Coalition delivers 72,514 signatures for debt justice to Parliament
After 16 months of education and mobilization that called on Canada to help end the sovereign debt crisis that thwarts the sustainable development goals of low-to-mid income countries, the Turn Debt into Hope Canadian Coalition delivered 72,514 petition signatures to the Canadian government on April 28.
Two weeks prior on April 14, Canadians from coast to coast gathered for an online rally to cheer on those who were heading to Ottawa to deliver the petition number and talk with Members of Parliament.
The campaign calls for the cancellation of unjust sovereign debt and urgent financial reforms to address the roots of recurring sovereign debt crises, including growing ecological debts.
April 28 began with a Parliamentary roundtable and breakfast in the Wellington Building, sponsored by MP Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto sponsored the breakfast portion of the gathering. MP Elizabeth May, MP Brendan Hanley and MP Greg Fergus attended, along with Parliamentary staffers, representatives from civil society organizations including ONE Campaign, Results Canada, the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, Climate Action Network Canada and Citizens’ Climate Lobby and KAIROS members.
Speakers grounded the morning with reminders of Canada’s historical role in debt cancelation and the urgent need to lead again. Dean Detloff of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada reminded participants that Canada once played a meaningful role in global debt cancellation efforts, yet “here we are again in another debt crisis,” calling on Canada to rediscover that leadership with even greater courage. Wesley Chibamba of Caritas Africa spoke to the lived realities behind the numbers, noting that every dollar spent on debt servicing is a dollar taken away from health care, clean water, education and climate response. Caroline Brouillette of Climate Action Network Canada deepened the connection between debt and ecological crisis, warning that debt restricts countries’ ability to respond to climate impacts and invest in a just transition.
During the roundtable, MP Elizabeth May urged for bolder reforms, calling on Canada to show global leadership by convening a new Bretton Woods-style process with central banks, governments and international financial institutions to rethink the global economic system in an era of climate breakdown, the sovereign debt crisis and global instability.
At noon, more than 100 people gathered on the lawn for the Rally on Parliament Hill for Global Debt Justice. Among those present was a busload of students from the Toronto Catholic District School Board, who brought energy, creativity and moral clarity to the day.
Students offered a visual representation of justice: papier-mâché piggy banks piled onto oversized scales, showing the injustice of countries spending more on debt servicing than on health care, education or climate action. Then they symbolically righted the scales.
The message was clear: sovereign debt justice is not charity. It is justice.
Faith leaders addressed the crowd, including Carl Hétu of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, Dr. Jessica Hetherington, preacher, speaker and teacher on ecological justice – who wrote about the event in her Substack, Faith, Climate Crisis, Action – and Willard Metzger of Citizens for Public Justice. The words of global partners were amplified through the voices of the students. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada shared scenes from the day on Instagram, capturing the spirit of public witness and collective action.
After the presentations, MP Robert Oliphant, joined by MP Judy Sgro, symbolically received the petition signatures from leaders of the Turn Debt into Hope Canadian Coalition. In his remarks, MP Oliphant reminded the crowd of Jubilee’s biblical roots and Canada’s historic role in unjust sovereign debt cancelation, while acknowledging the need to address unfair and unsustainable debt.
KAIROS leads the Coalition with organizing partners Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, Citizens for Public Justice, the Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology and the Canadian Council of Churches.
The Coalition and its volunteers have met with more than 20 MPs since February, with more meetings scheduled. MP Brendan Hanley presented the Parliamentary Paper Petition to the House of Commons on April 21. Other MPs are expected to do the same in the weeks to come. The Coalition has also submitted a request to present to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on the sovereign debt crisis.
While the global petition is now closed, people can still write to their MP, calling for sovereign debt justice using KAIROS’ online letter form. More than 500 letters have been sent to date. We encourage others to send their letters if they have not done so already.
