G8 Civil Society Coordinating Committee & our At the Table Campaign
Development and Peace is part of the Civil Society Coordinating Committee made up of a number of civil society and social movement organizations from across Canada who are mobilizing to communicate their message to global leaders.
This coalition has organized a campaign called At the Table, a Canadian-led but globally supported civil society campaign, mobilizing citizens to “take their place” alongside world leaders in important global summits.
It is a call to leaders to “take their place” in forging bold decisions on the issues people care about—poverty, climate change, and economic justice.
The goal of the At the Table campaign is to increase awareness and support for action on poverty, climate change and the global economy at the major global summits in 2010, including the G8 and G20 summits in Canada, the G20 in South Korea and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Summit.
The main policy goals of the campaign are as follows:
1. Poverty and Inequality
- Keep commitments to developing countries
- Invest in and empower women and children
2. Climate Change
- Reduce greenhouse gas pollution
- Support poorer countries in responding
3. The Global Economy
- Ensure global recovery for all
- Make global rules and institutions fair
JOIN US!
Click here for more information about the At the Table campaign.
Join our group which is travelling to the G8 Summit in Huntsville Ontario on June 24th – June 26th.
This is going to be a great experience and a chance to be a voice for so many people who don’t share the same luxury’s that we are so fortunate to have.
The plan is to camp out at Arrowhead Provincial Park a few short miles from the G8. There is guaranteed to be plenty of great outdoor activities as well as evening campfires; which I know everyone enjoys!
Join us for an amazing trip and an opportunity to make a change! If you are interested or have any questions you can contact either myself or Luke Stocking via Facebook or E-mail.
In collaboration with Catholic Students’ Week, students at colleges and univeristry campsuses across Canada are inspiring their Catholic community to be informed, liturgical, and active witnesses on campus to the love of God and of neighbor.
Catholic Students’ Week ends on March 21st with Development and Peace’s Solidarity Sunday – when we join with the rest of the Canadian Church to share our resources with the poor in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Here is a list of all the Development and Peace Makes a Difference week events on campuses:
BC
Vancouver, Corpus Christi and St. Mark’s College at UBC
March 14, 11am: Mass and Soup lunch with Development and Peace guest speaker
AB
Edmonton, St. Joseph’s College
March 21, noon – 2pm: Development and Peace Talk followed by Sunday Brunch hosted by D&P and Campus Ministry
MB
Brandon, University of Brandon
March 14-15: 25 hour THINKfast!
ON
London, King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
March 21st: Solidarity Sunday Mass with Development and Peace presentation on agrofuels
Toronto, Ryerson University
March 21, 5 pm: Mass and Haitian Dinner in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake.
St. Michael’s Cathedral collecting donations for Development and Peace
NB
Fredericton, St. Thomas University
March 15, 10am – 1pm: Development and Peace Share Lent bake sale and card signing
March 16, 6:30pm: Development and Peace screening of Food, INC with pizza and card signing
Development and Peace THINKfast! during “D&P Makes a Difference week: March 14th – 21st
When I was first informed that I would be doing street theatre in Toronto as part of a Global Connections weekend, I instantly began dreading the experience. I had been involved in different drama productions in high school, but the thought of performing some sort of theatre production on the streets of a big city was extremely intimidating.
My attitude slowly began to shift as our small group of students passionate for social justice started planning the short skits and tableaux that would be used in our street theatre. I was excited, but still wary of the experience to come.
Positioned at Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, surrounded by aggressive advertising and crowds of people, we were able to gather over 100 signatures for theDevelopment and Peace campaign against agrofuels.
It was so powerful to proclaim our message to the people passing by, and I was incredibly proud to shout, “Life before Profit!” at the end of each skit.
I absolutely loved doing street theatre, and found it was a fun and unique way to raise awareness about important issues. While I was involved in the acting and not in collecting signatures, it was so encouraging to see people stopping to watch, talking to members of our group for more information, and signing our petition.
Street theatre was a much more effective tool than simply handing out pamphlets. We were able to capture the attention of curious onlookers, many of whom were new Canadians who had experienced conflicts over agrofuels in their home countries.
Despite my initial uneasiness, participating in street theatre was one of the highlights of my weekend in Toronto, and I would definitely do it again.
Our Just Youth group at Carleton University in Ottawa hosted a screening of the documentary Food Inc on campus last week.
I had never seen the film before. After having familiarized myself with the D&P campaign on food sovereignty, I figured I was fairly up-to-snuff on where my food was coming from and the injustices that are perpetuated by the way we, especially in the Global North, eat. But whoa! Is there ever a lot to learn!
Even in North America, the lack of control that farmers have over their land and the way that they use it is astonishing. Seed patents prevent farmers from being able to save their seed from year to year. The incessant corporate desire to increase “efficiency” forces farmers to construct the dankest, most poisonous environments possible in which to raise their livestock.
What a world we live in. Traditional farming practises are so undervalued.
The seemingly endless web of connections between big agri-business and government agencies that regulate food policy was astonishing as well. The sheer number of people doubling as government advocates for fewer restrictions on corporate farming and higher-ups in the actual corporations is wild.
