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Kairos Times: November 2007. Vol 6, #9
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| “The effort to tackle climate change suffers from the problem of split incentives: those who are least responsible for it are the most likely to suffer its effects.” |
--George Monbiot |
In this edition:
- KAIROS Petitions the Environment Commissioner Regarding Fossil Fuel Subsidies
- Canada Accelerates Colombian Free Trade Deal
- Urgent Request for Human Rights in the Congo
- Update on Regional Migrant Justice Gatherings
- Over 38 Million People “Stand Up” on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
- UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Delivered Preliminary Observations on Canada
- Greed, Overproduction and Over-Consumption are Sinful, Say African Christians
- Job Posting: Middle East Program Coordinator -
Global Partnerships Program
KAIROS Petitions the Environment Commissioner Regarding Fossil Fuel Subsidies
On November 13 KAIROS submitted a petition to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada soliciting information concerning the contradiction between government policies that promote fossil fuels and other policies that are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This petition is part of the KAIROS Re-energize campaign.
The essential question raised by the petition is “Why does Canada spend millions of dollars subsidizing oil and gas extraction, a prime cause of climate change, while we spend so little on energy efficiency, conservation and renewable alternatives?”
Under Canadian law the Ministers of Finance, the Environment, Natural Resources, International Trade, International Cooperation and Foreign Affairs are required to submit substantive replies within 120 days after the Commissioner accepts our petition.
The petition, filed at the same time as one by Ecojustice, an environmental
group formerly known as Sierra Legal, also seeks appropriate remedial
actions by the government. To view a copy of the joint media release
accompanying the petition please click http://kairoscanada.org/e/media/press/prOilSubsidies071114.pdf
To read a concise summary of the essential issues raised by the
petition please see the Media Backgrounder available at http://kairoscanada.org/e/ecology/climateChange/oilSubsidiesBackgrounder0711.pdf
To view the full text of the petition please click on the following
link:
http://kairoscanada.org/e/ecology/climateChange/oilSubsidiesPetition0711.pdf
For more information contact
John Dillon, Program Coordinator, Global Economic Justice, at
416-463-5569 x 231.
For education and action resources on the Re-energize campaign,
visit http://www.re-energize.org
Top
of pageCanada Accelerates Colombian Free Trade Deal
Stephen Harper’s visit to Latin America this summer signalled a deliberate shift in Canadian Foreign Policy away from Africa to Latin America. Despite a strong critique from Canadian civil society, Harper travelled to Colombia and announced Free Trade negotiations with Colombia and Peru.
Colombia is a country awash in a human rights crisis. Under President
Uribe’s charge more than a million additional people have
become internally displaced for a total of three million. On average,
eight civilians are killed each day. In the midst of this staggering
impunity Harper stated during his visit, “We’re there
to encourage you and help you. We’re not going to say fix
all your social, political and human rights problems, and only then
will we engage in trade relations with you. That’s a ridiculous
position.” Yet the US Congress has currently delayed a vote
on the US-Colombia FTA due to human rights concerns.
Nonethless, the Canadian strategy of accelerating negotiations appears
to be bound to the current US administration’s position on
several other fronts. Most disturbing is an apparent alignment of
negotiating texts. For example, Canada’s negotiating texts
now contain provisions for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), something
unheard of in the Canada-Central America Free Trade deal. As is
generally understood, the inclusion of IPR impacts people’s
right to health by prohibiting access to essential medicines in
order to benefit pharmaceutical companies. In Peru, a country that
is negotiating FTAs with both the US and Canada, NGOs recently noted
that the US-Peru FTA will mean 800,000 Peruvians will be denied
access to medicine. A Canadian deal will further extend this human
rights violation.
Now is not the time to close a free trade deal with Colombia. Until
the human rights crisis in Colombia is resolved, free trade and
foreign investment will only accentuate the crisis and further impunity.
Take Action Today!
Write to Prime Minister Stephen Harper today! Demand that his government
suspend free trade negotiations with Colombia.
