Rosemary Brown, MPP contributed to peace through her advocacy work for the black community and women everywhere. #Canada150

Rosemary Brown (d. April 26, 2003) has the distinction of being Canada’s first Black female member of a provincial legislature and the first woman to run for leadership of a federal political party.

Brown was born in Jamaica to a politically minded family. She immigrated to Canada in 1951 to pursue post-secondary studies in social work at McGill University (BA) and the University of British Columbia (Masters of Social Work). Following graduation, Brown became involved with the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and Voice of Women. She also worked briefly with the Children’s Aid Society and as a counsellor at Simon Fraser University.

During the turbulence of the 1960s Brown found renewed purpose in her role as a political advocate against both racism and sexism. She brought that level of awareness to her role as Ombudswoman and founding member of the Vancouver Status of Women Council (VSW). In 1972 Brown entered provincial politics as a New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate, becoming the first Black woman to sit in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

During her 14 years as MLA, Brown created a committee to remove sexism in British Columbia’s educational material and was instrumental in the formation of the Berger Commission on the Family.

Brown retired from the provincial legislature in 1988 and turned her attention to international advocacy. She became the CEO of the advocacy group MATCH International Women’s Fund, serving for three years and holding additional positions thereafter. In 1993, Brown was named chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, a position she held until 1996, all the while continuing her work with MATCH.

In recognition of her exceptional life of public service, Brown was awarded numerous national and international distinctions, including a total of 15 honorary doctorates from Canadian universities, the Order of British Columbia (1995), the Order of Canada (Officer, 1996), and in 1973 the United Nations’ Human Rights Fellowship.

“To be black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up…We must open the doors and we must see to it they remain open, so that others can pass through.”

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John Pearson, architect, contributed to peace through his design of the iconic Peace Tower in the centre block of Canada’s parliament buildings.  #Canada150

The Peace Tower is architect John A. Pearson’s response to the horrors of World War I: an expression of peace in stone. It was designed to not only to stand as an architectural feature and landmark, but also to function as a memorial to Canadians who had given their lives during the Great War. In a letter to Prime Minster McKenzie King in 1927 John Pearson wrote, “In all my thought of the tower, peace was dominant. I believe there is a quiet peaceful dignity about it. I somehow bring myself to read it that way – no matter what troubles or worries and differences of opinion take place in the building. I feel that one cannot approach the building up the centre road without experiencing its mute appeal for toleration, moderation, dignity and peace.”

The Peace Tower houses the Memorial Chamber, a vaulted 7.3 m by 7.3 m (24 ft by 24 ft) room directly above the porte-cochere, with stained glass windows and various other features illustrating Canada’s war record, such as the brass plates made from spent shell casings found on battlefields that were inlaid into the floor, and bore the name of each of Canada’s major conflicts during the First World War. Stone that architect John Pearson personally collected from the main European battlefields where Canadians were killed is included in the floors and walls. Pearson described the room, also called the Memorial Chapel, as a “sacred grove in the middle of the forest.”

The stone walls were originally to have been inscribed with the names of all Canada’s servicemen and women who had died during the First World War; but, without enough space for all 66,000 names, it was later decided to place Books of Remembrance there instead. The books list all Canadian soldiers, airmen, and seamen who died in service of the Crown—whether that of Britain (before 1931) or that of Canada (after 1931)—or allied countries in foreign wars, including the Nile Expedition and Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War. The books are displayed in glass cases on seven altars around the chamber, the pages of each book turned at 11 a.m. daily so every name is on display to visitors at least once during each calendar year.

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The John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies contribute to peace by advocating for prison reform and providing services to prisoners. #Canada150

“When thee builds a prison, thee had better build with the thought ever in thy mind that thee and thy children may occupy the cells.” – Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845)

Based on the example of their namesakes, these societies provided service and advocacy for prisoners and ex-prisoners.

Elizabeth Fry, a Quaker, visited Newgate Prison in 1813 and was appalled by the conditions she found. Her insight, persistence, organizational ability and her willingness to see a spark of the divine in every person resulted in striking reforms taking place in the treatment of women and children London’s Newgate Prison. She was a strong proponent of humane treatment for prisoners and regarded by many as a leading expert in prison reform.

John Howard was an 18th century Englishman who spent five years in French dungeons. Later, as Sheriff of Bedford he was tasked with inspecting local prisons. Shocked by the corruption, stench, filth, starvation and disease he saw in the jails, he dedicated his life to improving prison conditions throughout England, Wales and continental Europe. His famous report, On the State of Prisons in England and Wales led to legislation against the more obvious evils of the system, and slowly moved public opinion to favour more humane prison conditions.