How it came to be that farming elites with virtually no connection to on-the-ground production can exert so much control over national and international food policies is beyond me. These monetary hierarchical structures need to be changed.
The consensus within the group was that the film is really calling us to take a good, hard look at the way we eat. Every day, we vote with our dollar in grocery stores and local farmers markets.
But in addition to purchasing more organic, local food, we must also advocate for political change. Because so much of big agri-business relies on subsidies from the government (especially in the United States), we must continue to advocate for change at the policy level as well as at the local level.
Finally, the film presented an interesting perspective on the affordability of food. Essentially, the cheapest food is often also the unhealthiest. This puts people with a lower income in a severely disadvantaged position, especially health wise. In North America, the highest rates of obesity are found in poorer demographics because good quality food is simply too expensive. We must be aware of and work to correct the structures of power and privilege that are present within our society and, by extension, within our food systems.
by Kaitlyn Duthie-Kannikatt, Eastern Ontario Youth Rep
Justine Correia, our BC Youth Rep went with Morgan Hillis, Izzy Weber Concannon, and Cailin Correia to take a stand and meet with their local MP Colin Mayes.
They delivered almost 500 signed Fall Action cards promoting the principles of food sovereignty.
To top it off, Conservative MP Colin Mayes signed the card himself – adressed to the Prime Minister in support of the D&P Campaign.
PLUS, from January 22nd to January 24th Youth from the Nelson diocese in BC gathered together to participate in the first annual Nelson D&P Youth Rally. Youth were educated on social justice and learnt more about Development and Peace.
The weekend was a blast filled with high spirits wonderful music and food. At the Rally we also elected 2 new Diocesan Reps: Annalea Zimmer and Ollie d’Aoust who will help represent youth from the Nelson Diocese.
WOOT WOOT! The Youth Rocked the weekend – thanks everyone that came out!
Haiti is a small island in the Caribbean, and one of the poorest countries in the world. 80% of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. Of its 9.3 million people, 58% are not getting enough to eat.
Why are Haitians hungry?
More than half the food Haitians eat comes from other countries. 75% of rice, the key food for Haitians, must be bought from outside the country. In the 1990’s Haiti was under enormous pressure to allow foreign, large companies to come in and lead food production, and to let market forces “do their thing”. By losing the focus on growing food locally now Haiti cannot grow enough to feed it’s own people. There have even been major food riots.
In Haiti, Development and Peace has supported small local farmers and farming organizations for several years. One of these is the Papaye Peasants’ Movement (MPP), which builds on small-scale farmers’ hope for the future, and their belief in their own ability to build a better world.
How do they do it?
The Papaye Peasants Movement has over 63,000 members who are farming in a way that respects the environment and uses natural fertilizers. They encourage people to grow food in their own backyards, so families can have fresh produce and more nourishing food. The MPP also helps communities dig wells and build irrigation systems in agricultural cooperatives.
Through you and I, the Papaye Peasants’ Movement sows new life in Haiti. Meet JOACHIM Moxène, 25 years old and a MPP member:
“Our idea is to grow healthy and fresh food near our homes using ecological agricultural methods. We can feed our families and make a bit of money selling organic food in local markets. This kind of farming guarantees healthy food for our families and for local consumers, and a way forward for future generations.”
“After a six-month internship in a program called The Course of Life, I started to use the techniques I had learned at home. First I built a small storage tank in the ground, where I store the rainwater that comes off my roof. With this water I’ve begun to grow various vegetables: cabbage, peppers, carrots, eggplant, spinach, etc.”
“My family and I eat these vegetables, give some to friends, and sell some for about $100 a year. I feed the fish in the storage tank and our 14 hens with what’s left over. I also make compost for our garden. The hens bring in a profit of more than $1 a day; about $400 a year. With that I’ve been able to build a second storage tank in my backyard. All this has been possible on a piece of land of only 100 square meters. With access to water, I can make a decent living on a very small piece of land.”
JOACHIM and all of us at Development and Peace thank you for your support!
Civil society groups and NGO’s across Canada are advocating for food sovereignty. Each of us can be part of a movement of Canadians who are thinking about how our food is produced and where it comes from, and about how to support sustainable, small-scale farmers in the Global South.
Food sovereignty is about ensuring good food for everyone; valuing food providers; building food systems that are controlled locally; and honouring ecosystems and traditional knowledge.
For more about Development and Peace’s action campaign on food sovereignty click here.
USC Canada’s new short, animated film will get you thinking about our broken food system. It identifies what’s gone wrong, and what we can do to rebuild it.
When I was first informed that I would be doing street theatre in Toronto as part of a Global Connections weekend, I instantly began dreading the experience. I had been involved in different drama productions in high school, but the thought of performing some sort of theatre production on the streets of a big city was extremely intimidating.
My attitude slowly began to shift as our small group of students passionate for social justice started planning the short skits and tableaux that would be used in our street theatre. I was excited, but still wary of the experience to come.
