing prostitution as a form of violence against women and are encouraged that it does not accept prostitution as …

Re: Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act Dear Minister MacKay, We are writing to welcome the recent efforts of the Department of Justice to strengthen the protection of the rights of children, women, and men to be free from violence and exploitation, specifically sexual exploitation, and to criminalize those who profit from and exploit others for their own benefit. We affirm the steps your government has taken towards framing prostitution as a form of …

According to world renowned psychologist and researcher Melissa Farley, “prostitution is multi- traumatic with extremely high rates of physical and sexual violence perpetrated against people who are vulnerable usually as a result of gender, poverty, previous history of sexual assault, marginalization because of race or ethnicity, or a combination of these factors.” Proponents of legalizing prostitution argue that moving the sex trade indoors will provide a system of safety measures for those who consent to …

Since 2008 The Canadian Council of Churches – representing 85% of Christians in Canada through its 25 member churches – has been hosting the Human Trafficking in Canada Working Group. Together we have been educating one another, reflecting on our values and faith commitments, and advocating together to end human trafficking in Canada. Today I am writing to you regarding the development of new prostitution legislation in Canada. The Chair of the Human Trafficking in …

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper: Many members of Canada’s Christian churches provide generous support for charities across the country and the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) appreciates the increased recognition of such donations through the tax system. At the same time, questions have been raised regarding the policy framework used to regulate the charitable sector. In particular church members are concerned about the increasingly narrow interpretation of charitable activity that can exclude organizations who speak …

Dear Minister Ambrose, I am writing to ask about the future of public health care in Canada now that Canada’s Health Accord has not been renewed. The Canadian Council of Churches is the largest ecumenical body in Canada, now representing 25 churches of Anglican, Eastern and Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Free Church, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, and Historic Protestant traditions; this is 85% of Christians in Canada who profess adherence to a church. The Canadian Council …

Expression of Reconciliation from The Canadian Council of Churches to be presented at the final National Event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in Edmonton, Alberta – March 27‐30, …

Prepared by Kevin Parra Duque Religion in the Public Sphere Service-Learning Internship, University of …

Dear Minister Aglukkaq, The Canadian Council of Churches wishes to congratulate you on your recent appointment as Minister of the Environment and we are writing to continue the dialogue on climate change that we have enjoyed with your predecessor, the honourable Peter Kent. Beside the meetings and correspondence with Minister Kent, we have also benefitted from meetings with former Senior Policy Advisor Monica Kugelmass and the helpful exchange we had with Mr. Dan McDougall, Canada’s …

Dear Minister, We write to you as you prepare for the federal government’s participation in the sessions of the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar, from November 26 to December 7, 2012. Members of our communities appreciated the time you took to visit with then Moderator Mardi Tindal (United Church of Canada), General Secretary Willard Metzger (Mennonite Church Canada) and myself, Joy Kennedy, …

Dear Prime Minister Harper, I am writing to call your attention to a remarkable Canadian Interfaith collaborative effort on climate. Drawing on the relationships and experience of organizing a Religious Leaders’ Summit in 2010 on the occasion of the G8 meetings in Canada, faith communities have come together to reflect on the spiritual roots of the current challenge of climate justice. After extensive consultations and meetings, Canadian faith communities have signed a Canadian Interfaith Call …

Climate change: the spiritual roots of a crisis We, representatives of Canadian faith communities, are united in our conviction that the growing crisis of climate change needs to be met by solutions that draw upon the moral and spiritual resources of the world’s religious traditions. We recognize that at its root the unprecedented human contribution to climate change is symptomatic of a spiritual deficit: excessive self-interest, destructive competition, and greed have given rise to unsustainable …

Media Alert: Churches Name Election Priorities, Urge Leaders to Act The Canadian Council of Churches issued a letter Friday naming their priority election issues. The Council wants strong commitments from federal leaders on anti‐poverty and climate change strategies, as well as serious attention to non‐military efforts in Afghanistan and global nuclear disarmament. For the full eight‐point letter to the political party leaders from the Council please see the attached document. The letter asks for responses …

