KAIROS responds to the 2020 Speech from the Throne

The Government of Canada addressed the pandemic - “our generation’s crossroad” - and how it plans to “build back better” in the much-anticipated Speech from the Throne on September 23. KAIROS urges the federal government to develop a recovery plan that delivers a just, decolonial, anti-racist, and feminist transformation for all people and the planet.

The For the Love of Creation e-petition calls on the Government of Canada to support ambitious action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, honour the rights of Indigenous peoples and support those in the Global South most impacted by the pandemic and climate crisis. The e-petition closes Tuesday, October 6. Help us reach our goal of 4,000 signatures. Please sign the petition and ask your network to do the same!

The second annual KAIROS Climate Action Month wrapped up on September 30. This year’s campaign – during a global pandemic – amplified calls for a just recovery that respects the integrity of the planet and the dignity of all peoples. We featured stories from KAIROS members and global partners, shared resources on climate policy, environmental racism, Indigenous rights and more, and created opportunities for collective action for climate justice. It doesn’t end here. Find out more, access resources and continue to take action!

In Year 2 (2019-2020) of the five-year Women of Courage: Women, Peace and Security program, KAIROS partners in Colombia, the Philippines, West Bank, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, developed innovative conflict resolution and peace-building strategies despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic.  

Marking the 13th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September, Indigenous nations, land defenders, human rights groups, and other civil society partners urged the federal government to introduce UNDRIP legalisation this fall and ensure that it is passed into law during this session of Parliament. 

Led by Indigenous Knowledge Keepers with extensive experience facilitating the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, these interactive Zoom-based sessions aim to build positive relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people through truth, sharing, and open dialogue. Based in Indigenous world views and using Indigenous teachings and protocols, this new series addresses both historical and contemporary topics in an honest and personal way.   

Given the onset of nearly irreversible climate change, the irony is that many areas of the Global South where people have contributed substantially less to greenhouse gas emissions are comparatively more impacted. This inequality is linked to environmental racism and the existence of sacrifice zones. One  place experiencing these phenomena is the Niger Delta in Nigeria.

On the International Day of Peace, KAIROS joined members of the Ecumenical Network South Sudan and partners of the South Sudan Council of Churches to call international attention to the urgent need for peace in South Sudan. 

KAIROS joins civil society organizations in Canada, including human rights, labour, and church groups in supporting the Committee for Human Rights in Latin America’s solidarity statement condemning the surge in violence and the massacres that have swept both urban and rural regions of Colombia in recent weeks.  

The death of George Floyd in the US has once again demonstrated that racism plays a prominent role in the dominant system and that its violence and cruelty can reach unimaginable limits. One only has to look at the numerous forms of racist violence that Indigenous, Afro-Ecuadorian, and Montubio peoples consistently face, as is currently being demonstrated by State-promoted activities that have put more vulnerable populations at risk of COVID-19 contagion.

KAIROS is pleased to release LNG and Fracked Gas in Canada, an introduction to the landscape of fracked gas in Canada that can guide self-learning, advocacy and conversation.

The COVID-19 pandemic puts migrant workers in Canada, many of whom have experienced workplace abuses for years, at special risk. This Media Brief covers this and the call for permanent residency.