No Images? Click here In the face of fear ... February 2017 Issue No. 55Quotation of the month
In the face of fear ...There is much media hype about fear these days – fear of migrants, refugees, Muslims, and possible terrorists lurking in our midst. This fear has been ramped up in the context of political developments in the U.S. For many people in Canada, the massacre of Muslims worshipping in Quebec City on January 29 has highlighted fear of deepening racism and Islamophobia in Canada. At the Ottawa Office, we are heartened by the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity for the Muslim community and for the message that justice and love, rather than fear – and its common companion, hatred – are the keys to peaceful coexistence. Read MCC’s letter to Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec. For worship and study resources that speak to a climate of fear, please consult our 2015 Peace Sunday Packet: Crossing to the other side: Living as people of peace in a time of fear and terror. International Development Week and the federal budgetAs we mark International Development Week (February 5-11), our staff eagerly await the 2017-18 federal budget later this month, and news of how the government will allocate funds for Canada's international assistance programming. The 2016 International Assistance Review allowed for organizations like MCC to add our voice and ideas to the debate about this important policy arena. We anticipate tracking the budget and comparing it with the government’s identified priorities—including the promise to reach out to “the most vulnerable” through international assistance. Federal budgets are often long, complex and not very accessible documents. Resources to help interpret the budget include the Parliamentary Budget Office, The Canadian Public Accounts, and Global Affairs' reporting from the recent assistance review, and others. People harmed by the environmental, labour and human rights violations of Canadian mining operations abroad need mechanisms for redress. The proposal of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability for an independent and effective Ombudsperson is the best hope right now. Read our blog post and take action to support this important measure for mining accountability. Are you interested in exploring issues related to justice, borders and migration? or learning peace skills with other young adults? Then check out Uprooted, a three-week learning tour along the U.S. Mexico border, or Planting Peace, a two-week cross-cultural peace education camp in Alberta. Both experiences take place in May. Staff updateAt the end of January, Director Jenn Wiebe and Policy Analyst Bekah Sears attended a workshop hosted by the Institute for Research on Public Policy on "How to Read a Federal Budget" moderated by Jennifer Ditchburn. They learned how to “read between the lines” and look past the political spin. |