Political Party Leaders: In view of the current federal election campaign, I would like to take this opportunity to put before you the top priorities of The Canadian Council of Churches. The member churches of the CCC would appreciate receiving a response from each of you on what actions your political party will take on these issues in the next Parliament. You will also see that The Canadian Council of Churches now works in concert …

Together as people of faith, informed by our respective traditions, and compelled by our sincerely held beliefs to care for those in need within our communities and across this nation, we recognize this time to be a unique moment and opportunity in Canada for cooperative action to eradicate persistent poverty in our wealthy and wonderful …

On Tuesday, November 24, the House of Commons will mark the 20th anniversary of a unanimous 1989 resolution by Parliament to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. Now, a decade later and on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, The Canadian Council of Churches formally endorses the Dignity for All campaign for a poverty free Canada. To indicate your support, sign on at …

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Aware of the current passionate debates concerning health care reform in the U.S.A., I write to you today to share some of our experiences and reflections in similar debates that have taken place, and continue to take place, in Canada. While we have been following the American health care debate with interest, our hope is that our own work on the topic might be of some service to you. …

The Federal Contribution to Reducing Poverty in Canada The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons Disabilities 11:00 – 12:30 on June 1, 2009 Radisson Admiral Hotel, Admiral Ballroom (3rd Floor), 249 Queen’s Quay West, …

Human Trafficking Definition (United Nations –Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking UN.GIFT) “Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having …

SUPREME COURT DENIAL OF LEAVE ON SAFE THIRD REGRETTED The decision of the Supreme Court of Canada not to grant leave in the case challenging the Canada- U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement was met with regret today by the Canadian Council for Refugees, Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches. “This decision means that refugees will not have their day in court,” said Elizabeth McWeeny, CCR President. “The US is not in fact safe …

We Believe God Desires Peace in their Land as in Ours The Manley Report, sadly, has missed the opportunity to guide Canada towards a truly constructive role in securing a long term sustainable peace in Afghanistan. The Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan, known as the Manley Panel, accepts the premise that Canada’s role in counter-insurgency combat is key to global and Canadian security. They recommend that this approach be sustained in Kandahar …

The Canadian Council for Refugees, the Canadian Council of Churches, Amnesty International and John Doe welcome the November 29 Federal Court ruling concluding that the December 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the USA violates refugee rights. The Safe Third Country Agreement effectively closed the border to the majority of refugee claimants who came through the United States on their way to making refugee claims in Canada. Turned away by Canada, these individuals …

As nations leaders of Canadian churches and members of the Canadian Council of Churches, we call on our government to take immediate steps to develop and implement a national poverty reduction …

Dear Prime Minister Harper, We are representatives of Canada’s churches, and members of MESA, a tri-national coalition of religious organizations from Canada, the United States and Mexico working for just trade. We write you in advance of your summit with Presidents Bush and Calderón this August to urge you to use this opportunity to promote just trade relationships. We welcome the renewed commitment that your government has made to strengthening ties with our continental neighbours. …

As faith-based organizations cooperating in working to reduce poverty in Canada, we are writing to request a meeting with you to encourage the Conservative Party to commit to the development and implementation of a poverty reduction strategy in your platform for the next federal …

Dear Prime Minister Harper: In a letter addressed to you earlier this year on May 8, the national leaders of the Canadian Council of Churches expressed their concern about the human impact of the global AIDS pandemic, and urged you to announce several initiatives when the government addressed the UN General Assembly, the G8 Summit and the International AIDS Conference. While we were disappointed that you decided not to attend the Toronto Conference, we were …

Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to follow-up on our May 8 church leaders’ letter to you on the subject of HIV/AIDS. Thank you for referring our letter to the Minister for International Cooperation. At a recent meeting of the Governing Board of the Canadian Council of Churches, member churches resolved to strengthen their own commitment to addressing the AIDS pandemic. Please find a copy of our resolution attached. In relation to the points made …

