Post 138--CPJ: Poverty in Canada

Post…  -- Poverty in Canada                                        4.9 million people in Canada live in poverty. CPJ—that means “Citizens for Public Justice.” I t’s an organization to which I have belonged for years.  It was started originally by Neo-Calvinists or Reformational thinkers right here in Canada. If you want to know what all that means, I direct you to the various pages of my website < www.SocialTheology.com > where you will find it all over the map. Sometimes explicitly spelled out; at other times embedded in the text of the many articles on the website. The original founder, the late Jerry Vanderzande, received the Order of Canada reward for his brave attempts on behalf of the poor of our country. Jerry is gone, but CPJ is his legacy that continues to work in his style and spirit.  So, please read this and consider joining them. The rest of this post comes from the CPJ staff. See what you think of it. CPJ’s Dignity for All campaign is calling for a national anti-poverty plan to address the root causes of poverty in Canada. This campaign is supported by 649 groups and 11,091 individuals. In October, CPJ and Dignity for All organized Chew On This! in 64 communities across Canada. We sent thousands of postcards to Minster Jean-Yves Duclos to ask him to hear the voices of those living in poverty as he develops this plan. Climate Justice CPJ is encouraged by the range of emissions-reduction measures contained in the government's new national climate change plan. Sadly, the target upon which this climate plan is built is out of step with the intent of the Paris Agreement. While this plan was developed, CPJ has made your voice heard. Three times this year, CPJ met with Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna. In February, we delivered over 3,000 climate petitions calling for an ambitious Canadian GHG emission reduction target. Throughout the summer, 272 Canadian Christians made active use of CPJ’s online climate consultation tool to share their stories and submit climate action recommendations directly to the government. 2017: A Year of Action But as we enter a new year, we need to go beyond consultations. It’s time to act! We want to make 2017 the year that Canada finally has a strong national plan to end poverty. CPJ is preparing for our new Give it up for the Earth! spring climate action to call on our leaders to make bold commitments on climate change. And in 2017, we will be publishing new research on refugee resettlement. It’s time to address the challenges of poverty elimination, climate change, and refugee policy! Thank you for joining us in the important work of public justice! —Joe Gunn