Archbishop Colin Johnson helped open the day with a theological reflection that explored ways that the multi-faith audience was “united in our service to both our faith and how that faith intersects with the wider community.” Reflecting on the implications of understanding ourselves as being beloved by God, he insisted that the needs of the poor are at the core of many religious traditions.

“Everyone is beloved,” he said. “The question I have is: What would it look like if all of our policies, if all of our governance, if all of our rules, if all of our activities, if all of our interventions were governed based on that inherent dignity of every person? That each is cherished. That all are declared beloved.”

In his keynote address, Senator Art Eggleton addressed the question of whether poverty eradication is possible and what role faith communities can play in bringing it about.

Arguing that there are considerable economic and social costs to poverty in society, Senator Eggleton insisted that “the biggest cost is the toll on people’s lives: the loss of dignity, marginalization.”

He said the current systems for dealing with poverty are failing. “We’re locking people into a system or systems that trap them in poverty… They are degrading, demeaning, stigmatizing.”

A basic income or Guaranteed Annual Income was one of five “transformative strategies” for poverty elimination he explored in his talk, along with local leadership, stimulating the economy, investing in education and undertaking serious taxation reform. The Ontario government is currently preparing to undertake a basic income pilot project to explore how this strategy might be used to address poverty across the province.

“It’s time to end poverty and reduce inequality in this country we are blessed to live in,” said Senator Eggleton. “It’s time to improve equality of opportunity and better sharing of our resources. It’s time to explore a new way, a new approach. It’s time for a basic income.”

Some of the final messages of the morning encouraged faith communities to become actively engaged in advocacy for poverty reduction. Senator Eggleton observed that “faith communities have the ability to inspire and mobilize human resources; in fact, you have extraordinary capabilities.”

MPP Cheri Dinovo (Parkdale-High Park) echoed this sentiment when she reminded the audience that churches, temples and mosques represent hundreds of voters that politicians need to listen to. “You represent power to them,” she insisted. “You represent voters. You have power – use it.”

In responding to Senator Eggleton’s talk, Rabbi Michael Satz, from Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple, reminded everyone that real change requires collective action from all faith groups. “Me, as a Jew, people as Christians, people as Muslims, we’re all in this together. And that is what the political is.”

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Titled “Continuing the Call to Reconciliation,” the motion once again advocates for the Government of Canada to follow through on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, issued in June 2015.

The vestry motion focuses specifically on Call to Action #48, which calls for the adoption and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), an international agreement that establishes a framework of rights for Indigenous communities around the world. In particular, the motion emphasizes the need for clear policies that recognize the need for free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous communities regarding the management and development of their lands and resources.

“Indigenous communities around the world have long experienced dispossession of their lands, forced relocation to allow for infrastructure development and environmentally destructive resource extraction, without sufficient negotiation,” states the motion.

Ongoing opposition to projects, such as the reversal of the Line 9 pipeline in Ontario by the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation or the resistance to development of the Dakota Access Pipeline by the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in the United States, are the result of the continued practice of imposing decisions on Indigenous communities without the level of consent required by the UNDRIP. The federal government’s recent approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from Alberta to Vancouver has already met with protests from Indigenous communities that will be affected by the project along with non-Indigenous communities opposed to the development, demonstrating the significant need for a policy of free, prior, and informed consent in Canada.

In addition to being asked to pass the vestry motion, parishes will be asked to continue to undertake ongoing education and advocacy work to develop a deeper engagement with the long-term project of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Over the past year, parishes have carried out a variety of programs, from hosting a KAIROS Blanket Exercise to learn about the history of Indigenous peoples and colonialism in Canada, to initiating a study series on the Calls to Action or the UNDRIP. Other congregations have also invited Indigenous speakers and collaborated on public witness events such as vigils and marches with ecumenical and interfaith partners.

Training and formation sessions on the topic of the vestry motion will be held for each episcopal area in January of 2017 to allow interested parishioners and clergy to learn more about the motion in preparation for presentations and discussions at their vestry meetings. Materials, information on training sessions, and additional resources for the vestry motion can be found on the diocesan website, www.toronto.anglican.ca.

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Once again, grants will be given to parishes in all four episcopal areas, reflecting the widespread engagement with refugee sponsorship throughout the diocese. Funds will be provided to two parishes in Toronto, as well as parishes in King City, Ida, Markham, Mississauga and Bowmanville. Five of the applications were connected to multi-parish or ecumenical sponsorship initiatives and all involved significant outreach to the wider community for financial and practical support. The proposed sponsorships from this most recent round of applications would welcome as many as 35 individuals to Canada from a variety of countries of origin with vitally important financial and community supports to help them transition to their new home.

