In considering the present financial andeconomic crisis, we must first addressthe impression it will be relatively

short, so that after one or two painfulyears we can go back to ‘business asusual.’

To me, that looks highly improbable.The size and the impact of the presentcrisis are severe. More significantly, thecrisis creeps through the entire economy.Banks came first, followed by auto con-cerns and the building sector, and nowbusinesses close and jobs are lost in theremote corners of our countries. But there is more: today’s crisis also seems tohave impacted our long-term collectiveconfidence.

Most business-people, politicians, andwell-educated citizens thought we hadlearned enough from the crisis of the1930s to prevent something like this fromhappening again. Somehow, a toolkitwould always be available to bring oureconomy rapidly back to form, especiallyin times of an approaching recession.

But today the toolkit looks empty. Itappears as if the huge amounts of moneythat governments gave to the banks sim-ply evaporated; the banks absorbed them

without actually ending the credit crunch.The public financial bleeding implies thatmost Western governments now lack thenecessary budgetary means to rescue ourstaggering real economies. Our real eco-nomies – unlike the paper, virtual econo-my (which focuses on creating money andprofits) – are about producing and distrib-uting real goods and services.

So the fear of a deep economic depres-sion is growing – a mighty blow to ourconfidence.

All this brings up the inevitable ques-tion: why? Many financial experts de-clared that today’s crisis was unpredict-able. But what made this crisis so unfore-seen? Questions like these bring us todeeper levels of analysis and understand-ing than usual. But asking these questionsis worthwhile. The exercise is like peelingan onion: to find the onion’s heart, wemust peel off layer after layer.

What happened?Let us therefore ask if there are deeper,

structural reasons for today’s unexpectedcrisis. This is our first layer.

The relationship between our modernsociety and the role and creation of money

has always been intriguing. In the past,coining money was almost always doneby public authorities. But increasingly pri-vate banks played a substantial part inmoney creation by issuing credit moneyor debt money, allowing private elementsof the money-creation process to effec-tively explode in the last 10 to 15 years.

That process was driven by the pros-pect of enormous gains and short-termprofits. Statistics about the acceleratedtotal growth of debt-money in recent yearshave not been officially published. Butrecent estimates approximate an annualgrowth of credit money in the last 10years being, on average, fourfold of thegrowth rate of the real economy.

Most of that newly created moneyended in the development of and specu-lation on so-called derivatives, a word that stands for all kinds of new financial“goods” like packets or slices of mort-gages. Money itself became somethingone could buy and sell as a good, a trad-able commodity. Financial assets werethus able to grow by a multiple of the realeconomy’s growth.

American economist Herman Daly

Volume 32 Number 2

CatalystCitizens for Public Justice www.cpj.ca

the Summer2009

BooksIssue

4 pages of topicalbook ideas.

— continued on page 5

THE DEPTH OFTHE GLOBAL ECONOMIC

CRISIS: PEELING

THE ONIONWhat is at the heart of this unpredictable financial crisis?By Bob Goudzwaard

Visitus online:

www.cpj.ca

2Spring 2009 Volume 32 Number 2

MP meetings

CPJ staff members have had some ex-citing opportunities to dialogue with MPsabout the federal role in reducing poverty.

In late February, CPJ staff Joe Gunnand Karri Munn-Venn met with Conser-vative MP Stephen Woodworth, who at-tended CPJ’s poverty workshop in Kitch-ener, Ontario. In early March, Joe andpolicy intern Mariel Angus met with MPPaul Dewar, and also with ConservativeMP Harold Albrecht. All three meetingsfocused on the need for federal engage-ment on poverty reduction in Canada.

During Canada’s recent Universal Per-iodic Review by the United Nations, sev-eral states recommended that Canada im-plement a national poverty eradicationstrategy. In late March, CPJ policy analystChandra Pasma and Kelly Law of Cana-da Without Poverty (CWP) discussed Ca-nada’s response with Liberal MPs IrwinCotler and Brian Murphy and Conserva-tive MPs Rick Norlock and Ed Fast.

Canada will respond to the UN’s rec-ommendations on June 9. CPJ hopes thefederal government will respond favour-ably to the recommendations on poverty.

CPJ on the road

Chandra was in Sault Ste. Marie,Ontario, in February at the invitation ofSt. Andrew’s United Church. Chandra andRob Rainer, executive director of CWP,spoke at a two-night forum on poverty atSt. Andrew’s. During the day, local MPTony Martin organized a tour of localpoverty initiatives. Chandra and Rob visit-ed a food bank, soup kitchen, communityclothing program, men’s shelter, youthshelter and Indian friendship centre.

In mid-March, Karri and Kelly Lawfrom CWP traveled to Quebec City andMontreal, where they consulted with rep-resentatives from the Collectif pour un

Québec sans pauvreté regarding the Dig-nity for All campaign.

In April, CPJ membership and devel-opment officer Darryl Exelby traveled toAlberta to visit CPJ supporters. He visitedAthabasca Reformed Church and TheKing’s University College in Edmonton,where he spoke to classes about CPJ. Healso met with a number of committed CPJdonors in the Edmonton area. Thanks toall for their warm welcomes!

Electoral reform resources

CPJ’s board of directors recentlyapproved two new CPJ papers on electoralreform and representation, an issue forwhich CPJ has long advocated. The back-grounder explores the topic of politicalrepresentation, while our position paperexplains our support in greater depth.

Chandra and CPJ supporter AntonyHodgson also prepared a brochure urgingBC CPJ members to vote in support ofelectoral reform in the province’s May 12referendum. The brochure explained theproposed Single Transferable Vote, andmore than 900 brochures were sharedacross BC before the election.

Canadian Social Forum

In mid-May, CPJ staff Chandra PasmaKarri Munn-Venn and Mariel Angus trav-eled to Calgary for the first annual Cana-dian Social Forum. Held May 19-22, theForum brought together community lead-ers from across the country to confrontpoverty in Canada.

Karri, along with our partners at Can-ada Without Poverty, officially launchedthe Dignity for All campaign (see page 3).Chandra facilitated a workshop on Guar-anteed Livable Income, and Mariel pre-sented a poster on childcare in Canada.Look for photos in our next issue of theCatalyst, and on our website, www.cpj.ca.

Livable incomes

In February, Chandra traveled to NewYork for the 2009 Congress of the USBasic Income Guarantee Network. Chan-dra presented a paper on “Workingthrough the Work Disincentive,” whichchallenged some main income securityassumptions.

