Flash

January 20, 2006

Make Poverty History

Election Support for Ending Poverty: Three parties and 987 candidates in this federal election endorse the Make Poverty goals of more and better aid, trade justice, 100% debt cancellation and an end to child poverty in Canada. Candidates were given until January 16 to respond to the Make Poverty History call for support. This call was echoed by thousands of Make Poverty History supporters who contacted their local candidates to let them know that their position on ending poverty at home and abroad mattered in this election. A complete listing of supporters can be found at www.makepovertyhistory.ca. Liberal: Support received from the party leader and all 308 candidates. NDP: Support received from the party leader and all 308 candidates. Green Party: Support received from the party leader and all 308 candidates. Conservatives: Support from 55 candidates. Bloc: Support from 8 candidates. Make Poverty History is calling on the next government to turn its support for ending poverty into concrete actions.
Make Poverty History Election Debate: "Make Poverty History Election Debate: Poverty at Home and Abroad", held before a sold-out crowd of over 600 people in Toronto, featured a hard hitting interview panel including Stephen Lewis, journalists Linda McQuaig and John Stackhouse and anti-poverty activist Josephine Grey. moderated by CPAC's Ken Rockburn. The debate focused on the four Make Poverty History goals of more and better aid, trade justice, 100% debt cancellation and an end to child poverty in Canada. Party representatives were David Chernushenko for the Green Party, Paul Summerville for the NDP and John McKay for the Liberals. CPAC's Ken Rockburn moderated the debate and the debate will be aired this Sunday January 22 on CPAC's Talk Politics show from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Peacebuilding Commission at the United Nations: The United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council passed resolutions on December 20, 2005 creating a Peacebuilding Commission. The Commission is an inter-governmental body tasked with focusing international attention and resources on post-conflict peace-building and preventing the slide into conflict in post-conflict contexts. For more information, see the Reform the UN site at www.reformtheun.org/index.php/issues/1735?theme=alt4. The site features an overview, as well as links to all relevant UN documents, government statements and civil society analysis. CCIC will be hosting telephone conferences to share perspectives on the Commission. Contact Erin Simpson at esimpson@ccic.ca for more information.

Upcoming Events

Campaigning Workshop: CCIC will be holding a learning session on organizational capacities for campaigning in Canada on February 23. CCIC members have been working to strengthen their capacity to influence public policy and to engage Canadians as active global citizens. Taking advantage of the widespread involvement by the membership in the Make Poverty History campaign, the learning session will let members share their experiences; reflect on organizational capacities to best respond to policy campaigning opportunities; examine connections to our organizations' broader policy and public engagement work; and explore new ways of campaigning in Canada. For more information about this one-day learning session contact the Organizational Development Team at od@ccic.ca or (613)241-7007 ext. 336.
Peer learning session on "Images of Africa": Fundraisers and communication staff are invited to participate in this learning session hosted by the Africa-Canada Forum and CCIC in collaboration with AQOCI. The session on building collective knowledge on good fundraising practices will take place in French and will take the form of a learning session between peers. The intent is to create a community of practitioners composed of fundraisers, marketing and communication staff to build collective knowledge on good fundraising practices. The session will take place February 16 from 8:30 to 5:00 at Centre St-Pierre in Montreal. For an agenda and registration form, contact Yolande Geadah at ygeadah@aqoci.qc.ca, or (514) 871-1086. The registration deadline is February 1.
World Social Forum (America's Region): The Americas Policy Group will be holding a workshop at the World Social Forum on the Canada-Central America Four Free Trade Agreement, referring to the four Central American nations of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The workshop will provide information on the agreement as well as bring groups together for future collaboration. The Americas section of the World Social Forum will be held January 24 to 29 in Caracas, Venezuela. For more information, contact Nadja Drost at (613) 241-7007 ext. 333 or ndrost@ccic.ca.
Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment Workshop: The Asia Pacific Working Group (APWG) will host, on March 9 and 10, a workshop on Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment and its application in Asian and Pacific countries. Dr. Kenneth Bush, a professor of Conflict Studies, will facilitate the workshop at St. Paul University in Ottawa. Registration is free, thanks to a contribution agreement from Foreign Affairs Canada's Asia Pacific Bureau. Register early as space is limited, and priority will be given to APWG members. For further information contact Sara Kemp at skemp@ccic.ca or (613)241-7007 ext. 316.
Canadian Council on Refugees conference: The Canadian Council for Refugees will be holding an international refugee rights conference June 17 to 19 in Toronto. The conference will be an opportunity to network and strategize on issues such as: interdiction and access to protection; effective protection; detention of asylum seekers; and gender violence. E-mail ccr5@web.ca to indicate your interest.

Ethics in a Flash

Questions and concerns for Ethics Committee: The CCIC Ethics Program offers support to members through the ethical expertise of the Ethics Review Committee (ERC). The committee meets next on January 26 and 27 and would appreciate receiving ethical concerns by January 25. This Committee responds to members' questions of an ethical nature related to the CCIC Code of Ethics. The concern may relate to either a potential ethical dilemma, or an existing dilemma on which you may wish to seek the opinion and guidance from the ERC. To help the committee respond fully to your question, complete the Ethical Concern Form found in the Ethics Program section at www.ccic.ca/e/002/ethics.shtml, or contact abuchanan@ccic.ca. Send your questions to the attention of the Ethics Review Committee c/o Anne Buchanan at CCIC.