Dear Minister Clement, We bring warm greetings to you on behalf of the Ecumenical Health Care Network. Churches have historically played a role in providing health care and members of the Ecumenical Health Care Network continue to be involved in health care. The Ecumenical Health Care Network also contributes to public policy discussions about health care. We have submitted briefs to The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology and to the Royal …

Excellency: Attached, please find a copy of a recent letter from the Canadian Council of Churches addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Since this letter represents the combined wisdom of the member churches of the Canadian Council of Churches we thought the content of the letter, responding to the HIV AIDS pandemic, might interest you. The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) is the largest ecumenical body in Canada, now representing 20 churches of Anglican, Eastern …

In a letter to the Prime Minister sent this week, Canadian church leaders listed six Canadian initiatives that would make a substantial difference in the HIV and AIDS crisis. These included debt cancellation, untying debt remission from conditions that diminish the provision of health care, a 5% contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, and changes to Canada’s pharmaceutical laws. Canada has three important opportunities to demonstrate leadership on the HIV …

Dear Prime Minister Harper: As national leaders of Canadian Churches and members of the Canadian Council of Churches, we are extremely concerned about the human impact of the global AIDS pandemic. Currently more than 40 million people are infected with HIV. Last year, over 3 million people died as a result of AIDS. There are 15 million child orphans because of AIDS. These statistics speak powerfully to the human cost. Our first response to the …

Dear Prime Minister Harper, We are very concerned that almost one month after the Government of Alberta announced its 10 point proposal for “Health Care Renewal” your government has not stated unequivocally your intention to defend and enforce the Canada Health Act. One of the Alberta proposals for renewal would allow physicians to work in both the public and private health care systems at the same time. This would clearly be a violation of the …

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” 1 Corinthians 12: 12-26 Ecumenical Health Care Network The Ecumenical Health Care Network (EHCN) is a coalition that reflects the perspective of many Churches in Canada in relation to health care. We are part of the Canadian Council of Churches as representatives from the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and United Church of Canada. …

The “Moral Enterprise” of Health Care Demands a Covenant The first of 47 recommendations made in the final report of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada (released on November 28, 2002) urged the federal government to “…establish a new Canadian Health Covenant as a tangible statement of Canadians’ values and a guiding force for our publicly funded health care system.” Notably, this was also the major recommendation made by the Ecumenical …

The need for accountability and transparency The creation of an independent council to inform Canadians on health care matters while promoting accountability and transparency was among the central recommendations of the Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada (November 2002). In September of 2003 the Health Council of Canada was established by the Prime Minister and the Premiers in their Accord on Health Care Renewal. Its role was enhanced in the Ten …

In its submission to the Romanow Commission, the Ecumenical Health Care Network noted that an increasing number of Canadians are now receiving care at home, and called for the creation of a national home care program. In his final report, Mr. Romanow recommended that the needs of people receiving care in the home be recognized by creating the foundation for a national home care system, beginning with: support for home mental health case manage- ment …

A need for long term stability and predictability Funding issues have dominated discussions of health care for some time. Leading up to the publishing of the Romanow report, there were loud and persistent claims about the doubtful sustainability of medicare, about more private funding being desirable, and about the need for more money to the provinces from the federal government. Where are we …

For-profit health care delivery threatens to undermine Medicare In his final report, Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in Canada, delivered to Parliament in November 2002, Commissioner Roy Romanow was very clear in rejecting for-profit delivery of health care. The Commission states that “direct health care services should be delivered in public and not-for-profit health care facilities.” In rejecting privatization or a for-profit model of sustaining the health care system, Romanow reiterated the …

Integrating prescription drugs into Canada’s health care system In its submission to the Romanow Commission in May 2002, the Ecumenical Health Care Network recommended that prescription drugs be included as a fully funded component of medicare. The Commission noted the wide disparities across Canada in coverage for the high cost of prescription drugs. As an initial response to this problem, Mr. Romanow has recommended the creation of a Catastrophic Drug Transfer. Under this proposed new …

