Scroll down for a list of all articles about Canadian Friends Service Committee’s peace work.
CFSC’s work recognizes that peace is a process that plays out at multiple levels: inner peace, interpersonal peace, and structural peace. Each of these impacts the others in complex and ever changing ways. So peace is not a static situation without conflict, it is a dynamic system. Our newsletter Quaker Concern comes out three times a year sharing stories from our peace work and how we’re making a difference.
Our work focuses on the grassroots and building the conditions for peace in Canada and several other countries. A story will help illustrate this work.
A Congolese woman looks out of her hotel window to see a group in the street starting a loud protest, while a large number of soldiers advances on them.
Instead of staying inside and watching, she walks out into the street, alone. She places herself right in the middle of the street, between the two sides.
From behind her come the angry shouts of the mass of townspeople. In front, she sees the well-armed soldiers drawing ever closer.
With calm perseverance and fearlessness, the woman begins to talk to both sides. She listens carefully, and reminds them of their real interests in this situation. Will they hear?
Things are tense and violence seems likely as insults are hurled back and forth between the townspeople and soldiers. But with time, the situation cools.
Both groups start to understand that their interests can be served without violence. Eventually, incredibly, the townspeople and the soldiers disperse.
This is a true story. It is one of an endless number of examples of nonviolence in support of peace.
Did you know that skills like these exist and are used every day around the world? How many violent situations are avoided (and don’t become news)? How would you react in a conflict situation that you saw escalating?
We share stories, analysis, and tips for success in Quaker Concern articles and through our book Are We Done Fighting? Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division.
This short article is meant as a reminder and reintroduction of our Israel-Palestine working group (IPWG) and its current areas of concern. The roots of the IPWG go back to 2012, when a small group of concerned Friends began meeting informally to discern how to respond to the situation unfolding in Palestine and Israel. That…
Quakers have always understood that bearing witness is not passive. It requires us to show up—in meeting houses, in communities, and increasingly, in the spaces where policy is shaped and decisions are made. This year, CFSC is taking on three new peace-related research projects, and we want to share with Friends why we believe this…
In March, the House of Commons rejected An act to amend the export and import permits act (EIPA), also known as the No more loopholes bill. The bill was trying to close the loophole that gives export and import exemptions for certain countries, notably the United States. It’s through this loophole that Canadian made weapons…
Over the past year, Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) has partnered with the Canadian Peace Museum, with the dream of seeing it opened to the public. The museum will increase peace education opportunities for everyday people, contributing to CFSC’s long-term goal of educating about how peace needs to be continually built. The museum will also…
In November 2025 I went to the Hassan Diab Support Committee’s public event, Seeking justice for Hassan Diab: almost 20 years of violated human rights. CFSC has long supported Hassan and continues to ask that the Government of Canada refuse any second extradition request from France. At this event I was able to meet Hassan,…
Canadian Friends are likely familiar with news from the US, UK, and elsewhere in the world about eroding civil liberties and the criminalisation of dissent. We’ve seen stories on deportations, mass surveillance, and trampling the right to protest all becoming more common—and frighteningly—more accepted. Of concern to Friends in the US, for example, has been…
When you walk into a quiet church and see posters depicting the aftermath of an atomic bombing, what do you feel? For Debbie Grisdale, and for the 300 visitors who came to St John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Ottawa this past May, it was a powerful mix of sorrow, curiosity, and hope. They gathered…
As the Canadian federal election approaches, we’re offered a crucial opportunity to rethink not only the outcomes of our political system but also the lens through which we shape public policy. At a time of growing social division, global insecurity, and domestic challenges, many Canadians are looking for leadership rooted in something deeper than partisanship.…
As a Quaker, I believe that Guaranteed Livable Basic Income (GLBI) has the potential to resonate deeply with our values of equality and the inherent worth of every individual. Rooted in the testimony of simplicity and George Fox’s call to recognize “that of God/Good/Light” in everyone, Quakers are uniquely positioned to champion a policy that…
I recently had the chance to talk about life and service work with our newest staff member—Peace Program Coordinator, Mel Burns. The topics ranged from light reading and podcasts to seeing the Light in people we disagree with or find challenging. Matt: What has it been like joining the CFSC staff? Mel: I’ve been delighted…