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Kairos Times: May 2007. Vol. 6, #5
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| If any of you happens to see an injustice, you are no longer a spectator: you are a participant. And you have an obligation to do something. |
--June Callwood, rest in peace |
In this edition:
- International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel, June 3
- KAIROS partners visit Canada for the Dirty Waters: Regulating Canadian Mining Companies Overseas Tour, May 23 – 27
- Congolese partner denied a visa to visit Québec and Ottawa
- Days of Action and Prayer for Colombia: May 20-21
- Job postings: Fundraising Coordinator and Finance Administrator
- Iraq Forum: Discussing solutions to the humanitarian crisis
- The 1987 "New Covenant" on Aboriginal rights revisited
- The Canadian Government is protecting Talisman...
again
International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel, June 3
Almost 40 years ago, the Six-Day War set in motion a course of history that has been disastrous for Israelis and Palestinians. The resulting Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza has confined Palestinians to an existence that has been characterized by mass arrests, house and farm demolitions, daily curfews and military invasions of their towns and cities. Israelis have lived in fear of suicide bombings and other forms of attacks.
It doesn’t have to be this way. As Christians with a deep connection to the Holy Land, we can help end the Occupation and work towards a lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. On June 3, Christians around the world are asked to take time to pray and be in solidarity with the people of the Holy Land. KAIROS and our partners for peace in the Holy Land invite your congregation to be part of this special Sunday.
To help you, we’ve developed a resource that includes some background reading on the current crisis in Israel/Palestine, a selection of worship resources for integration into your service for June 3, and a bulletin insert that you can photocopy and use on June 3. Please see http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/countries/israelPalestine/40YearsOccupation.pdf
See also KAIROS’ recent letter to Prime Minister Harper, on the need to end the international financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/media/letters/ltrHarper070418.asp
If you feel you can do more to be in solidarity with people seeking peace in the Holy Land, contact Desmond Jagger-Parsons, Middle East Partnerships Coordinator at (416) 463-5312 or 1-877-403-8933 ext. 239 or by email.
Top
of pageKAIROS partners visit Canada for the Dirty Waters: Regulating Canadian Mining Companies Overseas Tour, May 23 – 27
From May 22-May 30, seven global partners of KAIROS will be visiting three regions of the country to alert Canadians to the dramatic impact of Canadian mining corporations on the life and health of their communities. They will talk about the legislation our government can and should put in place to ensure that Canadian companies respect the environment and uphold human rights and community consensus when operating overseas.
This tour is part of the ecumenical “Water: Life Before Profit” campaign and our ongoing advocacy for binding legislation on Canadian corporations.
British Columbia, May 23-25
Ana Maria Alvarado (Mexico) will speak about the impact of the Canadian-owned
gold mine Metallica Resources on her community of Cerro de San Pedro,
and Thabo Madihlabai (South Africa), will discuss the impact of
mining in Africa.
- Wednesday May 23 - Kamloops: Kamloops United Church, 421 St Paul St, 7-9 pm
- Thursday May 24 – Parksville: Knox United Church, 7-9 pm
- Friday May 25 – Vancouver: Location TBA – stay tuned for details!
Alberta, May 22 - 24
Rafael Epiayu (Colombia) and Dr. Constancio Claver (Philippines)
will talk about the impact of Canadian mining companies on indigenous
communities.
- Tuesday May 22 – Calgary: Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW, 7:30 - 9:30 pm.
- Wednesday May 23 – Red Deer: St. Luke's Anglican Church Hall, 54th Street and Gaetz Avenue, 7:00 PM
- Thursday May 24 – Grande Prairie: St. Paul’s United Church, 10206 100th Avenue. 7-9 pm.
Great Lakes-St Lawrence, May 23 and 30
Hubert Masoka Tshiswaka, (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Rebbapragada
Ravi (India) will speak about the impact of mining in the Congo
and India.
- Mercredi le 23 mai – Montréal: Forum avec Hubert Tshiswaka (en francais), Centre St Pierre, 1212 rue Panet 19h30 – 21h30.
- Wednesday, May 23 – Montreal: Public event with Rebbapragada Ravi at Concordia University (location TBA), 7-9pm
- Wednesday May 30, Ottawa: National Press Club, 150 Wellington Street, 7-9 pm.
A full schedule of events can be found at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/corporate/mining/events.asp
Detailed biographies of the speakers can be found at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/corporate/mining/dirtyWaters.pdf
For more information about any aspect of the tour please contact
Sara Stratton, Campaigns Coordinator at 1-877-403-8933 x241 by email.
