WEATHER ALERT

National organization to ask question of a ‘just Canada’ with fall election stop in city

Advertisement

Advertise with us

What does a just Canada look like? That’s the question that will be asked Wednesday, when Citizens for Public Justice brings its fall election tour to Winnipeg.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/09/2019 (2497 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What does a just Canada look like? That’s the question that will be asked Wednesday, when Citizens for Public Justice brings its fall election tour to Winnipeg.

“We want to ask what kind of country we want to be part of,” Karri Munn-Venn, senior policy analyst for the Ottawa-based organization, said of the goal of the free public tour.

For CPJ, three important issues in this election are the climate emergency, eliminating poverty in Canada, and refugee rights, she said.

“How should we, as people of faith, respond to these issues?” said Munn-Venn, noting when it comes to climate change Canada is heavy emitter, and as a wealthy country it should be able to eliminate poverty.

As for refugees, “What does it mean to be a welcoming country?” she said, noting Canadians should ask how Canada is contributing to issues such as climate change that cause people to flee their homes.

During the event, which will be held 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. at Marpeck Commons at Canadian Mennonite University (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.), participants will also be able to meet Willard Metzger, CPJ executive director.

The Winnipeg stop is one of 11 on the tour, which is visiting cities from B.C. to Newfoundland.

Patricia Fitzmaurice is CPJ’s board member for Manitoba and Saskatchewan. For her, the event is important since its about “our responsibility and privilege as citizens of Canada to be involved in politics.”

It’s also important to talk about issues such as poverty, the environment and refugees “from a Christian point of view” in order to “work towards the common good of all,” she said.

Fitzmaurice, who is also the social justice co-ordinator for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, noted elections often revolve around economic self-interest. But they shouldn’t just be “about what’s good for us, but what’s good for the whole community, for our children and for the future.”

That isn’t easy, she acknowledged, “but sometimes, we have to rise above ourselves.”

With roots in the Christian Reformed church, CPJ is a national organization inspired by faith to act for justice in Canadian public policy. It has about 50 members in Manitoba.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba through our Religion in the News project. This reporting continues because readers like you step forward to fund it.

Donate now to support our reporting on religion.

Your donation is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER

John Longhurst

John Longhurst
Faith columnist & reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

Report Error Submit a Tip

The Free Press acknowledges the financial support it receives from members of the city’s faith community, which makes our coverage of religion possible.

More Stories

Bearing other people’s burdens

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

Bearing other people’s burdens

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

It might feel like an honour to have a family member or friend place tremendous trust in you to be their voice when they can no longer speak for themselves.

Whether they’re physically or mentally unable to do so, or deceased, being in charge of fulfilling their wishes often can’t be fully grasped by those taking on the roles of executor of their will or power of attorney.

These important jobs may not be the most onerous on the planet, but for the uninitiated, they probably involve more twists and turns than anticipated.

There’s not many playbooks on how to be an executor or serve as the attorney-in-fact named in the power of attorney document, says Philippe Richer, lawyer and principal at TLR Law Office in Winnipeg.

Read
2:01 AM CDT

Main Street crash involving motorcycle linked to speeding

Morgan Modjeski 2 minute read Preview

Main Street crash involving motorcycle linked to speeding

Morgan Modjeski 2 minute read Yesterday at 8:30 PM CDT

Speed appears to be a factor in a serious four-vehicle collision, including a motorcycle, on Main Street Friday.

Police did not immediately release information about the crash, but at around 7 p.m., a large section of Main Street was taped off between Jarvis and Dufferin Avenue. Traffic was redirected and pedestrians were told to stay clear.

Behind the tape, a crumpled white sedan was smashed into the side of a building, and a damaged motorcycle was on its side in the middle of the street. Two SUVs were also damaged.

The Free Press watched video captured from cameras at the nearby Northern Hotel that shows the two vehicles involved in the crash — the motorcycle that had a rider and a passenger, and the white sedan — speeding side-by-side southbound on Main Street. The speed limit in the area is 50 kilometres per hour.

Read
Yesterday at 8:30 PM CDT

City tries to find the right balance in regulating personal e-vehicles

Zoe Pierce and Joyanne Pursaga 10 minute read Preview

City tries to find the right balance in regulating personal e-vehicles

Zoe Pierce and Joyanne Pursaga 10 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

Patty Wiens was already a cycling enthusiast when she got an electric bicycle in early 2023, but she didn’t realize how much it would transform the way she got around Winnipeg.

She started riding throughout winter and stopped relying on her vehicle. Eventually, she sold her car.

“It’s not a replacement for a bike,” she said. “It’s a replacement for a car.”

Wiens, who has been dubbed the “Bike Mayor of Winnipeg” by a global cycling advocacy organization, said her e-bike is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to get around the city, especially as the cost of living mounts.

Read
Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

Fringe reviews #8: Experience points awarded

Free Press review team 9 minute read Preview

Fringe reviews #8: Experience points awarded

Free Press review team 9 minute read Yesterday at 5:05 PM CDT

Another Side of Rice, The Crown Witness, The Cult of the Comfy Wizard, Dead Chef, Embarrassed Naked Female, Goose!, How Bono Saved My Life, Paper Fathers, Rumours in Motion, Site #57.

Read
Yesterday at 5:05 PM CDT

A whack-a-mole approach to a complex problem

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

A whack-a-mole approach to a complex problem

Editorial 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

The Winnipeg Police Service has produced a report that details the results of a recent 10-day crackdown on open drug use and trafficking. Unfortunately, and to the detriment of both the community and police service, they just won’t show it to anyone.

This week, a WPS spokeswoman confirmed no decision has been made “regarding reporting, future activities or the release of results” from the drug sweep. As the operation was ongoing, WPS did say that it “interacted” with more than 100 people and arrested 25, with most of those related to warrants and breaches of court orders, not open drug use or trafficking.

These very preliminary results prompted criticism that the WPS had failed to adequately collaborate with social service agencies that help the homeless and those suffering from addictions and mental health.

A detailed report on the results of the sweep, along with commentary from the police about lessons learned, is essential if police are to engage in this kind of initiative again. In fact, it would be hard to see how police could ever unleash a similar operation without some sort of accounting of the impacts — both good and bad — of the first effort.

Read
2:01 AM CDT

City’s first construction officer quits 15 months into job

Joyanne Pursaga 3 minute read Yesterday at 5:29 PM CDT

The City of Winnipeg’s first chief construction officer is leaving his position, which was created to add oversight to major projects.

Tom Sparrow’s final day will be July 31, about 15 months after he started.

Mayor Scott Gillingham introduced the creation of a chief construction officer as a 2022 campaign pledge. At the time, he said the role would provide expert advice to council and help ensure the city attracts competitive bids for infrastructure projects, including the $3.1-billion upgrade to the North End sewage treatment plant on Main Street.

On Friday, Gillingham said Sparrow proved the value of the role during his time with the city.