Protesting for justice - a longstanding Quaker tradition. Pictured: Rally in support of a US war resister in front of the Federal Court, 2010.

Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) is a standing committee of Canadian Yearly Meeting. It was established in 1931 before the three yearly meetings in Canada joined together to form Canadian Yearly Meeting in 1955. The strength and experience which came from participation in Friends’ wartime and post-war relief and witness brought fresh impetus to CFSC: younger Friends and newcomers who had done Quaker service abroad as conscientious objectors in relief, reconstruction and ambulance work participated in the work with enthusiasm.

In 1947, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) received the Nobel Peace Prize for its service work during war. All of the Service Committees work is honoured by the Prize and the ethics that garnered it continue to inform our work today.

For 80 years, the concerns, witness and projects of CFSC have been challenging and enriching, and have contributed to a more peaceful and sustainable world. Because Quakers recognize that a concern is “that leading of the Holy Spirit which may not be denied”, CFSC has supported service projects, peace witness, education, and public policy engagement. CFSC’s work is not solely philanthropic or humanitarian, but expresses a spiritually-based approach to the life of our times.

Peace work

From 1963 to 1976, CFSC operated a Friends Peace Education Centre on Grindstone Island, south of Ottawa, providing imaginative peace and reconciliation programmes for Friends and many others concerned about working for peace. Programmes included training in non-violence, French-English dialogue, conferences for diplomats and Quaker-UNESCO seminars organized by the Canadian Peace Research Institute.

During the Vietnam War many war and draft resisters came to Canada from the United States. Some of these participated in Grindstone Island programmes; some were assisted by Quaker Meetings, individual Friends and families; and some settled in Canada and became Friends. In 2004, CFSC began welcoming a new wave of US war resisters to Canada, those fleeing the Iraq War. CFSC continues to work towards their ability to stay in Canada.

During the Vietnam War, CFSC sent medical aid to Vietnam to be used by victims on all sides of the conflict in accordance with Friends’ tradition of relief work which cuts across the boundaries of war and conflict. Many American Friends knowingly contravened U.S. law by contributing to this work through Canadian Friends. For some the programme was controversial, but for many it was a labour of love in war-time. It provided considerable aid to the sufferers and served as a witness against war.

Development work

In the 1950s and 1960s, two families of Canadian Friends served at the Friends Rural Centre, Rasulia, India, supported by CFSC and Friends Service Council (now Quaker Peace and Social Witness) in London, UK. By the 1970s the development work that Canadian Friends had done in Rasulia changed to financial support for a larger number of small projects in collaboration with other development agencies, later including the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). CFSC now supports small but imaginative projects in keeping with Friends’ testimonies and values in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Indigenous Rights

Friends have a long-standing concern for the rights of Indigenous peoples. In 1974 individual Friends at Yearly Meeting went to Kenora in Northern Ontario to attempt reconciliation in a confrontation over mercury contamination of the waterways. Shortly afterwards, a physician Friend went there to treat Indigenous people suffering from mercury poisoning and to document the problem. CFSC’s Quaker Committee on Native Concerns (now Quaker Aboriginal Affairs Committee) was born out of this work and other concerns, especially amongst Friends in western Canada. Since then the Committee has supported Indigenous community building initiatives, and urged governments to live up to their legal commitments to Indigenous communities including Esgenoopetitj (Burnt Church) in New Brunswick, Pimicikamac Cree Nation in northern Manitoba and the Lubicon in northern Alberta. Some of this work has been done in collaboration with the the churches through KAIROS. In the 1990s and 2000s, CFSC worked with Indigenous partners and others, such as Amnesty International Canada, towards the negotiation of a UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  The UN adopted the Declaration in 2007, and CFSC now focuses on its implementation.

Restorative Justice/Prisons

In 1972, with strong support of Toronto Friends, CFSC established the Quaker Committee on Jails and Justice (QCJJ) which encouraged prison visiting, sought alternatives to prisons and a punitive justice system, and fostered awareness of the roots of crime and violence in society. CFSC has worked hard in promoting restorative justice and has supported the Alternatives to Violence Project. In 1981 Canadian Yearly Meeting minuted: “Prison abolition is both a process and a long-term goal. In the interim there is a great need for Friends to reach out and to support all those affected: guards, prisoners, victims, and families. We recognize a need for restraint of those few who are exhibiting dangerous behaviour. The kind of restraint used and the help offered during that time must reflect our concern for that of God in every person.” In 2010, CYM approved “Justice is Possible”, a minute speaking out for a more just and compassionate criminal justice system.

Quaker International Affairs Programme

In 2001 a Quaker International Affairs Program was established in Ottawa, building on earlier work in facilitating dialogue in international affairs, such as Quaker Peacemakers and the diplomats’ conferences held at Grindstone in the 1960s. It worked in collaboration with the Quaker United Nations Offices based in Geneva and New York and relates to diplomats, government officials, and international non-governmental organizations. Regrettably, due to funding shortfalls, the QIAP had to be laid down in 2011, its 10th year of work. Many of its publications on intellectual property rights, food security, and traditional knowledge remain in use, trusted for their expertise and balance.

CFSC’s structure and governance

In 2001 CFSC became legally incorporated as a not-for-profit (it was registered as a charity in 1967). This step was driven in part by the realization that individual employees, and board members, were otherwise unprotected from serious legal liability and by the desire to continue partnerships with other organizations (such as the Canadian International Development Agency) which require incorporation if they are to support our work. Great care was taken to ensure that the legal obligations of incorporation do not conflict with the spiritual understanding and practices of Friends or the position of CFSC as a standing committee of Canadian Yearly Meeting.

CFSC structure and staffing has evolved to reflect its work. In addition to its Board of 22 volunteers, CFSC has five paid employees Its program committees are: Quaker Peace and Sustainable Communities Committee, Quakers Fostering Justice (formerly QCJJ), and Quaker Aboriginal Affairs Committee. There are several regional offices, based on the location of staff.

Resources:

The May 2011 issue of The Canadian Friend focused on Friends’ 80 years of service through CFSC (1931-2011).