Days of Action and Prayer for Colombia: May 20-21
KAIROS regrets that Hubert Masoka Tshiswaka, a francophone partner from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been denied a visa that would have allowed him to visit Montréal, Québec City and Ottawa as part of the Dirty Waters tour on mining and corporate responsibility.
Canadian NGOs note that it is increasingly difficult for Congolese to obtain visitors’ visas to Canada. This effectively blocks the voices of partners from a nation that is struggling to emerge from decades of war, and is still dealing with conflicts and environmental damage directly related to resource extraction. At a time when KAIROS and the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability are all pushing for binding environmental and human rights legislation on Canadian corporations working overseas, it is crucial that Canadians and Parliamentarians hear directly about the impact of our companies on communities around the world. See http://www.kairoscanada.org/f/entreprises/extractionDesRessources.asp and http://www.devp.org/devpme/fr/education/educationcampaign-fr.html for more details.
Canadian companies are free to operate around the world. But those
who experience the impact of their operations have very few opportunities
to speak directly to Canadians. English-speaking groups in Canada
will be able to meet with six other Southern partners who are participating
in this tour but KAIROS regrets that, without Hubert’s participation,
we are now far less able to connect with French-speaking communities.
For more information on the tour, email
Ian Thomson, Corporate Social Responsibility Program Coordinator,
or call him at 416 463 5312 x229.
Days of Action and Prayer for Colombia: May 20-21
In the last Kairos Times we told you about the Days of Prayer and Action on Colombia.
Colombia continues to be gripped by violence in which civilians are the primary victims of threats and assassinations. More than 3.5 million people are displaced, the second largest internally displaced population in the world. Yet thousands risk their lives to heed God's call for peace by working for justice and an end to war.
We invite you to engage your faith communities in the international days of prayer and action, May 20 and 21 (and if you can’t make those days work, extend our focus into the following Sunday!). Take a day to remember our brothers and sisters in Colombia in prayer and worship, and then act by asking our government to take action on Colombia's humanitarian crisis. You can see the invitation at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/countries/colombia/prayer4colombia.asp and the resource can be downloaded at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/countries/colombia/actionResouce.pdf
As Colombian activists say: “No basta rezar" --it is
not enough to pray. Your actions and care do make a difference.
For more information, contact Rachel Warden, Global Partnerships
Coordinator for Latin America, 1 877 403 8933 x242 or by email
Job postings: Fundraising Coordinator and Finance Administrator
Please help KAIROS promote these two job openings: Fundraising Coordinator (closing date is May 22nd, 2007) and Finance Administrator (closing date is May 18th, 2007).
See the detailed job descriptions at
http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/support/jobs.asp (Les affichages sont également disponibles en français.)
Please send your applications by mail or in person only to: Therese Dineen, KAIROS: 129 St. Clair Ave West, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1N5.
Iraq Forum: Discussing solutions to the humanitarian crisis
When the bombs began falling on Iraq in 2003, Canadian churches successfully raised their voices and lobbied the Canadian government to oppose Canadian military involvement in the US led invasion. Four years later, millions of Iraqis have been displaced, and nearly three quarters of a million people have died as result of the current occupation. As conditions on the ground continue to worsen, the call for radical compassion, commitment, solidarity and action is more urgent than ever.
As a first step in generating discussion and possibilities for a collective response to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, KAIROS, with financial support from the Canadian Council of Churches, hosted a full-day forum on May 1st at the National Office of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Thirty representatives from KAIROS boards and committee members, Canadian Council of Churches Commission on Justice and Peace, Project Ploughshares, and church staff working on Middle East and refugee rights and migrant issues began the day by listening to stories and perspectives shared by guest panelists from the UNHCR, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Trent University and the Iraqi-Canadian community.
In efforts to transform knowledge into meaningful action, panelists and participants engaged in small group discussions and explored potential strategies for educating our constituencies about the roots of the conflict in Iraq, and to advocate for the resettlement of refugees, troop withdrawal, and an international brokering of peace.
It is our hope that this initial discussion will evolve into a united Canadian movement advocating for a just peace in Iraq.
KAIROS would like to thank everyone who attended the forum for their passion, creativity, and sincere desire to end the suffering and injustices caused by this occupation.
If you would like to learn more or participate in collective action on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, please contact Heather Orrange, Program Coordinator for International Human Rights by email or phone at toll-free 1 877 403 8933 extension 226, or Desmond Jagger-Parsons, Global Partnerships Program—Middle East at 1 877 403 8933 extension 239 or by email.