The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) is an association of self- governing, community-based Elizabeth Fry Societies that work with and for women and girls in the justice system, particularly those who are, or may be, criminalized. Together, Elizabeth Fry Societies develop and advocate the beliefs, principles and positions that guide CAEFS. The association exists to ensure substantive equality in the delivery and development of services and programs through public education, research, legislative and administrative reform, regionally, nationally and internationally. CAEFS work to increase public awareness and promotion of decarceration for women; reduce the numbers of women who are criminalized and imprisoned in Canada; increase the availability of community-based, publicly funded, social service, health and educational resources available for marginalized, victimized, criminalized, and imprisoned women; and to work collaboratively with other women’s groups working to address poverty, racism, and other forms of oppression.

Elizabeth Fry Societies have developed a number of position papers on issues; such as, the LSD experiments on women at the Kingston Prison for Women, deaths in custody, and literacy, as well as numerous papers on the experience of Indigenous women in the justice system. They provided recommendations to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the need for the Commission, the impact of Residential Schools on Indigenous women, the criminalization and over-incarceration of Indigenous women, the over policing and under-protecting of Indigenous women in the community, the child welfare crisis, the need to keep Indigenous women from being incarcerated to begin with, and the inequity of security assessments that experience in prison.

The John Howard Society depends heavily on public involvement to deliver and shape their programs. Volunteers are extensively involved in the direct work of delivering services and programs to young offenders including education for youth at the primary prevention level, training and employment services for youth, counseling (some specific to problems such as drug and alcohol abuse and sexual offending), literacy and/or life skills programs for youth, supervision of young offender Community Service Orders, young offender Victim Offender Reconciliation/Restitution programs, young offender Attendance Centre programs, and residential programs.  At the provincial/territorial and national levels, activities have included providing testimony in a professional capacity at young offender transfer hearings, preparing community education bulletins, position papers and briefs related to the issues of youth crime and young offenders and working with a coalition of organizations and individuals concerned about the welfare of children who may be at risk of coming into conflict with the law.

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Ryan Hreljac contributes to peace as founder of Ryan’s Well which provides potable water to communities in need. #Canada150

Ryan’s Well Foundation was established to build wells and sanitation projects and educate children worldwide about sanitation and safe water. In 2009, there were an estimated 300 million people in Africa who did not have access to clean water. This number rose to 1 billion in 2014. The foundation has three ways to educate school children about water issues, the Youth in Action program, the Getting Involved program and the School Challenge program.

As a six year old schoolchild Ryan Hreljac learned of the obstacles people in Africa face in getting fresh, clean water. He learned that illness came from intestinal worms and bacteria, and that children often missed school because they were sick from dirty water, and that others died from diseases like water-born typhoid.

Hreljac began raising money for those affected by the global water crisis by doing household chores, which netted him $70 over a four month period. Within twelve months he had raised $2,000, which was the cost to build a well, according to WaterCan, a non-profit organization that provides clean water in poor countries. In January 1999, he sent the money to WaterCan, who drilled the first Ryan’s well in northern Uganda beside the Angolo Public School. It was built by The Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR). In two years, Ryan raised $61,000, and the Canadian International Development Agency heard of matched $2 for every dollar that he raised.

“My advice to anyone is that in order to make a positive change in the world, you need to find something you are passionate about and then you need to take steps to act. For me, the issue is water and sanitation…You’re never too young and never too old to make a difference.”

 

The Foundation has completed over 900 water projects including wells, protected springs and rain harvesting tanks providing water to more than 824,038 people in:

East Africa: Uganda and Kenya

West Africa: Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo

Americas: Haiti

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Climate Activists contribute to peace through their advocacy and action on behalf of the planet and all living things. #Canada150

Every province and territory of Canada has climate change advocates and organizations that have brought to public attention the evidence of climate change. In northern Canada, especially the three territories, many advocates have incorporated insights from indigenous knowledge, particularly the knowledge of the elders in their climate change advocacy. In the large cities of Canada climate change advocates have based their advocacy primarily on many, many studies; global and local, documenting the speed and depth of climate change.

Most scientists attribute climate change to the activity of humankind, concluding that if human actions are the source of significant climate change, we should also be able to both slow and prevent it from happening. In spite of the mounting evidence, there remain some who assert that climate change is natural, has occurred before, and therefore is nothing to be alarmed about. Such assertions have been employed by politicians and corporate interests alike in attempt to depict climate change advocates as being extremists and/or against progress.

In Canada, many efforts to protect our environment have been inspired by the recent Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015), and continue to be fueled by the courage of individuals and organizations on the local, national and international stages. Statements by many religious leaders have also contributed to meaningful action, including the first encyclical by Pope Francis (Laudato ‘Si).