Conservative Senator Hugh Segal andNDP MP Tony Martin were also presentat the conference. In a wonderful displayof cross-partisanship, they drafted a mo-tion at the meeting calling on the G-8 andG-20 to act on poverty. The motion waspassed unanimously by the House ofCommons and the Senate in late March.

Parliamentary committee

The Parliamentary Standing Committeeon Human Resources, Skills and SocialDevelopment and the Status of Personswith Disabilities (HUMA) is studying thefederal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada. In late April, Karri attendedmeetings with Liberal MP Mike Savage,NDP MP Tony Martin and ConservativeMP Dean Allison, all members of HUMA,to dialogue on the need for federal actionon poverty. CPJ is currently preparing abrief for the committee.

Round-up

the Cata lyst Spring 2009 (v.32, #2) ISSN 0824-2062Citizens for Public Justice tel. 613-232-0275, toll-free 1-800-667-8046. e-mail: cpj@cpj.ca web: www.cpj.ca

Agreementno. 40022119

Undeliverable copies of the Catalyst should

be returned to:

Citizens for Public Justice,

309 Cooper St., #501 Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5

CPJ’s mission is to promote public justice in Canada by shap-ing key public policy debates through research and analy-sis, publishing and public dialogue. CPJ encourages citizens,

leaders in society and governments to support policies and practices which reflect God’s call for love, justice

and stewardship. CPJ membership fee: $50/$25 low-income,

includes the Catalyst.

The Catalyst, a publication of Citizens for PublicJustice (CPJ), reports on public justice issues inCanada and reviews CPJ activities. Please contactus if you wish to reprint material.

EDITOR: Karen DiepeveenDESIGNER: Eric Mills

Catalyst subscription: $25 (four issues).

More than 500 people from acrossCanada converged at the TelusConvention Centre May 19-22

for the inaugural Canadian Social Forum.The event, put on by the Canadian Coun-cil on Social Development, featured acreative array of opportunities for dia-logue and engagement organized underthe banner “Act Now ForChange.” All focused on thetheme of eradicating poverty inCanada.

CPJ socio-economic policyanalyst Karri Munn-Venn was atthe Forum to launch Dignity forAll: The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada. This exciting newinitiative is being mobilized byCPJ and Canada Without Poverty(CWP) in partnership with organi-zations across the country that arefighting against poverty.

The campaign’s vision is tomake Canada poverty-free andmore socially secure and cohesiveby 2020. The conviction behindthis campaign is that Canadians mustrespect and defend the right of every per-son to dignity and security.

Everyone has a role to play in buildinga poverty-free and more socially secureCanada: governments at all levels, busi-nesses of all sizes and types, communityand other civil society organizations, andindividuals. The federal government, withits particular policymaking, legislative,taxation and redistributive powers, has anespecially critical role. The Dignity forAll Campaign is therefore aimed primari-ly to achieve federal action.

“We believe that freedom from pover-

ty is a human right,” said Rob Rainer,CWP’s executive director. “Vigorous andsustained action from the federal govern-ment will eliminate poverty in Canada,and we are calling on the federal govern-ment to act.”

“There is momentum across the coun-try,” observes CPJ executive director Joe

Gunn. “We’re seeing organizations, cities,provinces and territories take action. Wewant to see the federal government stepup and do its part.”

Through this multi-year, multi-partner,non-partisan campaign, we are calling forvigorous and sustained action by the fed-eral government to combat the structuralcauses of poverty in Canada.

We want a federal plan for povertyelimination that complements provincialand territorial plans. We want a federalanti-poverty act that ensures enduringfederal commitment and accountabilityfor results. And we want sufficient federal

investment in social security for allCanadians.

Dignity for All: The Campaignfor a Poverty-Free Canada is a pan-Canadian initiative and we wantyou to be a part of it! To sign on to the campaign and make a contribution,visit www.dignityforall.ca.

Also on the Forum agendaPolicy analyst Chandra Pasma

presented as part of the workshop,“Guaranteed Income: A Path toEconomic Security?” organized byBasic Income Earth Network Cana-da. This session outlined currentthinking around basic incomemodels and invited participants toexplore design, public support andstrategies.

Based on the research she hasdone, policy intern Mariel Anguswill host a poster presentation,“Quality Care, Equality forWomen: The Case for UniversalChildcare in Canada.” Mariel’s

interactive poster outlines the connected-ness between childcare, family well-being, women’s equality and much more,revealing how social issues in Canada areinseparable and deeply intertwined.

WE SUPPORT

We believe that freedom from poverty is a human right.

We believe in equality among all people.We believe we are all entitled to social

and economic security.We believe in dignity for all.

NOW is the time to end poverty in Canada.

Volume 32 Number 2 Spring 20093

NOW IS THE TIME TO END POVERTY IN CANADA! CPJ, CWP unveil major anti-poverty initiative

Phot

o: B

ill S

hiel

ds

CPJ board and staff hold up their signed calls to action on May 12.

Dozens of organizations have already supported the Dignity for All campaign. Inaugural members

of the Campaign Committee include: ACORN CanadaCampaign 2000

Canada Without PovertyCanadian Association of Social Workers

Canadian Cooperative AssociationCanadian Council on Social

DevelopmentCanadian Labour Congress

Canadian Teachers FederationCentre for Equality Rights in

AccommodationCitizens for Public Justice

Make Poverty HistoryRegina Anti-Poverty MinistryWe are also working in close

collaboration with the Collectivefor a Poverty-Free Quebec.

www.dignityforall.ca

Spring 2009 Volume 32 Number 24

By Chandra Pasma

Even before the economic crisis,Mary was not doing well. Last yearshe was working at a local store

earning the minimum wage of $8 an hour.Things were tight, and she occasionallyhad to visit a food bank once rent and heatwere paid. Six months ago, she was laidoff. She didn’t qualify for EmploymentInsurance (EI), because she hadn’t workedenough hours. With no in-demand skills, a new job was hard to find.

Mary had to turn to social assistancefor income. She became a regular foodbank user. She could no longer afford tobuy clothes or school supplies for her son.High oil prices meant that the cost ofheating exceeded what she could afford.Bills began to pile up.

Then the economic crisis hit. Mary isbeginning to lose hope that the local econ-omy will ever recover enough for her tofind a new job. She is frustrated with herlack of choices and afraid for the future.

Many Canadians have stories likeMary’s. In 2006, 10.5% of Canadianswere living in poverty, including manywho held full-time jobs. Social assistance,EI and other income security programs do not ensure that all Canadians can meettheir basic needs.

