Video explains how a Department of Peace could make a difference
CFSC program assistant Keira Mann narrates a five minute video The Story of the Rohingya: Imagine Another Way. It considers what a Department of Peace might do to coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to atrocities.
 
2018 report on Friends and reconciliation
In our on-going commitment to support Quakers in the hard work of reconciliation, we’re pleased to offer a report compiling information about actions taken by 18 Quaker groups across the country. https://quakerservice.ca/ReconciliationReport2018
 
Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security
In 2018 we wrote about the possible creation of an Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security. The private members motion passed in December. At CFSC, we have many remaining questions about the Ambassador. We also remain deeply concerned that other aspects of Canada’s “feminist” foreign policies include continuing to arm some of the worst human rights abusers in the world (https://quakerservice.ca/ArmsTradeTreaty) and a massive increase to military spending, largely to build Canada’s offensive capabilities (https://quakerservice.ca/DefenceBudget).
 
Chinese scientist uses CRISPR on humans
For years CFSC has been asking important questions about the social, ethical, and spiritual impacts of synthetic biology (see https://quakerservice.ca/SBIssues). Chinese scientist He Jiankui and his team created an international uproar recently when they claimed to have edited the DNA of twin girls who were already born by the time the announcement was made. This appears to have been reckless human experimentation, using an unproven procedure.
 
We are deeply concerned about the potential grave and unknown harms that even well-meaning researchers could cause, and we call again for a renewed focus on precaution. We joined nearly 200 individual academics and organizations in calling for condemnation of He’s experiment (which has happened) and for governments and the UN to prohibit reproductive experiments with human genetic engineering (which has not happened). https://quakerservice.ca/HeJiankui
 
Help ensure Indigenous women are not sterilized without consent
On Human Rights Day (December 10) CFSC joined with many organizations to issue an open letter noting that across Canada Indigenous women report being forcibly or coercively sterilized. Some women were incorrectly told the procedure is reversible. Others were separated from their babies until they consented to a tubal ligation.
 
International Day of Peace letter delivered at UN
On the International Day of Peace (September 21) CFSC was pleased to once again join with a growing coalition of groups from around the world calling for governments to take their peace commitments more seriously. https://quakerservice.ca/InternationalDayofPeace
 
CFSC supports call for national day against hate
In 2015 CFSC and Canadian Yearly Meeting issued a joint statement Quakers Appalled at Growing Islamophobia (https://quakerservice.ca/Islamophobia). Sadly, the situation continues to worsen, with data showing increased hate crimes in Canada in 2017. We urgently need to raise awareness and create change. For this reason, CFSC whole-heartedly supports the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ call to make January 29 a National Day of Action Against Hate and Intolerance. https://quakerservice.ca/NationalDayAgainstHate