Letter to Minister Graham: Foreign Policy Dialogue

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 partners and their communities in a journey of pilgrimage and solidarity.

Project Ploughshares, a project of the Canadian Council of Churches, submitted a brief that supports the broad ecumenical approaches to war prevention, peacebuilding and disarmament. Similarly, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives has submitted a brief that reflects the convictions of Canadian churches.

In previous foreign policy submissions, correspondence, and in meetings with ministers, Canadian churches have recommended that priority be given to human rights and peacebuilding as the right and most effective route to more fully realized human security for all. The Gospel insights of neighbourly love and mercy, peacemaking, and the stewardship and honour of creation address the global issues of armed conflict, unfair trade agreements and environmental degradation. These challenges can best be met by developing sustainable communities and guaranteeing the full spectrum of human rights for all.