Landmines, cluster bombs and explosive remnants of war still kill 4,000 innocent people each year. These victim-activated weapons are a threat to daily living, gardening and farming, and are the plague of wars that are long over. 

This threat is a haunting daily reality for hundreds of thousands of innocent women, men and children as they walk through their communities and through life. This must change.

Canada is making strides towards ratifying the Convention on Cluster Munitions. However the current draft legislation Bill S-10, if passed unchanged, will be the weakest in the world.

For learning and action opportunities, see "Parliamentary Business" below, along with the Ottawa Office's cluster munitions webpages, and MCC US's cluster bomb webpages.

Bill S-10, An Act to Implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions, is currently in committee stage in the Senate and is being reviewed by their Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

The committee began hearing witness testimonies on October 3rd, with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird as the first witness. Representatives of the Department of National Defence followed on October 4th. 

So far each witness has defended the bill in its current form, despite questioning from opposition committee members, including Liberal Senator Roméo Dallaire. 

The Ottawa Office will continue to track this bill as it progresses through the Senate and on to the House of Commons.

Mines Action Canada is calling for amendments to S-10, saying that the draft bill contains "unacceptable loopholes," and calling Canada's proposed legislation "the weakest in the world."

Read also: Cluster munitions - an opportunity for advocacy that cannot be ignored on our blog "Ottawa Office Notebook."

Canadian Foodgrains Bank invites you and your church community to: 

Pray

Give

Advocate    

for an end to global hunger.

2012 Peace Sunday Packet

Under the surface: mining, violence and solidarity

This is a worship, study and response resource to be used the Sunday on or before Remembrance Day. This year, it connects us with our global neighbours who often suffer violence and injustice as a result of bad mining practices. 

For college and university students.

Thursday - Saturday, February 14-16 in Ottawa.

Register here.