The following open letter was sent to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Dear Ministers, Greetings from Canadian Friends Service Committee, the peace and social justice agency of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Canada. Our hearts are heavy as the prospect of another war looms before us, this time with Iran. … read more
CFSC’s book Are We Done Fighting? Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division was published in May 2019 by New Society Publishers. Since then, Peace Program Coordinator Matt Legge, who wrote it—with significant inputs from many different Friends—as part of his work for CFSC, has been busy. He has given dozens of presentations … read more
CFSC is pleased to announce that Nancy Russell has been hired to fill the part-time staff position of Criminal Justice Program Coordinator. Nancy is also currently a part-time faculty member at Humber College and until recently held the position of Advocate at the Office of the Ontario Child Advocate for ten years. Throughout Nancy’s 30-plus-year … read more
Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers) expresses deep concern for the current volatile situation escalating in Wet’suwet’en territory. This is the second year of increased threats on Wet’suwet’en territories, escalating from December 2018 when substantial threats of force were made against Indigenous peoples there. Intimidation, arrests leading to detention, and threats of armed violence have been … read more
December 10th is Human Rights Day, acknowledged each year on the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.This year, CFSC staff Jennifer Preston and associate member Paul Joffe spoke at a roundtable event organized by one member of each of Canada’s political parties. The roundtable was meant to create non-partisan understanding … read more
Our nations and organizations welcome the tabling of Bill 41, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, to provide a framework for implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia. The Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples is urging all members of the provincial legislature … read more
What would a world without prisons look like? This provocative question is addressed in a new double-sided handout from Canadian Friends Service Committee—the peace and social justice agency of Quakers in Canada. The handout, Alternatives to Prison, highlights community-based sentences, Restorative Justice, education, employment, and training, addiction and mental health services, Healing Lodges, and what … read more
It has been a busy year with CFSC’s work growing in many exciting ways. Our 2018-2019 Annual Accountability Report hits the highlights in an easily readable format. Get a snapshot look at all of the incredible work that volunteers and staff helped to realize over the past year, thanks to the support of generous individual … read more
For a long time Canadian Quakers have held a concern for the wellbeing of all in Israel/Palestine. Many Friends have visited Palestine/Israel, have spent time learning from people in the region through engaging with Jewish Israelis and Palestinians with many different perspectives, and have documented the deplorable situation they witnessed first-hand. We are in agreement … read more
International Day of Peace, 21 September 2019 The United Nations (UN) was founded to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Now, 75 years later, will we reaffirm our commitment to collective action, centered on a vision of a peaceful and prosperous world for all? The global economic cost of violence now exceeds 14 … read more