Friends on the move
Jennifer Preston, Jeremy Vander Hoek, and Rachel Singleton-Polster travelled to New York and Geneva again this year for UN meetings on Indigenous Peoples’ human rights. Once again, these were amazing spaces to connect with partners from around the world! Indigenous peacebuilding was a major focus in New York. CFSC co-sponsored two side events, hosted a quiet diplomacy dinner at Quaker House, and supported an intervention. At one of the side events our partner Kenneth Deer shared how his nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, is governed by the Great Law of Peace. We joined our voices with Kenneth and other partners to emphasize to States that Indigenous peace traditions are essential to addressing global conflicts.
Sandra Wiens and Jeremy helped host a Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples event in Ottawa to screen our partner Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel’s film Deskaheh Levi General: the quest for justice. The documentary tells the story of Chief Deskaheh’s travel to the League of Nations in 1923 as a representative of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. He was denied entry, but that didn’t stop the Haudenosaunee or Indigenous Peoples around the world from advocating for their right to represent themselves internationally as nations. After the screening, human rights experts and the current Chief Deskaheh title holder shared about the continued struggle for the enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples in the UN. We worked hard to ensure that several embassy representatives were in attendance to hear this!
CFSC continues its engagement in the Decolonizing Settler States project together with partners at the University of British Columbia. Jennifer and Jeremy hosted a meeting of the partners involved in the project in Guelph, Ontario.
Sandra attended a conference in Prince Edward Island (PEI) to connect with those working on Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income (GLBI) and to learn more about the PEI Demonstration Project, a model for a five-to-seven year long basic income demonstration program in PEI. It could serve as the basis for a GLBI in Canada. Why not ask your MP if they know about this project, and if they support seeing it move ahead?
Sandra and CFSC board member John Samson Fellows also presented at Canadian Yearly Meeting in session (online this year) about GLBI.
Karen Ridd with student Lindsay Hunt presented a soon-to-be released CFSC report at a conference at the University of Victoria. The report explores the question of who is benefitting financially from the Canadian carceral system. The presentation was very well-received by a packed room!
Karen gave presentations about CFSC’s transformative justice work to Friends in Cowichan Valley, Victoria, and Calgary. Karen and CFSC Associate Sarah Chandler presented at Western Half Yearly Meeting. Karen and CFSC member Lillian Henegar led a session on GLBI. In the middle of all this travelling and presenting, Karen found time to record a presentation on restorative and transformative justice for the Governing Board of the Canadian Council of Churches.