Colombian churches:
Urgency for peace
November 2014 marked two years of peace talks between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The 50-year conflict has claimed 220,000 lives, and left 5.7 million internally displaced. On November 17 talks were stalled when the FARC captured a general.
| Peace March, September 2012 in Bogota. Photo by Nathan Toews |
The churches reacted quickly. Led by MCC
partner, Justapaz (Justice and Peace), over 40
Colombian church leaders signed a letter urgently calling both parties to return to the negotiating table. Too much has been accomplished, and too many lives damaged to stop now.
The FARC released the general on November 30, and it appears that talks will resume shortly. Nevertheless we need to continue standing with our Colombian brothers and sisters in this urgent cry for peace.
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Last month, the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act was also tabled as Division 28 within Bill C-43. Since the Prime Minister announced the Government of Canada's intention to implement mandatory reporting requirements for extractive companies in June of 2013, MCC has spoken to the issue in various ways through letters to decision-makers and participation in government-led consultations.
As the bill was studied by the Natural Resources Committee two weeks ago, MCC again provided a written submission outlining ways to strengthen the legislation. Echoing the oral testimony of Publish What You Pay, MCC urged the Committee to ensure Canada's legislation follows global standards by requiring payments to be broken down by country, government, payment type, and specific project. We also expressed concern about the application of these standards to Aboriginal entities in Canada.
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Ottawa Office Newsletter archives
Read previous editions of our newsletter here. |
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Quotation
of the month
"The season of Advent reminds us that we inhabit a space between the "now" and the "not yet," between the reality of our world, with its grave challenges, and the promise of a world renewed by the Child of Peace. It is a continuum from lament to possibility, from despair to hope."
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Opportunities:
Student Seminar
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Office update:
Jared Klassen
Public Policy Advisor,
Canadian Foodgrains Bank
We are very excited to share office space with MCC coalition partner Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) and its new staffperson, Jared Klassen.
Jared formerly served as an Advocacy Research Intern in our office. He was recently hired as CFGB's new Public Policy Advisor. He is based in Ottawa in order to connect with MPs, Senators, and civil servants and to share with them about the great work of CFGB.
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