The economic crisis is exacerbatingthis reality. Thousands of jobs have beenlost, and EI is inadequate. The poorestCanadians are the first to lose their jobs,and will find it hardest to get new ones.Many Canadians are vulnerable to econo-mic circumstances beyond their control,and more Canadians will become poor as a result of the crisis.

Guaranteed livable incomeCPJ believes that a guaranteed livable

income (GLI) for all Canadians wouldpromote well-being, by ensuring thatevery Canadian has enough income to ac-cess resources necessary for dignity. Simi-lar to Canada’s Old Age Security programfor seniors, a GLI is an income securityprogram that would guarantee every Can-adian a basic level of income.

A GLI would have other positive im-pacts, including greater freedom from ex-ploitation for the economically vulnerable,recognition of poorly paid and unpaidwork such as caregiving and cultural acti-vities, and likely environmental benefits

from depending less on economic growth.Evidence from Manitoba’s Mincome

experiment in the 1970s also demonstratesthat a GLI can have positive long-termhealth effects.

GLI benefits depend on how it is struc-tured, and questions of design and con-ditions of fairness would need to be metin any Canadian GLI program. But a GLIcould help Canadians like Mary meet all their basic needs and support themthrough job transitions or economicuncertainty.

A GLI wouldn’t solve everything, ofcourse. Canadians like Mary still needsupportive government and voluntary pro-grams and services to help them lead fulllives in community. Canada still needs apoverty reduction strategy to tackle manyof the non-income elements of poverty.

But a GLI can offer greater support for well-being, more choices and greaterdignity to all Canadians.

Back on the agendaThe idea of GLI has been around for

many years. It is also known as guaran-teed annual income, basic income or citi-zen’s income. CPJ advocated for a GLI in its widely supported 1986 alternativebudget. While the idea lost prominencefor a while, it is now back on the agenda.

The idea re-emerged among grassrootsgroups looking for alternative solutions to poverty, but support is now spreading.Prominent supporters of GLI includeConservative Senator Hugh Segal, New

Democratic Member of Parliament TonyMartin, Green Party leader Elizabeth Mayand philosopher John Ralston Saul.

Last year, a Senate committee held aroundtable – attended by CPJ – to consid-er the idea. The committee is now pursu-ing further avenues of study on the idea.

At the 2008 international congress ofthe Basic Income Earth Network, CPJjoined other Canadians in founding aBIEN Canada affiliate to promote andexplore the idea in our country. A confer-ence this fall in Ottawa will bring togetherpoliticians, advocates, academics and citi-zens’ groups to dialogue about how tomove the idea forward.

Responding to crisisWhile some might worry that the cur-

rent economic crisis makes such a bigidea unaffordable, CPJ firmly believesthat it makes a GLI even more necessary.The crisis highlights the economic vulner-ability of many Canadians and suggeststhe need for new and imaginative ways to re-think our economy.

The looming environmental crisis alsocalls for a new approach, focusing less oneconomic growth and more on the well-being of people and our environment.

Rather than fearing GLI because of thecost, it is time to view it as an investment.A crisis should make us think about prior-ities. Investing in all Canadians’ healthand well-being should be our priority.

Chandra Pasma is CPJ’s public jus-tice policy analyst.

GLI: investing in income security

Mincome: Manitoba’s income security experiment

From 1974 to 1979, Manitoba hosted a guaranteed livable incomeexperiment, called Mincome. Low-income families in Winnipeg, severalrural communities, and the town of Dauphin were selected to receiveregular payments. Different levels of income were used, in addition to a control group that received no payment.

The experiment’s goal was to test the impact on labour marketemployment, family formation, and administration and design of a GLI.In the end, rising test costs due to the stagflation of the late 1970sled to only the work incentive being studied.

Recently, research has been done to determine the long-termimpact of Mincome on the residents of Dauphin. This research hasshown that high school enrolment increased during the experiment. It also had an immediate positive effect on health outcomes, whichremained for at least the decade after Mincome ended.

Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport: Making Connections in Today’s World By Richard J. Mouw. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

Reviewed by Jack McLaughlinRichard Mouw is a serious scholar

with a skilled journalist’s pen. His star-tling title is ‘a hook’ grabbing those who“want to see how it is possible to draw on the strengths of Calvinism as theymake their way through the complexitiesof contemporary life.”

Mouw’s bridge from Calvinism to theseemingly incongruous Las Vegas airportis the ‘racy’ 1979 movie Hardcore direct-ed by a Calvin College alumnus who jetti-soned his faith and derides his Calvinistheritage. The airport is the scene of anencounter between Jake, an unbendingCalvinist father searching for his runawaydaughter, and Niki, one of his daughter’sfriends of the night.

Killing time, Niki asks Jake what hebelieves. He responds by outlining “theTULIP doctrines” of his Calvinist up-bringing – thus satisfying the Biblicalinjunction “to provide a reason for hisChristian hope.” Niki is not impressed and bluntly tells him so!

Where did Jake’s attempt at evangel-ism go wrong? Mouw, who does not“recommend Hardcore for people seek-ing spiritual edification,” ponders thistroubling scene–asking how best can we maintain our integrity as Calvinists (a term Mouw embraces, rather than ‘Reformed’) while graciously and clearlysharing the Christian gospel to a brokenworld?

TULIP, while true and essential, offers“a complicated answer to the basic ques-tion how does a human being get rightwith God?” Jake would have been betteradvised, Mouw concludes, to have sharedthe words of the Heidelberg Catechism,which speaks to our common human needfor comfort in life and death. Mouw ar-gues that TULIP expresses a theological“mere Calvinism” but there is “more” –much more.

After guiding us through TULIP’s sys-tematic points, Mouw turns to “the more”– identifying himself as a “KuyperianCalvinist.” One example ofthis is his treatment of the“U” of TULIP – uncondi-tional election is TO some-thing. We are lovingly cho-sen by God to serve andthis mandates our lovingresponse of service in everyaspect of life.

The Las Vegas of thetitle is not merely a dispos-able hook; Mouw makessome thought-provokingtheological connections ashe concludes.

Vegas and the “new Jerusalem” havesome parallels; both are “glittering, opu-lent, bustling center[s] of never-endingfestivity.” Vegas, however, allures with a “counterfeit vision of human fulfill-ment” that “does not [nor can it] quiet

the profound restlessness of our hearts.” Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport is

a great read for this 500th anniversary ofCalvin’s birth. The Calvin-ism of Mouw’s grandmoth-er, finding expression inDordt and Heidelberg, hastraveled from the Nether-lands, to Alberta, GrandRapids and Los Angeles. It still travels well, even to ‘Sin City’ – makingconnections and offeringsound direction to all theNikis who desperately needto hear ‘Good News.’

