[E-News] Are you ready for Canada's federal election?

Download the CFSC E-News in PDF (scroll down for links).

Key questions for the 2019 federal election

As candidates hit the campaign trail in advance of Canada's election in October, we've put together a resource to help you raise issues that matter. It briefly covers key topics relevant to Indigenous peoples' human rights, criminal justice, and peace, offering sample questions for each. For instance:

  • Given that most prisoners will eventually be released to be our neighbours, what will your party do to improve the rehabilitation and reintegration... supports that have been shown to be crucial in reducing re-offending?
  • Will your party, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, reintroduce legislation to ensure the laws of Canada are consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?
  • In 2017 the government announced a plan for an astonishing 73% increase in military spending. The majority of the spending would be on fighter jets and war ships, with a 5% increase in sailors, soldiers, and air force personnel. Will you commit to rolling back this wasteful new military spending and investing these billions of dollars where they're needed: in programs like healthcare and education?

View the 2019 elections resource.

Joint letters to candidates seeking election

CFSC has signed on to two joint letters to candidates in the federal election. The first, coordinated by the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, calls on the next session of parliament to prioritize the protection and fulfillment of the human rights of Indigenous peoples: https://quakerservice.ca/news/parliament-prioritize-indigenous-rights

The second letter, organized by the Canadian Council for Refugees, of which CFSC is a member, recognizes that especially during elections in many countries "refugees and migrants have been talked about in ways that insult their dignity and humanity, contribute to xenophobia and racism, and are frequently grounded in distortion and misinformation." The letter, signed by a long list of organizations, calls for an honest and respectful tone that recognizes the human rights of refugees and migrants: https://ccrweb.ca/en/open-letter-discourse-refugees-migrants-elections

Dick Cotterill, Kai Cotterill, and Mary Petrie at the Millbrook Powwow, August, 2019.

Spreading the word about the UN Declaration

Friends from the Truro Worship Group in Nova Scotia attended Millbrook First Nation's Powwow held August 9-11. Friends set up a booth where they displayed information on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The booth was well received and Friends talked with many people and distributed over 100 pocket-sized copies of the UN Declaration (to order copies for your events, contact our office).

Webcomic explains the case of Hassan Diab

The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, of which CFSC is a member, has released a webcomic to draw attention to the deplorable treatment of Hassan Diab and the urgent need to fix Canada's extradition laws so that what happened to him cannot occur again. Read the comic at https://iclmg.ca/diab-webcomic

Learn more about CFSC's concerns over the treatment of Hassan Diab: https://quakerservice.ca/HassanDiab

New posts on Psychology Today blog

CFSC's peace program coordinator Matt Legge continues to explore issues relevant to building understanding and a culture of peace via an ongoing blog on the website Psychology Today. Check out the latest posts:

Even Mindfulness Meditation Has Turned Into a Minefield
The last topic you’d imagine to be explosively controversial is sitting still and peacefully watching our thoughts. You’d be wrong. How does every issue become contentious?

Either-or Thinking Is Making Your Life Worse
How struggling to recognize complexity is driving us apart

Does a Broader Concept of Harm Make Us Weaker?
New research tests if broader concepts of harm increase our fragility

This blog briefly covers a tiny bit of the content found in CFSC's book Are We Done Fighting? Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division. Get a free chapter and feel free to reach out to us about Matt giving a short presentation at your event or hosting a longer workshop using group exercises from the book.

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