Jubilee: Turn Debt into Hope culminates with an April 28th rally on Parliament Hill
Montreal — Today, over 72,000 Canadians will see their petition signatures delivered to Parliament and the Government of Canada at a rally on Parliament Hill. The petition and the rally represent the culmination of Jubilee: Turn Debt into Hope, which is the Canadian component of an international campaign to combat the global sovereign debt crisis.
MP Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Members of Parliament, will receive the signatures, which were collected from people across Canada by a coalition of Christian and civil social justice organizations led by KAIROS Canada and including Citizens for Public Justice,Development and Peace-Caritas Canada, the Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE), and The Canadian Council of Churches.
Canada and the global debt crisis
3.3 billion people live in countries where more money is spent on repaying debt than on health, education or tackling the climate crisis. The Canadian Jubilee: Turn Debt into Hope campaign, part of a global justice effort, urges world leaders to cancel unjust debts, establish a United Nations mechanism for debt resolution, and prevent future cycles of crushing debt. The government will release its Spring Economic Update on April 28, the same day as the Rally on Parliament Hill for Global Debt Justice. While the Update will focus on economic prosperity and security amid growing geopolitical instability, the Coalition maintains that ambitious Canadian action on global sovereign debt and international financial reform is essential to achieving these goals. The Coalition urges the government to:
- Initiate a review of all debts held by Canada and cancel those that are unsustainable.
- Use Canada’s position on the global stage to build a sustainable global finance strategy, and bring everyone to the table by creating the Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt at the UN.
- Increase the proportion of grants, not loans, in Canada’s global climate finance commitments.
The 72,000+ Canadians who signed the Jubilee petition are calling on their government to take the necessary steps for meaningful global financial reform to end the current debt crisis and ensure that crises such as this one do not happen again. Addressing the debt crisis will create a more stable global economy which benefits Canadians as well as those people who live in the world’s most indebted countries.
What’s next
Canadians are urged to join the Rally on Parliament Hill for Global Debt Justice on April 28th at 12 noon and to continue writing letters to their MPs asking how they will act on debt justice.
Quotes
“Cancelling debt and reforming global finance is not a matter of charity—it’s about justice, and taking accountability for Canada’s role in the unsustainable system that prevents our neighbours from progressing. As a country that wants to be seen as a good global actor, Canada can and should be a leader in this debt justice movement, which is critical for addressing the climate crisis and uplifting the rights of those who suffer its consequences the most.” Willard Metzger, Executive Director of Citizens for Public Justice
“Canada’s future-facing economy needs middle-power initiatives – yes – but also sustainable trade relationships with many countries of the Global South. Why have we allowed odious and unpayable debt burdens to be imposed on the world’s poorest people by unjust economic structures? Just as a Liberal government responded in the Jubilee Year 2000, over 70,000 Canadians call on our leaders to cancel bilateral and multilateral debt burdens today!” Joe Gunn, Co‑Chair of the Board, Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE)
“ToTurn Debt into Hope means to place human dignity at the center of our priorities. This is not a choice, but a fundamental right to uphold collectively and resolutely. This right is trampled upon by the burdens of unjust debt that imprison and suffocate billions of people who can barely access health care, education and decent jobs. In this toxic, unjust context, taking action becomes an unavoidable responsibility for the well-being of everyone.” Carl Hétu, Executive Director, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada
“Canada’s security and prosperity depend on a just and livable world. Ecological breakdown, unjust sovereign debt and widening inequality are deeply connected crises, and too often countries on the front lines of climate change are forced to take on more debt just to survive. Canada can and must advance debt justice and provide climate finance in the form of grants, so communities can adapt, recover and build a more hopeful future.” Tania Principe, Executive Director, KAIROS Canada
MEDIA CONTACTS
Citizens for Public Justice (Poverty eradication in Canada, climate justice, and refugee and migrant rights)
Scott Cooper
Scott@cpj.ca
613-232-0275 ext. 245
KAIROS Canada (working with people of faith or conscience all over the world for ecological justice and human rights)
Shannon Neufeldt
sneufeldt@kairoscanada.org
Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (Building a world of justice)
Minaz Kerawala
mkerawala@devp.org
1-800-494-1401, ext. 328
Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE) (Strengthening the collective voice of Catholic religious congregations to influence policy for social and ecological justice in Canada and globally.)
Sasquia Antúnez Pineda
Sapineda@orcie.org
647-782-8068
The Canadian Council of Churches (a broad and inclusive ecumenical body, now representing 26-member churches)
Marina Fanous
communications@councilofchurches.ca
416-972-9494