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Kairos Times: February 2005 Vol 4, #2
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| According to Jesus of Nazareth, the only force able to end tyranny and terror and replace hatred with hope is the force of agape, or self-sacrificing love. "Love your enemy, do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who persecute you." We remember Jesus’ words as we begin this Season of Lent, a time for spiritual contemplation and action on the issues of justice facing our world. |
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Take action!
- 1) Refugee Appeal Division Petition deadline extended to April 15!
- 2) Wells, pipelines and broken promises: Take
action to support the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation
- 3) At last: Kyoto Protocol in effect on February 16
- 4) G7 Finance Ministers fail to deliver promised debt remission
- 5) Church leaders' delegation to Mexico now underway!
- 6) March 19: No to War!
- 7) Continued response to the tsunami aftermath
- 8) New on our website….
Take action!
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1) Refugee Appeal Division Petition deadline extended to April 15! |
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The deadline for the Appeal for Refugee Rights petition has been extended to April 15. This allows us a little more time to gather signatures, and to link our petition presentation to the dates for the current sitting of Parliament.
Beginning April 4 (Refugee Rights Day) KAIROS, its partners, and at least one supportive Member of Parliament will begin to present groups of signed petitions in the House of Commons.
Many thanks to everyone who has organised petition signings! Please keep up the great work. Remember, the petition is available at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/action/AppealForRefugeeRights_Petition.pdf
Check out the Campaign page for other resources and ideas. And
don’t forget to contact Sara Stratton, our Network and Campaign
Coordinator for print copies of the petition, for ideas for resource
people for your events, or to have your events posted on our new
national events page:
sstratton
or 1 877 403 8933 x 241.
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2) Wells, pipelines and broken promises: Take action to support the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation |
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Outaouais Lubicon Solidarity (OLS) invites you to participate in a campaign to push the Canadian government to negotiate a just settlement of Lubicon Nation land rights and finally end this long-standing human rights tragedy. It will take you only a few minutes a day to participate, but the combined effort of Lubicon supporters around the globe can make a difference.
Every time a new oil or gas well or pipeline is approved for development in Lubicon Traditional Territory, you will receive an e-mail message from OLS informing you that yet another development has been authorized to steal Lubicon resources. They add up: Last January twenty-two new developments were approved; last February thirty new developments were approved; and in March eighteen new developments were approved. The e-mail will include a draft letter you can email or mail to the Minister of Indian Affairs, with copies to your MP and the Alberta Minister of Native Affairs.
To participate in the campaign visit the OLS web site at http://www.lubiconsolidarity.ca/brokenpromises and sign up. The campaign will run from February 6 until March 13, 2005.
OLS was a member of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC), whose work carries on through KAIROS. ARC educated and campaigned for decades on behalf of the churches to bring justice to the Lubicon people. Throughout their sixty-five year struggle, the Lubicons have refused to let their Aboriginal rights be violated by governments and corporations eager to exploit the valuable resources on their traditional territory.
For more information contact the Outaouais Lubicon Solidarity,
telephone 613 236 9188 / fax 613 236 8632,
ols@lubiconsolidarity.ca
Or
Ed Bianchi, Program Coordinator, Aboriginal rights: 613 235 9956
or
ebianchi
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The latest…
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3) At last: Kyoto Protocol in effect on February 16 |
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February 16 marked the start of a new era of a global response
to climate
change, as the Kyoto Protocol entered into force as international
law. The Canadian churches, KAIROS and its predecessor coalitions
lobbied long and hard for the ratification and implementation of
Kyoto measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We say thank
you and congratulations to all of you who signed thousands of postcards
and letters to government and corporations over the years, held
hundreds of events and workshops, and made personal commitments
to reduce their ecological footprint. KAIROS staff celebrated by
taking banners and plastics penguins to visit Imperial Oil headquarters
and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, who just happen to
be the next door neighbours of our Toronto offices. We also wrote
a news release: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/media/press/prKyotoBegins050216.asp
Of course, the work towards energy efficiency continues. Individual and community actions are important, even as we continue to push governments and corporations to take responsibility. There are many websites and resources designed to help you, your house, and your community lower emissions. KAIROS is a member of the Climate Action Network: http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/ Check them out, and see also the Government of Canada’s One Tonne Challenge: http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/index.asp
Here at KAIROS we are preparing to launch a new energy efficiency
project—the results will be up on our website soon. And we
have a booklet to help religious-community buildings plan for energy
efficiency—contact Joy Kennedy, Ecological Justice Coordinator
(416) 463-5312- ext.222 or
jkennedy
for a copy or for more information.