Jack McLaughlin is theChair of the Priscilla and Stanford ReidTrust for Presbyterian and ReformedTheological Education in Canada, anddid graduate work in history with Pro-fessor W. Stanford Reid at the Universityof Guelph.

Book Supplement

B o o k SSummer book suggestions from Citizens for Public Justice

A Summer 2009

From Geneva to Las Vegas: Calvin at 500

The Twenty-Piece Shuffle: Why thePoor and the Rich Need Each OtherBy Greg Paul. Paris, Ont.: David C. Cook, 2008.

Reviewed by Emily Hutten“For the prophets of the parks, streets,

alleys, and stairwells,” reads the dedica-tion for Greg Paul’s second book, TheTwenty-Piece Shuffle.

Living in any Canadian city oneencounters their doorway bedrooms andsidewalk petitions. Prophets: the homelessthousands living with “no fixed address”as they carry all they own on their backsalong with burdens of injury and illness,judgment and neglect. We can picturetheir faces, may know a few names andstories. Their presence stirs our stomachswith discomfort as we join the morningpassersby.

We know deep in our beings that

Journeying Together

– continued on page D

something is wrong with this reality, andyet bridging the felt distance betweenthose living in poverty and our lives livedwith material ease is challenging, burden-ing – hard.

“Although … I may convince myselfotherwise, I do not journey alone,” writesGreg Paul, founding director of the sac-red community that is Sanctuary, “Thereare companions on the road, and Christhimself will show up to guide me, thoughI may not recognize him at first …”

Paul and the members of Sanctuary in Toronto prove to be open, welcomingcompanions for those who receive thestory and frank reflection found in TheTwenty-Piece Shuffle. Each story isshared tenderly, sensitive to the fragilityand raw reality offered as a gift to thereader. For as these intimacies are told,including confessions of burden, anger

A New Climate for Theology: God, the World and Global WarmingBy Sallie McFague. Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2008.

Reviewed by Sheila McKinley osuA New Climate for Theology offers a chal-lenging alternative to business as usualamidst the devastating ecological and eco-nomic crises of our time.

Rooted firmly in the Scriptures, SallieMcFague extends the metaphor of a greatbanquet to include all creation. God’shousehold is the whole planet, “composedof human beings living in interdependentrelations with all other life-forms and earthprocesses.” McFague then reminds us thatif we are to live happily in God’s householdthere are “house rules:” (1) take only yourshare; (2) clean up after yourself; and (3)keep the house in good repair for others.

McFague invitesus to explore a theol-ogy in which thefocus is praise ofGod and compassionfor creation. Shecalls us to find newways of being andacting as we deepenour awareness of theinterconnectednessof all life.

The final section is perhaps most impor-tant. McFague draws us from narrow isola-tion and individualism into community andcommunion. She offers an alternativevision of the good life that includes bothjustice and sustainability, a vision that isgrounded in God and leads to abundant lifefor all creation.

Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex WorldBy Richard J. Foster. New York:HarperOne, 1981. Revised and updated 2005.

Reviewed by Karri Munn-VennOriginally published in 1981, Freedom ofSimplicity remains wonderfully timely in atime of global food, climate and creditcrises. “Simplicity,” Foster says, “enablesus to live lives of integrity in the face of theterrible realities of our global village.”

Foster laces together several themes that

form the founda-tion of Christiansimplicity. FromGod’s generosity tothe “exuberant car-ing and sharing” ofthe saints, he high-lights the call forjustice, compassionand wholeness.

Having acceptedthat living simply isindeed good and desirable, the most inter-esting – and most difficult – part of thebook for me was “the practice.”

The starting point: a consideration ofvoluntary poverty. Foster acknowledgesthat a vow of poverty would represent aradical lifestyle change for most, but arguesthat complete transformation may be easierthan more nuanced changes. Still, everyoneis encouraged to reduce their level of con-sumption, becoming more aware of the lim-its of the earth and its resources. Living aGod-centred life allows us to pursue justiceand service to the poor more freely.

Managing without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster By Peter Victor. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar, 2008.

Reviewed by Mariel AngusUsing a carefully crafted argument, PeterVictor challenges one of the most funda-mental notions of the past half-century: thateconomic growth in industrialized coun-tries is necessary and desirable for greaterdevelopment and well-being.

While it has brought greater health andprosperity to many, economic growth inwealthy nations has proven to be environ-mentally unsustainable, leaving little roomfor developing countries to prosper.

So how can we reconcile ecology witheconomics? Victor’sanswer is to “man-age our economywithout growth”through economicand social policiesthat respect the lim-its of our environ-ment. Victor dem-onstrates that pover-ty and unemploy-

ment can also be addressed by shifting ourpriorities away from consumerism andtowards redistributing existing resources.

Victor’s book provides a thoughtful,constructive analysis of our current realityand demonstrates that, through careful ma-nagement, we can consciously slow downour economy by design and not disaster.

Economics for Everyone: A ShortGuide to the Economics of CapitalismBy Jim Stanford. London: Pluto Press, 2008.

Reviewed by Chandra PasmaJim Stanford accomplishes a rare feat inEconomics for Everyone, explaining capi-talism and economic principles in an acces-sible, humorous way. He seeks to help peo-ple understand that everyone contributes tothe economy and therefore everyone has aninterest in how the economy functions, aswell as “in whose interests it functions.”Economics, he argues, is too important tobe left to economists.

Economics for Everyone breaks downthe economy to its most basic buildingblocks, then uses these blocks to explainever-greater circlesof economic inter-actions. Stanfordthen reveals howour entire economicsystem is structuredto create and per-petuate inequality,which has implica-tions for how werespond to poverty.

Stanford also considers capitalism’simpact on global distribution of wealth andresources, including the global south’s deeppoverty compared with the global north’swealth, and its impact on human well-beingand the environment. Recognizing the fail-ures of capitalism to focus on human well-being with its attendant negative conse-quences, Stanford concludes with optionsfor how capitalism could be reformed ortransformed. After such a deep explorationof capitalism’s flaws, I longed for an in-depth exploration of alternatives, andwished this section were longer.

The book is an excellent tool for demys-tifying our economy. It will change the wayyou think about economics!

Summer 2009 B Book Sup

Books on living citizenship, simplicity and gratitude

The Gift of Thanks: the Roots,Persistence, and ParadoxicalMeanings of a Social RitualBy Margaret Visser. Toronto: HarperCollins, 2008.