The Challenge It’s not exactly a neglected topic, is it? Health care in Canada is the subject of more federal-provincial conferences, more newspaper ink, more political campaign threats and promises, and more media noise than any other issue of public policy. It’s easy to provide frightening statistics about what health care costs in Canada. In provincial and territorial budgets, health care trumps every other public expenditure, sometimes consuming close to 50% of programme costs1. Through …

I write to you today on an important anniversary. Fifteen years ago the House of Commons unanimously voted to end child poverty in Canada, and to do so by the year 2000. Today however more than one million children, or one in every six children in our country, live in a low-income family. This failure to adequately address child poverty weighs heavily upon many Canadians: for the sake of our children, we can and must …

Dear Mr. Prime Minister: Accompanying our best wishes, we wish to send our sincere congratulations, as you became Prime Minister of Canada last month. This great responsibility brings with it the possibility of achieving tremendous good for Canadians and many other persons around the world. We pray that God’s blessings are with you as you assume this demanding new role. As leaders of Canada’s major Christian Churches, we write to you today concerning one of …

PREAMBLE This declaration is the result of a consultation held on January 11 – 14, 2004 in Stony Point, New York, USA. We gathered as people of God coming from churches in Canada, the United States and Mexico and also from other regions of the world. We recognize that the countries we come from play different roles in the present global context in terms of their economic, political and military power. By God’s grace in …

A church leaders’ letter against antisemitism to the churches of Canada, the Jewish community in Canada, and to all people of good …

The Ad Hoc Coalition on the Rights of Aboriginal Children in Canada On the release of Canada’s Second Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and in anticipation of the CRC’s review of Canada’s compliance to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, two national ecumenical coalitions joined with two regional and one national Aboriginal organization to form the Ad Hoc Coalition on the Rights of Aboriginal Children …

Dear Prime Minister Chrétien, We are writing to congratulate you and the First Ministers for having established, through the Health Accord, common ground on which to revive and expand this country’s public health care system. During the course of the Romanow Commission’s public consultations, our Ecumenical Health Care Network presented a brief at the Ottawa hearings, with a Health Care Covenant for all People in Canada at the heart of our presentation. We were pleased …

Dear Minister Graham, I am pleased to contribute to this foreign policy dialogue on behalf of the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Canadian Council of Churches. Canadian churches have, in many ways, a unique perspective on questions related to foreign policy. Our sister churches around the world inform us of the effects Canadian policies have on their lives. Canadian churches support a variety of initiatives and programs to learn, assist and accompany our …

Dear Minister Pettigrew, I write in response to your request for advice and views on the agreement between Canada and the Andean countries to begin exploratory discussions towards a proposed free trade agreement. I also note that the Government of Canada has agreed to commence similar talks towards a separate agreement with the Dominican Republic. The discussion is important to us because Canadian churches maintain many long-standing relationships with partners and civil society movements in …

Dear Prime Minister Chrétien: Encouraged by your recent Speech from the Throne, “The Canada We Want” in which you outline the plans for your government in the next few years, I am writing to request an appointment for a delegation of church leaders to meet with you regarding the future of health care in Canada. Safeguarding the well being of people by addressing their needs – particularly of poor children and health care services for …

Dear Minister McLellan, I am writing to you on behalf of the Ecumenical Health Care Network, an initiative of the Canadian Council of Churches’ Commission on Justice and Peace. Members of our Commission take a deep interest in the current discussions about the future of health care in Canada. Many of our members and affiliated organizations are involved in the provision of health care services. We are also actively participating in public discussions about preserving …

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, We are writing to you on the topic of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. In 1992 and in 1997 we called on the Canadian government to support measures that meet the criteria of providing for flourishing, sustainable communities for all who live in this earth. Today, we repeat both our call for sustainability and sufficiency for all, and our witness to increasing ecological destruction, ever-greater inequality and indebtedness, and a …

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, The Canadian churches have participated in many of the United Nations’ sponsored summits that attempt to define the future of the global community. The World Summit on Sustainable Development provides a key moment to express concern regarding the unsustainable path on which the global community is proceeding. The excessive strain being placed on the world’s forests, oceans, rivers, mountains, wildlife and other life support systems cannot be maintained. The values that …