The 1987 "New Covenant" on Aboriginal rights revisited
Twenty years ago church leaders issued "A New Covenant," a landmark ecumenical statement on Aboriginal rights. It called for a new relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples, one based on a recognition of the inherent right of Aboriginal peoples to be distinct, self-determining nations with rights to an adequate land base.
Signed by the churches that now form KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, "A New Covenant" acknowledged the impact of centuries of colonialism and discrimination, and sought to set right historical injustices by calling on Christians, those of other faiths, "and all people of good will" to continue advocating and working in solidarity to generate "public awareness and support for the full recognition and implementation" of Aboriginal rights in Canada. The covenant affirmed the churches' ongoing work in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples on Aboriginal rights and justice issues, as well as the long journey that lay ahead.
To commemorate the statement's 20th anniversary, church and Aboriginal leaders will gather for a ceremony and press conference in Winnipeg on June 21, National Aboriginal Day, during the Anglican General Synod and the National Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, to celebrate joint successes and accomplishments, and to demonstrate that the churches and Aboriginal peoples continue to be inspired by the spirit of A New Covenant and its vision of a new relationship based on sharing, mutual respect, and the recognition of rights and responsibilities.
The churches will also release a commemorative poster of the 1987 "New Covenant," along with a statement inviting all Christians to work "ecumenically and collaboratively with Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society to build nation-to-nation relationships that protect and enforce Aboriginal treaty and inherent rights." In December, the churches and Aboriginal peoples will issue a new 2007 statement on Aboriginal rights.
KAIROS is currently producing an educational resource on nation-to-nation relationships that will be ready by late June. Given the current cross-Canada tensions focused on land and treaty rights, we believe this is a good moment for us all to work towards true peace and friendship treaties between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people. Stand by for more details!
For more information, contact Aboriginal rights program coordinator Ed Bianchi, by email or phone at 613 235 9956
The Canadian Government is protecting
Talisman... again
“Christ was sold for 30 pieces of silver and our people are being sacrificed in exchange for barrels of oil.” Catholic Bishops Conference of Sudan, September 2000.
In the oilfields of Sudan, civilians are often killed and raped, their villages burnt to the ground. They have been caught in a decades-old war for the proceeds of oil, part of the wider war between the central government and the provinces that raged on in southern Sudan for decades, and now ravages Darfur.
In 2001, the Presbyterian Church of Sudan and number of Sudanese individuals filed suit in U.S. federal court against a Canadian company, Talisman Energy, for the company's apparent part in war crimes committed in Sudan. The plaintiffs alleged that the oil company was complicit in the Sudanese Government’s human rights abuses against Sudanese civilians living in the area of Talisman’s oil concession in southern Sudan, and that these abuses amounted to genocide.
In September 2006, after considerable lobbying by both the Canadian and U.S. governments, the court granted Talisman's motion to dismiss (see KAIROS opinion piece in the Globe and Mail at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/countries/sudan/opedGlobenMail050803.asp).
While the plaintiffs are appealing the decision, the Canadian government continues to defend Talisman. On May 8th, 2007, lawyers representing the Canadian government submitted an Amicus Curiae brief to the court arguing, among other things, that the U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction over a Canadian corporation operating in Sudan (http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/countries/sudan/canadaAmicusBrief.pdf ). The government claims that the court “should not exercise jurisdiction extraterritorially in the present case given the absence of a genuine and effective link to the United States.” They also argue that the case “would have detrimental foreign policy ramifications can could damage Canada's foreign policy efforts towards human rights promotion.”
As KAIROS argued in 2005 during the original trial, the Canadian government should be distancing itself from Talisman, while searching for constructive ways to ensure that all Canadian corporate activities support human rights abroad. Instead, the Canadian government has effectively obstructed US courts.
In 2000, after the release of a government-commissioned report linking Talisman's investment to the conflict in southern Sudan, then-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy, claimed that he did not have the “legislative authority to sanction the company.” In 2007, nothing has changed in Canada, and the victims of human rights abuses are still waiting for action. In response a broad based campaign has begun calling for the government to enact binding human rights and environmental standards on Canadian companies operating overseas. KAIROS is a member of this campaign: see more at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/corporate/mining/index.asp
To find out more, please email John Lewis, Program Coordinator for International Human Rights or phone at 416-463-5312 ext. 224.
You’ve been reading Kairos Times, a monthly e-bulletin from KAIROS, the social justice organization of eleven Canadian churches and church agencies. Sign up for this free bulletin and occasional urgent actions or email us or call us toll-free 1 877 403 8933.
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