Reviewed by Kathy VandergriftSaying “thank you” sounds simple, but

giving and responding to giving is a com-plex social interchange. Margaret Visserunpacks this complexity, exploring themany motivations for giving and thank-ing and contrasting gratitude with some ofits counterparts: envy, resentment and self-ishness.

Healthy societies, observes Visser,actively cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Inthe Christian tradition, gratitude is a freeresponse to grace from the first giver of all.Visser reminds the reader that only grati-tude motivated by love is a virtue. Loveremains the primary Christian virtue.

The Gift of Thanks, a delightful journeythrough stories and images around theglobe, also presents a challenge. If we areto overcome the ecological crisis, says Vis-ser, gratitude will be key. Gratitude changes

attitudes, how wesee and value whatcomes to us as giftin the world aroundus. That’s what itwill take to achievegenuine change inthe way we care forour world.

After readingthis book, “thank you” will never be quitethe same – but more important than ever.

A Fair Country: Telling Truths About CanadaBy John Ralston Saul. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2008.

Reviewed by Maylanne MaybeeA Fair Country aims to make visible thatwhich is in front of our eyes but which so many of us have failed to see. JohnRalston Saul’s thesis is that Canada is aMétis country, and that Canadian institu-tions and culture are deeply rooted inAboriginal values and practices, which weignore to our peril and eternal confusion.

The book is essentially a compendiumof four essays: about Canada’s identity;about its charter documents and the valuesof “peace, fairness, and good government”that inform them; about the paucity ofCanada’s intellectual elite; and about mak-ing what has been hidden into an intention-al agenda for our future.

What makes this study interesting is its reference to Canada’s legal cases, andthe role attributed to our judges and highercourts in shapingCanada’s founda-tional values. Dis-appointingly, Saulrarely refers to Ca-nada’s rich traditionof art and literaturethat has contributedto the Canadian col-lective unconsciousthat he frequentlymentions.

It is not a history, and it’s not really phi-losophy either. Rather, it is political analy-sis and theory combined with principles ofpublic justice – a good read for CPJ types.

Summer 2009Cpplement C

For the full reviews, visit www.cpj.ca

Edible Action: Food Activism and Alternative EconomicsBy Sally Miller. Halifax: Fernwood, 2008.

Reviewed by Mike BulthuisWhat do farmers’ markets, food co-operatives, Community

Supported Agriculture, the fair trade movement, community gar-dens and natural food stores all have in common? We might thinkof each as ‘alternative’ food sources – alternatives to our ‘local’mega-grocery store. In Sally Miller’s Edible Action, we’re alsoencouraged to think of these as food activism, catalysts of socialchange and demonstrations of alternative economic systems.

Food is a basic need, integrated into mostaspects of everyday life. Considering it as morethan a commodity for easy purchase or consump-tion enables us to recognize how our lives areclosely tied to the food production system. We par-ticipate as producers, sellers, consumers, amongother identities, in a system Miller critiques asmore about profit and self-interest than democracy,community or equality of access. But as Millermakes clear, there are inspiring alternatives.

Miller’s critique is partly about reclaiming goodfood. Lamenting the “monotony of our nationalpantry” – the uniformity of grocery stores and thetomatoes they stock – Miller fears the succulenttomato may become forgotten when shelf life is

prioritized and a region’s ecological niche is ignored in order tocreate space at the grocer’s for a bit of everything.

Beyond tasty food, though, Miller looks to usher in food pro-duction systems characterized by equal distribution – of food, ofprofit, of healthy outcomes. Only with participatory (food) democ-racy, where individuals can influence decisions affecting their foodsystem, and where the spatial and symbolic distance between pro-ducers and consumers is minimized, can hunger, falling farmincomes and other challenges be met.

It’s difficult not to be excited by Miller’s writing. In my ownneighbourhood, enthusiasm for a newly expanded Farmer’s Market

may demonstrate the appeal. And yet, consump-tion of these alternatives should not only applywhen time or money permit easy access. Perhapsmy neighbourhood’s quest to find a plot of land todevelop a community garden is symbolic of thechallenge.

Participation requires commitment to commu-nity, and to a potentially lengthy community-widedecision-making process. While outcomes areuncertain, such processes are likely to strengthencommunity bonds.

Mike Bulthuis is a geography graduate stu-dent and CPJ board member, settling into a newneighbourhood in Ottawa, where he hopes to cel-ebrate a new community garden in 2010.

You are what you eat: Choosing food activism

Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta Is Bringing Environ-mental Armageddon to Canada (And Doesn’t Seem to Care) By William Marsden.Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2007.

Tar Sands Showdown: Canada and the New Politics of Oil in an Age of Climate ChangeBy Tony Clarke. Toronto: James Lorimer and Company, 2008.

Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a ContinentBy Andrew Nikiforuk.Vancouver: Greystone Books and theDavid Suzuki Foundation, 2008.

Reviewed by Joe GunnSpeaking in London, England after

having recently become Prime Minister,Stephen Harper announced Canada is theworld’s “emerging energy superpower.”Thanks to Alberta’s oil sands, British busi-ness journalists today refer to the tar sandsas “Canada’s Mordor.” As Canadiansstruggle to separate rhetoric from reality,three recent books make the latter case.

William Marsden’s Stupid to the LastDrop begins with an incredible story ofhow in the mid-1950s, engineers and oilfirms were planning to detonate atomicbombs to release oil from the tar sands ofnorthern Alberta. Fortunately, the projectwas shelved when fears of nuclear prolif-eration (and inability to secure a marketfor radioactive oil) prevailed. Unfortu-

nately, this stupidplan was deadlyserious.

Marsden per-suasively arguesthat the stupiditypersists in the wayAlberta and Ottawacurrently developoil sands, grantmassive waterlicenses to minesand refineries, and refuse to control green-house gas emissions or develop socialinfrastructure for the workers flocking tothe high-paying jobs.

As well as outlining social and environ-mental issues, Tony Clarke’s Tar SandsShowdown places the debate in anotherimportant context: economic sovereignty.Clarke notes that 67% of Canada’s oil and59% of our natural gas is exported to theUSA, and that under NAFTA, Canada can-not cut back or put a quota on our exports– even if Canadians’ needs are not met orthe ecology can take no more.

Given the lack of a sovereign energypolicy, dependence on unconventionalsources of oil (such as tar sands) offersCanada no long-term solution to the ener-gy or environmental crises. Clarke argues,“How the tar sands are developed and ma-naged in response to the peak oil challengewill, in large measure, determine Canada’sdestiny in the twenty-first century.”

This book is a dream for activists, withchapters on the “resistance movement”and a study guide.