Insist that the widespread impunity, assassinations, human rights violations and structural inequalities be addressed. Tell him to put human rights first by carrying out a full human rights impact assessment before going forward.
Demand full parliamentary and public debate and urge the government
to adopt a new approach to trade that improves and does not worsen
the condition of those affected by violence and conflict. Send your
letters to pm
pm.gc.ca with a copy to Rusa Jeremic, Program Coordinator, Global
Economic Justice at rjeremic
kairoscanada.org.
Urgent Request for Human Rights in the Congo
On August 31st 2007, Sigrid Johnson was appointed Canada's new Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). KAIROS is asking for your help to encourage the new Ambassador to support political processes in the DRC that include further democratic development and a commitment to the rule of law.
Over the last few months, dozens of signed mining contracts have been reviewed by a panel set up by the Congolese government under pressure of Congolese civil society. KAIROS is requesting that Canada demand the publication of the final report, and that any new agreements between the Congolese authorities and mining companies include a commitment to protect the rights of the Congolese.
Moreover, two years ago, Pascal Kabangulu, Executive Director
of the KAIROS partner Héritiers de la justice was assassinated
allegedly for investigating the links between illicit mining activities
in South Kivu province and local military authorities. Those believed
to have committed the assassination have still not been brought
to justice.
Please send a letter, fax, or email to Kinshasa urging the new ambassador
to make human rights a priority. Please consider including some
of the following points in your message:
- Elections in 2006 are first step to political stability. Canada must emphasize the need to develop a strong and independent judicial system that protects people's rights;
- Canada should work with the local human rights groups in demanding a new judicial inquiry into the killing of Pascal Kabangulu;
- Canada must support efforts to improve natural resources management, including mandatory compliance with international human rights law. Canada should pursue its own domestic legislation to hold Canadian companies operating overseas accountable.
Address letters to:
Ambassador Sigrid Johnson
The Canadian Embassy
P.O. Box 500, (Kinshasa) Stn A,
Ottawa, ON K1N 8T7
Fax: (243) 99-997-5403
E-mail: kinshasa
international.gc.ca
Please send a copy of your letter to KAIROS:
129 St. Clair Ave W.
Toronto, ON M4V 1N5
Attn: John Lewis
Fax: 416-463-5569 x 224
E-mail: jlewis
kairoscanada.org
For a further update on the situation in the DRC, please see
http://kairoscanada.org/e/humanrights/DRCupdate0711.asp.
To find out more, please email
John Lewis, Program Coordinator, International Human Rights,
at 416-463-5312 x 224.
The full text of this urgent action can be found at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/urgent/uaDRC0711.asp
Update on Regional Migrant Justice Gatherings
As part of building a National Migrant Justice network, KAIROS recently coordinated two regional migrant justice gatherings, one for Eastern Canada and one for Western Canada. One of the objectives of the regional gatherings was to promote the active participation of migrant workers so that their voice will be present in any future plans and advocacy work.
The regional Migrant Justice Gathering for Eastern Canada took place in Montreal August 24- 25. For Western Canada the gathering was held in Edmonton, September 21-24. Both meetings were united in a common advocacy commitment that the Canadian government ratify the International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
The regional gatherings generated great interest and momentum, especially in Alberta where there is a significant increase in the temporary migrant population. In the words of one Edmontonian the issue of temporary migrant workers in Alberta is “ a hot button issue.” The great majority of participants in the Western gathering expressed their appreciation for KAIROS' contribution “in bringing, for the first time, a wide representation of different sectors to the table.”
A follow-up to the First National Migrant Justice Gathering in June 2006 at York University, the regional strategy sessions brought together close to two hundred participants including migrant workers and allies in the faith communities, the labour movement, community activists and academics.
For more information on KAIROS' refugee and migrant work, please
contact Alfredo Barahona,
Program Coordinator, Refugees & Migrants, at 416-463-5312 x
251.
UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Delivers Preliminary Observations On Canada
At the end of his recent visit to Canada, UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Miloon Kothari delivered his preliminary observations, a 17-page document that covers a wide range of issues related to the human right of adequate housing.
At a press conference in Ottawa, Mr. Kothari said "As a general point let me begin by saying I am very disturbed by the housing situation in Canada. In 2006, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights stated in its concluding observations that homelessness and inadequate housing are a national emergency in Canada. Everything I’ve seen confirms this. Canada has ratified numerous human rights instruments that guarantee the right of adequate housing but it has failed to implement this right.”
Mr Kothari mentioned his visit to the Lubicon community of Little Buffalo, and the fact that the Lubicons live in appalling conditions, without running water, and how development projects "continue to lead to the loss of lands and the asphyxiation of livelihoods and traditional practices." He said that, in general, the human right to adequate housing is "indivisible" and includes, for example, the right to potable water and sanitation. And with regard to Aboriginal peoples, the right to housing is related to land rights.
Mr Kothari called on the Federal government to "commit funding and resources for a targeted national Aboriginal housing strategy – both on- and off-reserve – that ensures that Aboriginal housing and services are under Aboriginal control."
He also called for "a moratorium on all oil and extractive
activities in the Lubicon region until a settlement is reached with
Lubicon Lake Nation. The Federal Government should resume negotiation
with the Lubicon Lake consistent to the Human Rights Law instruments
including the Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples."
Click here to read an unedited version of the Special Rapporteur’s
report.
For more information contact
Ed Bianchi, Program Coordinator, Aboriginal Rights at 613-235-9956
x 2.
Over 38 Million People “Stand Up” on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Over 38.7 million people, in 110 countries have broken the Guinness World Record – set last year at 23.5 million - for the largest number of people to “STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY” in 24 hours.
The “Stand Up and Speak Out” record attempt took place over 16th and 17th October and was jointly organised by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) and the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) with a wide range of other partners. The challenge saw millions of people physically and intentionally standing up against poverty, inequality and in support of the Millennium Development Goals. They spoke out to demand a more urgent political response to the growing crisis of global poverty.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who led a stand up action at UN Headquarters in New York, said “Today tens of millions of people are making their voices heard by standing up and speaking out against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. They are sending messages that call on their leaders to keep their promises. They are calling for the actions of citizens to be matched by the actions of Governments, in developing and developed countries alike, to demonstrate the political will required to end the scourge of poverty once and for all."
For further details and country breakdowns please visit http://www.standgagainstpoverty.org/press
KAIROS has been actively engaged in the campaign for the Eradication
of Poverty. For more information contact
Michael Polanyi, Program Coordinator, Canadian Social Development
at 416-463-5312 x 237.
Greed, Over-production and Over-consumption are Sinful, say African Christians
The World Council of Churches gathered participants in Dar es Salaam November 5-9 for a consultation entitled Linking Poverty, Wealth and Ecology. The consultation issued Christians in the global North a severe reminder "of the wealth that was built and sustained on the continued extraction and plunder of Africa's resources as well as on the exploitation of Africa's people."
Some fifty women and men of faith from Africa and beyond - youth, activists, theologians and church leaders - worked on ecumenical strategies and actions for addressing the interlinked problems of poverty, excessive wealth, and ecological degradation.
The Dar es Salaam gathering was the first of five regional church encounters to be held by the members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) on different continents during the next six years. The regional consultations, and the study process they feed into, continue a WCC project known as Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth (AGAPE).
Full text of the final statement by the Dar es Salaam consultation:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=4824
More information on the WCC and Poverty, Wealth and Ecology:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3117
Job Posting: Middle East Program Coordinator - Global Partnerships Program
Please help KAIROS spread the word about this position (également disponibles en français.) See the detailed job description at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/support/jobs.asp
The closing date for the posting is Friday, November 23rd, 2007. Please send your applications by mail or in person only to: Therese Dineen, KAIROS: 129 St. Clair Ave West, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1N5.
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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