Grants will be released to parishes once they have raised 80 per cent of the committed parish contribution to the sponsorship costs and they have been matched with a refugee case through the Anglican United Refugee Alliance (AURA), a FaithWorks ministry that administers the sponsorship agreement on behalf of the diocese.

An initial round of applications in March awarded an additional $373,000 in grants to 23 parishes. These grants continue to represent only a portion of the total sponsorships being undertaken by parishes in the diocese. More than 100 refugees have already been welcomed since the fall of 2015 by parishes from Toronto to Collingwood to Orono, while dozens of other parishes have raised millions of dollars, combined, in anticipation of being matched with a case in the coming months.

The number of refugee cases available for private sponsorship in Canada has been reduced significantly in recent months, leaving many sponsoring groups waiting with uncertainty as to when they can expect to be matched with a case. Archbishop Colin Johnson wrote to John McCallum, the minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in April to ask him to increase the number of blended visa office referred (BVOR) cases available for sponsorship.

“Such an increase,” he wrote, “would help protect thousands of vulnerable people suffering war or persecution in their homelands while also engaging Canadians directly in the important work of welcoming refugees and developing a strong understanding of the realities of this global crisis.”

Advocacy efforts to increase the availability of BVOR cases continues through the efforts of parishes across the diocese.

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Presented by the FaithWorks and Outreach Committee at St. John’s, along with Voices for a Just Society, a north Toronto ecumenical social justice network, the evening offered a unique opportunity for parishioners and members of the wider community to engage directly with the premier on a number of key issues facing her government.

The Rev. Canon Drew MacDonald, incumbent of St. John’s, opened the gathering with a prayer and moderated the discussion throughout the evening. “The reason for this event is that we are celebrating our 200th anniversary here at St. John’s,” he said, adding that this was just one in a series of events to commemorate the long history of the parish.

Premier Wynne began her remarks by reflecting on a passage from St. Paul’s epistle to the Thessalonians (5:11): “Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

“‘Edify’ is one of the Apostle Paul’s favourite words and metaphorical concepts, and translated to the modern context it means to build up,” she told the audience. “I started with this because, when I talk about the plan we put in place in Ontario, it is about building Ontario up. It is about building us up. Now that can mean bridges and hospitals, but it can also be taken metaphorically, that our plan is about building each other up. Because in a very basic sense, that’s what I think that we are here to do, and what all the faiths of the world ask of us.”

Ms. Wynne also highlighted the important role of faith communities in advocating for policy changes around social justice issues. “I think that there are many, many ways in which government has to work with communities,” she said. “Where social justice and poverty alleviation are concerned, the individual and nongovernment institutions, including faith groups, play critical roles.

“We have a responsibility to lead, a responsibility to be always finding ways to build a province that takes care of its most vulnerable and helps everyone to live with dignity and the independence that they deserve. And that work is not done,” she continued. “That’s why you’re here to push me, and I so appreciate that. It’s very important.”

Following the premier’s remarks, the floor was opened for questions, which covered a diverse range of issues from social assistance reform to medically assisted death, and from seniors’ housing needs to funding for autism therapies.

The premier’s visit was not without some controversy. A small group gathered at the entrance to the church property with signs and leaflets challenging the Ontario government’s policy of ending the funding of Intensive Behavioural Intervention therapy for children with autism once they reach the age of five. Inside the sanctuary, representatives from Put Food in the Budget, a grassroots organization working to end poverty, presented the premier with a survey, held up a banner during her presentation, and then walked out in protest at the beginning of the question and answer session, encouraging others to join them.

Scott McDougall, a parishioner at St. John’s and one of the organizers of the premier’s visit, was still satisfied with the event and emphasized the importance of engaging with political representatives. “We have to reach out, not only to the premier but to opposition leaders, and let them have an opportunity to hear from grassroots people who are involved in social policy issues and can present alternatives to some of the problems they are facing,” he said.

“I was very pleased with the questions. We had good, thoughtful people,” he continued. “The main thing is to try to get straight answers, and to try to get politicians thinking out of the box. The premier would like to be the social justice premier. Show me. As somebody said, it’s time to walk the walk. They need to make structural changes and not take an incremental approach.”

St. John, York Mills plans to hold similar events with New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath and Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown in the coming months.

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Grants have been approved for 19 parishes in Toronto, Lindsay and Orono, with provisional approval given for an additional six grants in a number of communities, subject to the parishes submitting additional information or clarification to the Refugee Support Allocation Committee. Grants will be distributed to parishes once they have raised a minimum of 80 per cent of their contribution to the sponsorship costs and been matched with a refugee case through the Anglican United Refugee Alliance (AURA).

The amount of the grants ranges from $5,000 to $40,000. The proposed sponsorships will welcome as many as 160 people to Canada with financial and community support to help them transition to their new homes. These applications represent only a portion of the more than 65 parishes in the diocese working toward some form of refugee sponsorship.