Book Supplement D Summer 2009

and fear from Paul himself, the reader is givenpermission to reveal their own hunger to beknown and loved. A revelation that begins towalk the distance felt between the rich and poor.

As Paul illustrates throughout the book, “The reality…is that the rich are usually,because of their riches, barely conscious of their deep poverty and consequent invitation toembrace their true identity in relationship withtheir Maker that can be found only in thosedepths. And the poor … generally have littlesense of their blessedness, the amazing gifts

they have to share with people who appear tothem to already have it all.”

The concluding chapter, aptly titled “Arri-val,” leaves us unclear as to where the lines ofdefinition between rich and poor can even bedrawn and certain that they have journeyed intosafe, though fragile, communion. Greg Paul’ssimple conclusion resonates deeply – we needeach other. We are guiding each other home.

CPJ board member Emily Hutten spendsher days at ARK, a street-level organizationthat seeks to build community with youth whoare homeless or street-involved in Halifax.

Guiding each other home

“Mordor” or “emerging energy superpower”?

– continued from page A

In Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Futureof a Continent, Calgary’s Andrew Nikifo-ruk wonders why Canadians are unmovedby “the moral consequences of convertinga forest into a carbon storm and the plan-et’s third largest watershed into a petrole-um garbage dump.”

Nikiforuk focuses on the environmentalimpact of the tar sands, which drain asmuch water as Toronto and create on aver-age three times more carbon dioxide emis-sions than a barrel of normal crude. Thereare 23 miles of leaking toxic ponds alongthe Athabasca River, while 400 milliongallons of toxic sludge is added every day.

Nikiforuk states, “Canada is implausi-bly digging up and replumbing an area thesize of Nepal, not to save the world or toensure its own energy security but to keepwealthy oil companies in business and tosupply a fading empire with oil.”

We should all take time to visit the oilsands. Even simply looking at satellitephotos of the tar sands will make you wantto read these books – and take action.

Joe Gunn is CPJ’s executive director.

calculated that the amount of paper ex-changes for paper is now 20 times greaterthan exchanges of paper for real commo-dities. An enormous balloon of collectivespeculation has grown – and has nowburst. Confidence has been lost, and thecrisis now fully threatens the real econo-my.

Beyond greedIt is generally acknowledged that this

entire process has been fed by the enor-mous driving power of the lust for mo-ney. In September 2008, the month ofWall Street’s collapse, Time named it “the price of greed.” Greed was not onlythe price for speculators, but also for theonce-reliable banks. Banks had createdenormous amounts of money, but hadalso fully participated in speculation toearn money back with huge surpluses.

But was it only greed? This brings usface to face with the structural dimensionof the crisis. Clearly, money has becomemore than just a facilitating medium. Ithas become a kind of separate realm, ableto build around itself new structures (likefinancial markets) and institutions (likederivatives). It has thus grown in recentyears into an almost autonomous crucialdomain in and of our modern society.

Money is capable of setting people,firms and markets into continual motion.Recent years have found financial mar-kets able to take control of a substantialpart of our real economies. These mar-kets, especially via hedge funds, couldorder firms to reorient their entire behav-iour towards higher levels of short-termfinancial profits, and even to merge orsplit firms if the financial results were too low.

As declared just a few years ago bythe president of the German Federal Bank(with deep satisfaction), politicians andgovernments have now been brought un-der the control of the financial markets. A deep, prevailing view is that wheremoney goes, society must follow.

A staggering godBut here we reach a deeper layer – the

spiritual level – which appears to be theheart of the onion. Money is not a part ofGod’s good creation; it is created by hu-mankind. This implies that money caneasily grow into an awful tyrant, espe-

cially if money is accepted as a decisiveyardstick by which people, governments,businesses, and other societal institutionsmust measure their actions. Put in bibli-cal terms, there are strong indications thatMoney has been given the status andpower of an idol, a Mammon, in modernsociety.

In principle, of course, money is nomore than a good and serviceable instru-ment for facilitating transactions in ourreal economy – as it should be. But weshould never forget that this human-mademedium can be enthroned and followedas a decisive compass for all economic

actions. From that point forward, itbegins to show traits of terror. In the end, it will also fundamentally betray its servants.

The essence of idolatry is elevated,self-centred expectations mixed with fear.On the one side the adoration of moneytends to narrow current perceptions ofreality, as if the law of financial dynam-ics is the ultimate rule. But on the otherside, people delegate their power andinfluence to their god. They authorizetheir new god to take the lead, and in sodoing they can force an entire societyinto patterns of obedience.

In this manner, the financial marketseasily gained control over the real econo-my. Even now, some financial expertsinsist that we must put our energy into

completely restoring the money markets,saying they alone can save our realeconomies.

But these claims sound increasinglyhollow. The public is now aware thatbanks, rather than struggling homeown-ers, were given full financial priority forgovernment assistance. Decision-makersstill see banks as the cornerstone of ourmodern economies. But did the supportgiven to them forestall our present eco-nomic crisis? No, most banks are nowhoarding these enormous amounts offinancial support to increase their owncapital base.

Clearly, the idol of an acquisitive fin-ancial culture is now staggering, as idolsusually do. We can observe signs of itsprofound betrayal. The deepest underly-ing cause of our present financial crisistherefore looks like the sudden, unpre-dicted betrayal of a self-made god.

But this awful experience has its goodside. It is now highly improbable that thesame unconditional faith will soon begiven again to such a profoundly untrust-worthy guide. The lesson is clear for allthose who are willing to listen: moneyneeds to be our servant; never againshould it become our master.

What now?What about the condition and future of

our real economy? Will simply swearingoff the alien god immediately restore ourreal economies, thus ending the presenteconomic crisis? I don’t think so.

It appears that we have entered notonly a difficult financial situation but alsoa structural economic deadlock. Considerthis: there is social interest, and correctlyso, in maintaining high levels of employ-ment. But modern market economies alsofeature a structural rise in labour produc-tivity, of perhaps 2% to 4% annually,made possible by continuous technologi-cal and organizational achievements. Thatbrings with it a structural need for ongo-ing annual economic growth in our col-lective spending! In turn, assuming pro-ductivity growth of 3.5% per year, ourproduction and consumption levels willneed to double every 20 years to preserveemployment levels.

But is that growth possible, feasibleand responsible? Such a high growth rate in rich countries would be simply

Volume 32 Number 2 Spring 20095

Getting to the heart of the economic onion— continued from the front page

— continued on page 6

Will simply swearingoff the god of Moneyimmediately restoreour real economies?

I don't think so.