The Ecumenical Health Care Network is a project of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Council of Churches. The Network includes representatives from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada, the Canadian Catholic Health Association, and Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. In May of 2000, in a letter to then Health Minister …

Churches have been involved in the provision of health care services in Canada since the mid 17th century. In terms of health care institutions, the Augustines Hospitalières founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec in 1639. Many other religious groups comprised especially of religious women and Christian laypersons have been in the forefront of every effort against disease that this country has known. What explains such active involvement in health care? The main reason for this commitment …

A Health Care Covenant For All People in Canada Through government, we in Canada pledge to: Universal Access, Comprehensiveness and Portability • provide access to comprehensive health care services for individuals, families and communities that places the priority on the worth and dignity of the whole person and their biological, emotional, physical, environmental, social and spiritual needs wherever they may be in Canada; Social Solidarity and Justice • uphold a health care system through which …

Executive Summary The Ecumenical Health Care Network convened a special Forum on the Future of Health Care in Canada on Parliament Hill on February 28, 2002. Over 100 religious leaders, church based health care providers and professionals, as well as politicians and representatives from community and labour organizations attended. The Forum focused on the values and visions for the future of health care. Participants agreed Canada’s system needs to be preserved and strengthened based upon …

Introduction On behalf of the Ecumenical Health Care Network of the Canadian Council of Churches’ Commission on Justice and Peace, I appreciate this opportunity to comment on some of the Options being suggested by this Senate Committee in Volume 4, Issues & Options. Historically, Canadian churches have contributed to the development of Canada’s publicly funded and administered health care system, as service providers (eg. religious hospitals, homes for the chronically ill and aged, programs for …

Dear Member of Parliament, We are writing with regard to the forthcoming Parliamentary debate concerning appropriate Canadian and international responses to the heinous September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. You and your colleagues in the House of Commons bear the formidable responsibility of guiding our country’s actions in these critical days. We write to support you in those responsibilities and to ask you to consider the following concerns. We believe that a sustained …

Dear Mr. Manley, I am writing to follow-up on your meeting with representatives of the Canadian Council of Churches on July 4, 2001 and propose a new meeting in November 2001. In our letter of July 13 thanking you for making time for the meeting and begin a face-to- face acquaintance with the inter-church human rights network, Janet Somerville promised that I would be in touch with you to suggest new dates for a next …

Dear Prime Minister, First of all we join you, as do all our fellow citizens, in expressing profound sorrow and compassion for all those who died and those who now suffer as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. As representatives of a very broad Christian ecumenical community we join with Muslims, Jews, Hindus and many other faith communities who have condemned these acts of terror, confident in the knowledge …

To the members of our churches after the tragedy in the United States: Grace to you and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ! We write to you as leaders of Canadian Churches to express our deep compassion for all those who have suffered in the terrorist attacks in the United States. We are part of a common family in which the suffering of so many has affected us all. Throughout the world people of all …

Your Excellency, With hopes and expectations grounded in years of participation in United Nations summits—and rooted before that in the good earth of Christian social ethics—we write as representatives of the Canadian Council of Churches to express several convictions about the Financing for Development (FFD) process. The thinking in this letter is in continuity with work we have done in co-preparing a background report with the World Council of Churches. We have expressed some of …

Dear Heads of State and Government, and all brothers and sisters at the Summit of the Americas, As representatives of churches from the host country of this Summit, we join in welcoming you and in praying for light on your discussions. With millions of our fellow citizens, we are aware that your decisions will have important consequences for life in the Americas. We welcome also the participants in the Peoples’ Summit and similar alternative events. …

In Canada, one particular area in our national life cries out for healing and transformation: now is the time for a change inthe relationship between the majority society and Aboriginal …

As we turn our hearts to God in the first year of a new century, as we seek to listen with our hearts to what God is saying in our time and place, we are promised a word — even a world — of peace. It is a glorious promise, challenging us to hope (all our hope, indeed, rests on God’s covenant promise to be faithful to us); and it is set free by our …