Ian McBride, executive director of AURA, was happy to receive news of the grants. “I’m exceedingly pleased,” he said. “I hope that these very generous grants from the diocese will lead immediately to wonderful refugee sponsorships and help to build future refugee sponsorships. The grants help parishes, particularly smaller parishes, to have a degree of confidence in going forward that they otherwise may not have.”

Sixteen parishes that applied for funding are undertaking sponsorship for the first time. The sponsorship assistance grants are providing strong motivation and support as parishes consider taking on the commitment necessary to welcome refugees to a new life in Canada.

“Sponsorship in the diocese has grown immensely, particularly in the last year,” Mr. McBride said. “We applaud those parishes who’ve been involved for a long time and those who have recently become involved. We salute them for their efforts in this ministry.”

The 28 applications received by the March 15 first-round deadline reflected a variety of creative collaborations between parishes and their wider communities. Eighteen applications involved some form of partnership with other Anglican parishes, ecumenical and interfaith partners, or community groups. Partners included local Lutheran, United Church and Christian Reform congregations, an Islamic centre, and several networks of neighbours engaging with Anglican churches to pursue refugee sponsorship.

The announcement of these grants comes in the midst of significant discussion regarding changes to federal government policy related to the private refugee sponsorship program in Canada that may result in a slowing down of approval for refugee cases. Mr. McBride encourages parishes to be patient, but also to continue to engage in the process to make sure as many people in need are brought to Canada as possible.

“The current situation is extremely fluid and in some ways more challenging than we thought it might be,” he said. “However, it is very important that we continue our work, because our calling to this should not be dissuaded due to bureaucratic challenges. The work is the work is the work.”

A second round of applications for parish sponsorship support grants will be accepted until May 15. Information and application forms can be found on the diocese’s website, www.toronto.anglican.ca.

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“Social justice issues do not only have a political dimension,” says Archbishop Colin Johnson. “The church also needs to speak about the biblical dimensions that impact or arise out of these issues. This opportunity for a discussion at an official body such as a parish vestry is important, regardless of the results of the decision.”

The formal work of the TRC wrapped up in June 2015 after a seven-year process. The commission held public hearings across the country for survivors of the Indian Residential School system and collected more than 6,200 statements from survivors and their families. These events documented decades of physical, sexual and emotional abuse suffered by thousands of Indigenous youth in more than 130 schools across the country, many run by Christian churches. In order to share these stories and insights, the TRC released a final report along with 94 calls to action directed to Canadians in all walks of life.

Although the formal process has come to an end, the work of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians requires ongoing commitment and effort to address a problematic history and move together towards a better future. In their summary report, the commissioners of the TRC wrote that for churches, “demonstrating long-term commitment requires atoning for actions within the residential schools, respecting Indigenous spirituality and supporting Indigenous peoples’ struggles for justice and equity.”

Archbishop Johnson echoes these priorities, noting that action on this issue is particularly important “because of the role the church had in residential schools, the number of Indigenous people who continue to be members of our church and the biblical call to be agents of truth and reconciliation. How we engage in that, not whether we engage in that, is the matter for discussion.”

This year’s vestry motion pursues this discussion by encouraging parishes to learn more about the TRC and the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada and calls for strong government action on two key recommendations contained in the calls to action. The motion affirms the federal government’s efforts to initiate an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and encourages ongoing commitment to this work. The motion also calls on the provincial government to develop an educational curriculum for all grade levels that addresses the history of the residential school system and highlights the contributions of Indigenous people to the history and culture of Canada.

Workshops were held in January in each episcopal area to build the capacity of interested parishioners and clergy to facilitate engagement in their parishes on the issues addressed in the motion.

The advocacy work of this motion carries on from earlier work that has been done, both locally and nationally, to heal the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Anglican Church. The results of the motion will be collected by diocesan staff and used in the diocese’s advocacy work with both the federal and provincial governments.

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The day’s events opened with a passionate keynote address from Dr. Alex Himelfarb, former Clerk of the Privy Council, former ambassador, and co-editor of the book Tax is Not a Four-letter Word. “The consequences of austerity fall most heavily on the vulnerable,” Dr. Himelfarb told the audience. “When the consequences fall most heavily on the vulnerable, we are all diminished by it. We’re diminished in our shared humanity. We’re diminished in our society.”

Dr. Himelfarb reminded conference attendees that taxes are an important way in which citizens contribute to the public good and that tax cuts always come with a cost. “I don’t think there was ever a golden age where we jumped up and down with joy to pay taxes,” he confessed. But he has seen increased resistance to any taxation programs over the last 20 years, with real impacts on essential services. “A lot of our success is on the backs of generations more willing than we are to pay taxes. We have to ask ourselves: is it time that we paid it forward? What are we leaving for future generations?”