Spring 2009 Volume 32 Number 26

By Henk Smidstra

Last summer Grace and I took the scenic back countryroute to Merritt, British Columbia. A bit nerve-wracking,it took us over rough, narrow, winding gravel and logging

roads. The only signs along the road were huge yellow ones thatdrew our attention to the fact that all property on both sides ofthe road was private and warned that “Violators Will BeProsecuted” – little comfort in this remote but beautiful land-scape.

The signs certainly didn’t make us feel welcome or at home– perhaps a bit guilty for enjoying forbidden beauty. However,in our rickety old RV we had our basic necessities: food, a bedand a toilet. We didn’t have to worry about finding the nearestwashroom, shelter or grocery store.

Most of us probably don’t think about it often, but NorthAmerican culture is a culture of private property and of privati-zation; a society in which public space becoming scarce. Realestate is valued above all, and it seems that the acquisition ofcapital and private possessions is what life is all about. Onemust drive for miles to feel free of being on someone else’sproperty.

We see fences and hedges and implicitly know and respectthe rules of private property. We certainly do have a right to per-sonal property, personal privacy and public safety. But in a timewhen poverty and homelessness has reached crisis proportions,and with fewer public services or spaces for the 21st century’sdisplaced to keep warm, to lay their head, where are the publicplaces – where is their “place” – where can they go to satisfytheir most basic human needs?

Imagine: no placeImagine getting off the bus in a community with implicit and

explicit private property signs on every doorway and street cor-ner: you don’t live here and get the distinct feeling that no onewants you here, either. Where do you go? Every house andestablishment has signs: “no loitering,” “no trespassing,” “forcustomer use only.” You have frumpy, mismatched clothes andyou haven’t been able to wash for a week. It is impossible tohide your unkempt hair and bad teeth and you are getting nerv-ous, you feel out of place.

Perhaps there are shelters in town, but these are usually

NO PLACE TO GO

devastating for the global environment,for poorer countries and for preserv-ing peace. Are we really structurallydoomed to strive for infinite materialeconomic growth? Does our real needfor economic recovery not simply forceus to return to this risky path as soon aspossible?

No, of course not! Thankfully, thereare far more responsible ways out of thecrisis that are both possible and feasible.But in light of what we have just seen,none of these seem possible withoutsevere structural consequences. Perhapsthis very moment of profound crisisgives us the opportunity, however pain-ful, to reflect on these consequences andto implement some necessary structuralchanges.

We need nothing less than the libera-tion of technology from its narrow, one-

sided financial orientation to enhancelabour productivity in the market sectorof our economies.

Here again we confront the rulingdomain of money. Technologies must begeared not to the highest possible short-term profitability, but rather to support-ing a sustainable future and reducing the stress on labour. While possible and feasible, it will come at the cost ofmaintaining rather than increasing ourpresent income and consumption levels.

Will modern men and women, mod-ern consumers, accept this necessaryturn? Here lies the urgent need for a neweducational task of churches, schoolsand religiously oriented organizationssuch as CPJ. What our society needsmost, especially during this crisis, is theperspective of shalom, salaam. Shalomis far richer than the growth of materialacquisition. It is a matter of following

ways of justice, stewardship, blessingand sufficiency.

We cannot and should not accept thatour present financial system drives us to always produce and consume more.Such a drive is contrary to our mandateto take care of people, to strive for peaceand to take heed of God’s creation.

A promise lies hidden in the fulfil-ment of that mandate – the promise of more meaningful employment for our children and of greater environmen-tal sustainability, including a lesserdegree of global warming than is nowpredicted.

Bob Goudzwaard is professor emeri-tus of economics and social philosophyat the Free University of Amsterdamand a former member of the DutchParliament. He is the co-author ofHope in Troubled Times: A NewVision for Confronting Global Crises.

Liberate technology, live out shalom— continued from page 5

closed during the day, and there are usually a lot of drugsaround. Where do you go during the day? If you have enoughmoney perhaps you can buy something to eat at McDonald’sand use their washroom.

Your feet are cold and sore, you are hungry and tired, andyou have no place, not merely to lay your head: you have noplace to go. Getting arrested for some vague reason may para-doxically be a “positive” solution; at least in jail you have a bed,can be warm and dry and have something to eat.

Creating a place, living radicallyJesus reminded some “wannabe” followers that they would

find his value system different from the social/ethical values andgoals of the leaders of Jerusalem and Judea. There was a radicalcost to following him. Jesus with his statement, “The foxes haveholes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hasno place to lay his head” (Mt. 8:20;Luke 9:58), made a stand with, andfor, the cause and situation of thesick, homeless and dispossessedpoor of land. In status-sensitiveIsrael, he took on the status of thoseof low or no status.

Jesus made a “heads-up” state-ment about true leadership to thefalse shepherds of Israel – leader-ship that leads to true well-being ofall, especially of the most vulnera-ble and marginalized in the land.Multitudes were being practicallytaxed to death by those who ownedthe land and wielded political andeconomic power. Many of thecrowds following Jesus were dis-possessed, homeless, sick and poor,pressing in on Jesus on every side;and Jesus was harried, pained andburdened by their plight.

With his statement, Jesus took a stand that leaves an example forus to follow. Christ implicitly high-lights the inherent right of humanflourishing, of creaturely rights tothe gifts of creation, and of rightsof all to have a living wage, clean water to drink, and enoughnutritious food to eat; to surely have a healthy place to live andto satisfy life’s basic functions. This is our Creator’s design forhuman life in his graced creation.

Speaking for today?Does the text have anything to say about social political

responsibilities today? I think so! There is a socio-economiccost to following Jesus; there are obligations to our neighboursin need. Following Jesus and what he stands for is not a naturalpersonal pathway to unprecedented prestige, profit and power.The dominant cultural values of the marketplace, and of socialelitism, then as now, rule supreme.

But now, as then, those with resources and political powerare also called to follow Jesus’ stand for the poor and homeless.In Christ, they are our neighbours, and all have a right to freshair, to food, to rest, to use the toilet and to shower.

Following Christ’s exampleFor us to take a stand and champion the values of Christ’s

health-giving rule for the poor and needy, we need to get be-yond mere charity and do justice. In memory of Jesus we seekto establish justice for the poor, sick and marginalized. Thus wechallenge and address the root causes of poverty and hunger,many of them structural and politicised.

Shelters are good, but they are only that – shelters – nothousing. We are called to work collaboratively to create strate-gies to establish empowering communities that express God’sdesign for human life. In other words, we must ask ourMembers of Parliament and provincial and municipal stewardsto get beyond a kind of minimal ethics of food banks, sheltersand jails.