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4) G7 Finance Ministers fail to deliver promised debt remission |
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Since the devastating tsunami in South Asia and eastern Africa, the Finance Ministers of seven of the world’s wealthiest nations have faced calls for full and unconditional cancellation of the debts crippling the world's poorest countries. Mainstream media reports have played up the generosity of the proposed debt relief package coming out of the G7 Finance Ministers’ February 4-5 meetings in London without delving into the fine print. KAIROS and its numerous Canadian and global partners have studied the actual agreement closely, and concluded that the relief package is not only less than generous, but actually reflects a step backwards from the promises made by G7 Ministers in the weeks and days leading up to the meeting.
Click here to read the full KAIROS analysis: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/economic/debt/analysis_G7DebtRelief.asp
For more information contact John Dillon, Program Coordinator,
Global Economic Justice at
jdillon
or 416-463-5312, ext. 231.
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5) Church leaders' delegation to Mexico now underway! |
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The federal government isn’t the only group who can sponsor a trade mission. Mexico is a clear example of the devastating impact of aggressive trade liberalization on human rights, and a KAIROS church leaders’ delegation to Mexico will explore these impacts March 11-19, 2005. Working with KAIROS partners, delegates are examining the impact of free trade in Mexico through a human rights lens, looking at alternatives and resistance, and developing concrete recommendations for the Canadian government.
The KAIROS Mexico delegation is ecumenical and national, drawing on church leaders from Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia. Delegates include: The Most Reverend Daniel Bohan, Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto; Rt. Rev. Susan Moxley, Suffragan Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI; Rev. Raymond L. Schultz, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church In Canada; Ms. Wanda West, lay member of the Executive of General Council of The United Church of Canada; Sister Sheila Moss, ssa Sisters of St. Ann; Father Paul Hansen, Chair, KAIROS Board of Directors; and Rev. J. Mark Lewis, former Moderator, Presbyterian Church in Canada. KAIROS staff Rusa Jeremic and Rachel Warden are accompanying delegates.
Working with partners in Mexico, we’ve developed an exciting agenda that includes meetings with human rights, churches, labour, Indigenous and women’s organizations as well as visits to local communities impacted by trade policies. Half of the delegation will go to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, a city along the border with the USA that is built almost entirely around export processing zones and maquiladoras. The other half of the delegation will go to Chiapas in southern Mexico to explore the impact of free trade on Indigenous and rural communities and hear about ongoing issues of militarization and impunity. Delegates will also spend time in Mexico City meeting with national human rights and economic justice groups, and the Canadian Embassy.
Be sure to check the daily delegation diary, which includes Rev. Sue Moxley’s “BishBlog”.
On their return delegates will go to Ottawa to bring concrete recommendations
to the Canadian government during the Global Week of Action on Trade,
April 10-16. More information on KAIROS’ advocacy and action
on trade, including a special bulletin on the Week of Action, can
be found on the KAIROS website –
http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/economic/trade/index.asp
The delegation homepage is at:
http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/economic/trade/delegation.asp
While the delegation is in Mexico, please contact John Bird at
jbird
For more background information please contact
Rusa Jeremic, Program Coordinator , International Trade,
rjermemic
or 1 877 403 8933, ext 225 or Rachel Warden, Program
Coordinator- Latin American Partnerships,
rwarden
or ext 242.
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6) March 19: No to War! |
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In February of 2003 thousands of Canadians took to the streets to protest the imminent invasion of Iraq. Two years later, the world has not forgotten that Iraq remains a virtual war zone. On March 19 Canadians are invited to participate in public events to remember the ongoing violence in Iraq and to push for a just peace for Iraq.
A list of events across Canada can be found at the Canadian Peace
Alliance’s website:
http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/M19_21events.htm
Be sure to email the CPA with information about your event.
Canadian church members are also involved directly in advocacy
and accompaniment with the people of Iraq through Christian Peacemaker
Teams who remain in the country—you can read about their work
and participate in weekly prayers at http://www.cpt.org/iraq/iraq.php
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7) Continued response to the tsunami aftermath |
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KAIROS is committed to a long-term response to the tsunami that struck South Asia and East Africa. Documents on our continued advocacy can be found at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/media/statements/smtTsunami050105.asp
Our concerns related to this catastrophe include support for partners in the region, the urgent need for debt cancellation, and concerns about aid and reconstruction in conflict zones such as Aceh, Indonesia.
We continue with our urgent action on the situation in Aceh; while
Indonesia is no longer making headlines, grave concerns such as
hunger, trauma, and basic human rights in this conflict zone remain
as important as ever:
http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/urgent/uaAceh050120.asp
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8) New on our website…. |
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Check out our new countries of concern section, found under our
Programme listing.
Our most recent addition is a new section on Sudan: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/programme/sudan/index.asp
Don’t forget the wealth of creative events that you can find at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/events/listing.asp
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