The drive towards lower taxes at all costs, he suggested, is because we have come to see ourselves as “consumers before we are citizens.” While consumers seek out advantages over their neighbours, citizens are called to pursue the public good. “Everyone benefits equally from the streetlights, the fire brigade, medicare,” he said. It is the work of citizens to preserve these programs that directly impact the lives of everyone, especially the most vulnerable, he added.

Following his address, conference attendees spread out to small workshops throughout the school to learn more about how they could take up the call for active citizenship in relation to key current social justice issues. This included an exploration of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, a visual examination of the root causes of poverty, a conversation about the intersection of mission and social justice, and a discussion of the relationship between disability and sacrament. Workshop facilitators included diocesan staff and clergy, as well as representatives from organizations as diverse as Citizens for Public Justice, Put Food in the Budget, the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network.

Throughout the day, those present were able to visit information tables from several FaithWorks ministry partners such as the Anglican-United Refugee Alliance, Couchiching Jubilee House, and The Bridge Prison Ministries. During lunch, those from Toronto were encouraged to contact city council to support the passing of the City of Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy.

As the busy day wound down, attendees once again gathered in the theatre where they were addressed by Archbishop Colin Johnson, who reminded those present that they were engaged in following the call of the gospels and that they must remain persistent and patient as they carried out this work. The day closed with a brief worship before folks returned to their home communities to share what they had learned at the conference.

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“I never tell people who to vote for,” says Archbishop Colin Johnson, “but I do remind them that we have a duty, as Christians, to vote. In Jeremiah, the prophet calls us to pray for the cities in which we live and to participate in their wellbeing.”

The Baptismal Covenant and the Five Marks of Mission similarly “indicate that we have a responsibility to work for justice, peace, and the dignity of all,” he says. “This includes taking an essential part in the democratic process in Canada.”

Anglicans can make their priorities clear not only at the ballot box, but also through participation in all-candidates meetings and in conversations with political candidates.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, wrote to the leaders of the five main political parties in August, asking that their ears and hearts “be open to the call of Canadians for compassion, justice, and reason,” a call which he hears “echoed by so many who aspire to build upon the firm foundations of a democracy that we value dearly and who are committed to love and serve others.”

The Anglican Church has been actively engaged with the government on several justice issues over the years and an election campaign is the ideal time to put discussion of these priorities front and centre. In order to facilitate these conversations, the Anglican Church of Canada has developed a package of election resources to educate and empower Anglicans across the country as they prepare to go to the polls. Titled “Compassion, Justice, and Reason: An Anglican Approach for Election 2015,” the document provides background information and suggested questions for candidates on key social justice issues, ranging from housing and homelessness to reconciliation with First Nations to promoting peace and stability internationally. This guide provides a sense of current Anglican engagement on these issues and offers tips on effective strategies for engaging candidates. The resources can be downloaded directly from the national church’s website, www.anglican.ca. Additional election resources are available from various Canadian ecumenical networks such as the Canadian Council of Churches, KAIROS, and Citizens for Public Justice.

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“From ancient times, this has been holy ground, sacred to the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation,” said the Rev. Riscylla Walsh Shaw, incumbent of Christ Church, Bolton and an Ambassador of Reconciliation for the Diocese of Toronto, in her words of welcome. “The lands and streams which joined here before flowing into Lake Ontario marked a place of rest and refreshment for people on their journeys.”

The liturgy drew on practices of blessing the waters from both First Nations and Orthodox Christian traditions, in order to bear witness to “the Great Spirit at work in the world, healing and restoring this lovely, fragile blue planet.”

Throughout the ceremony, the Mii Qwan women’s hand drum group, from the Toronto Urban Native Ministry, filled the cavernous church with their powerful singing, reminding those gathered that we all have a role in protecting the waters of the Earth. Prayers of thanksgiving were offered for various elements of nature, from the waters and the fish to the birds and the stars. The Rev. Andrew Wesley, of the Toronto Urban Native Ministry, offered a prayer to the Four Directions.

In her reflection, Jennifer Henry, executive director of KAIROS, reminded those present that, through his incarnation, Jesus was “a child who, like other babies, was mostly water – 75 per cent water, so they say.” Like the rest of humanity, Jesus depended on water for his daily needs, she said.

Later in her address, Ms. Henry asked, “How can we tolerate boil water advisories in the communities of the First Peoples of this land, while city dwellers – settlers and newcomers – drink safely and abundantly from the taps in our kitchens? Access to water is a potent sign and symbol of the drastic inequalities that exist between us in Canada, indigenous and non-indigenous, the huge separation that exists in this country when we should be one.”

The vigil culminated in a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing of the water. Those gathered were then invited to come forward and to drink from the water of thanksgiving. The evening ended with a time of refreshment and fellowship, where water continued to be consumed.

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