We must advocate, for instance, for policies that provide low-cost and affordable housing, andcall the government to establish liv-ing wages. The chronically unem-ployed need support, and structuredhousing is needed for those strug-gling with mental illness. Theworking poor need relief from fearof being one pay cheque away fromhomelessness.

We are called to address the rootcauses of poverty and the relatedissues of drug addiction, mental ill-ness and crime; of high mortalityrates of children and minorities; andof unhealthy, mouldy living condi-tions on many of Canada’s Nativereservations.

The causes are often not popularand not advantageous to politicianslooking for votes. Too often a com-mon adversarial stance is taken inaddressing social issues with warmetaphors, creating an us-versus-them polarity. War is declared ondrugs, on world hunger, on crimeand on poverty. However, the dan-ger is in implicitly “demonizing”resourceless human beings, virtual-

ly turning them into enemies of the state. Another stance is looking at public issues from a detached,

contractual distance: image bearers objectified as statistics orprojects, as consumers. But the illness and sickness of the mar-ginalized one affects us all; after all, these are our co-imagebearers in the land God has given us. These are public healthand wellness issues; moral and ethical issues on which we arecalled to take a stand. We are to be in compassionate solidaritywith the people involved as Christ so closely identifies with ushis people, our daily bread, our debts.

This is not a fight with abstract legislation from a distance,not merely random acts of kindness. As suffering servants, weactively call and stand for justice for those who live in poverty,too many without a place or fixed address, taking a stand forthem, for they too deserve a place of dignity in the land.

CPJ member Henk Smidstra lives in Surrey, BC, and isa chaplain at Alouette Correctional Centre for Women.

Volume 32 Number 2 Spring 20097

Do we truly welcome people to a place of dignity? All of our

neighbours deserve such a place, and we, following Jesus, have

obligations to our neighbours in need.

When I was a youngster growingup in Saint John as a Catholic,it was customary, even when

the schools were closed because of snow,to go to Mass every morning during Lent.

I recently found myself again prayingat noon during the month of March, thistime in front of the Ontario Legislature.The provincial budget was coming downat the end of March, and we stood there in prayer, theological reflection and vigil,advocating that poverty reduction be amajor way to stimulate the economy inthese recessionary times. It was a Lentenmoment for me. It was also a prayermoment for many other Christiandenominations and faiths.

A theology which is not a plan of so-cial action is merely a way of preach-ing and praying. It is a menu withoutthe dinner. (Mordecai Kaplan)

During this daily hour of prayer andreflection, we met folks who were Mus-lim, Jewish, Pagan, Lutheran, ChristianReformed, Anglican, United, Presby-terian, Catholic, Quaker, Mennonite,Humanist, Universalist and many more.What a moment of faith witness andsocial concern! In my case, the hourwas a way of saying that the biblicalstory is my first constitution and thereign of God is my first loyalty.

“…Our ancestors worshiped on thismountain, but you say that the placewhere people must worship is inJerusalem.” Jesus said to her,“Woman, believe me, the hour iscoming when you will worship theFather neither on this mountain norin Jerusalem. You worship what youdo not know; we worship what weknow, for salvation is from the Jews.But the hour is coming, and is nowhere, when the true worshipers willworship the Father in spirit and truth,for the Father seeks such as theseto worship.” (John 4:20-24)

For the author of John’s Gospel thehour of Jesus is his death and resurrection.This hour situates the life of the Christian.What does it mean to worship in spirit andtruth and not on the mountain nor in thetemple in Jerusalem?

Those gathered in the front of theOntario Legislature in Toronto began tounderstand and know the meaning.

Building a tent, togetherIn the early 1970s when the Christian

churches met to ecumenically work forjustice, the so-called church coalitionswere formed, like The Churches Taskforceon Corporate Responsibility, Canada AsiaWorking Group, the Ecumenical Coalitionfor Economic Justice. A few years agothese early coalitions came together toform KAIROS – the Canadian churchesworking ecumenically for justice.

Back in the ’70s it was not easy for usto pray together and discuss theology. Itwas easier for us to be concerned about

banking in Apartheid South Africa or Ca-nadian mining in Brazil or human rightsviolations in Central America.

The times have changed. As we stoodin front of the legislature, we were pray-ing together, discussing varied theologicalperspectives, sharing political views andholding the poor in our midst as our firstpriority as a human family. We were wor-shiping in spirit and truth. We recognizedthat we had more in common than sepa-rated us. Most of us recognized the sameGod whose presence, message and waysof celebration came among us in wonder-fully different ways. The moment was

uplifting, inspirational and peace-filled. It reminded me of the Mount of Trans-

figuration in the Scriptures where Peter,James and John witness Jesus transfiguredin the presence of Moses and Elijah. Peterwanted to build three tents to protect andkeep this moment. We too, in front of thelegislature, built a tent. It was only a roof,really, with open sides to the world pass-ing around us. The politicians, for whomwe prayed each day, along with students,business people and hospital staff pausedand gazed at us curiously.

An old theology professor once said to me, “Paul, don’t be about buildingchurches. Find out where the peopleare and put a tent over them.” Thewind blew. It was cold at times, but the spirits were warm, the conversationrich, and the prayer concerned aboutwhat truly matters.

We stood in an hour of prayer, con-versation and vigil so that povertywould be reduced in Ontario. We stoodtogether under a tent, providing a bit of shelter from the cold. It is truly ascandal that in a wealthy province likeOntario we have so many below thepoverty line, sleeping on the streets,needing child care support, housing,education and human warmth. At theend of our prayer, most of us could gohome to warm housing and relation-ships. Many in our society cannot.

When God gets up in the morning,God calls the angels together andasks: “Where does my creation needhealing?” Prayer, theology, spiritualityand vigiling is being concerned aboutwhat God is concerned about whenGod gets up in the morning. (RabbiA.J. Heschel)

For an hour every day throughout themonth of March, in front of the OntarioLegislature, people of many Christiandenominations and faiths were truly con-cerned about what God is concerned aboutwhen God gets up in the morning.

Paul Hansen, a Roman Catholicpriest of the Redemptorist Congregation,is an executive member of the InterfaithSocial Assistance Reform Coalition anda consultant to the Redemptorist work inThailand for street children with HIV/AIDS. The Ontario Legislature vigil wasorganized for ISARC by former CPJstaff member Bruce Voogd.

Spring 2009 Volume 32 Number 28

THE HOUR

Groundings

Paul Hansen at a March pre-budget prayervigil outside the Ontario Legislature.