Among the countless contributions to the climate change movement, most Canadians would recognize the work of leaders like the women of the Mother Earth Water Walk, Dr. David Suzuki, Elizabeth May, Naomi Klein, Theresa Spence, Maude Barlow and so many others. Who would you add to this list? Perhaps yourself?

Thank you to climate activists everywhere!

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Dr. Jennie Trout contributed to peace by pioneering the advancement of women in the field of medicine in Canada.  #Canada150

The names of women are conspicuously absent from the lists of famous Canadian medical pioneers. Historically, the male medical establishment was hostile to the idea of educated and paid female doctors. During the 19^th century Canadian women were struggling for the mere right to practice medicine. For them, acceptance into a medical school was a major achievement. The two women most responsible for breaking down the barriers and advancing medical training for women in Canada were Emily Stowe and Jennie Kidd Trout. In 1875, Jennie Trout became the first woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada.

Born in 1841, Trout grew up on a farm near Stratford, Ontario. Upon graduation, she became a teacher in Stratford; a role she continued until she married Edward Trout in 1865. Soon after marriage she became ill for many years. When she recovered, she decided to become a physician. Her plans were encouraged by her husband, as well as by her longtime friend and mentor, Emily Stowe, who had been practicing medicine in Toronto since 1867 although she was not licensed by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.

When the Toronto School of Medicine reluctantly allowed Jennie Trout and Emily Stowe to attend lectures, it was on the condition that they “make no fuss, whatever happened.” Led by the lecturers themselves, the male students jeered at the women. Obscene sketches had to be white-washed from the walls four times in the course of the lectures. Finally, Trout went to the United States for her medical education. She returned to Canada in 1875 with a medical degree from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. She went on to practice medicine at Toronto’s Therapeutic and Electrical Institute until 1882.

When poor health forced her to retire she began working toward the establishment of a Canadian women’s medical college. After a long campaign to gather support for the college, Trout had another fight to see that women could sit on the college’s board of governors. Finally, the Women’s Medical College at Kingston opened on October 2, 1883, partly supported by a large financial contribution from Trout herself. Dr. Jennie Trout opened the door for the many Canadian women doctors who came after her.

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“Avi” Lewis contributes to peace through his work as an activist,  broadcaster and documentary film producer. #Canada150

Avram David “Avi” Lewis is the creator of a number of thought-provoking documentaries and TV content on political and current issues. He is the former host of the Al Jazeera English show Fault Lines and former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation current-affairs programs CounterSpin and On the Map. He has served as MuchMusic’s political specialist, providing extensive special events coverage to engage youth in the political process, for which he received a Gemini Award.

He comes by his political inclinations and activities naturally. Avi is the grandson of former federal NDP leader, David Lewis, and the son of politician and diplomat, Stephen Lewis, and journalist and peace activist, Michele Landsberg. Lewis and his wife, social activist Naomi Klein, collaborate on many social justice issues through their writing and film-making.

Lewis directed the 2015 feature-length documentary This Changes Everything, which finished second in the audience voting, for the documentary category at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

“Find an organization, shoot them an email, call them up, find them on Facebook and say “Hey, I want to volunteer.” And that first step could lead to a whole life of engagement. It could be a pretty exciting ride.”

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Gwynne Dyer contributes to peace as a writer, historian and film maker, focusing on war, climate change and international relations. #Canada150

“We’re not doomed. We’re just in big trouble.”

Gwynne Dyer’s newspaper column on international affairs is published in 175 papers in 45 countries. Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Dyer joined the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve at 16. He earned a B.A. in history from Memorial University of Newfoundland, an M.A. in military history from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and a Ph.D. in military and Middle Eastern history at King’s College London. Dyer has served in the Canadian, American and British naval reserves. He was a senior lecturer in war studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Dyer began his journalism career in 1973, writing articles for British newspapers on the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 1983 he gained notoriety for his documentary film miniseries War.

“Only in the past century have large numbers of people begun to question the basic assumption of civilized societies that war is inevitable and often useful …. (War?) Good riddance.”

The third part of the series entitled The Profession of Arms was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. He has produced several other film documentaries as well as a number of books and radio documentary programs. Dyer is a recipient of the Order of Canada.

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War Artists and Photographers contribute to peace through their creation of evocative images which challenge our thinking about war. #Canada150

Serving in both official and civilian capacities, Canadians have generated important visual records of Canadian involvement in war. Using painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital installations, film, poetry, choreography, music and more, they have created profound renderings of war.

The many works produced by both visual artists and photographers record several aspects of war, including the individual’s experience of war, whether allied or enemy, service or civilian, military or political, social or cultural. The truths revealed by these artists and their work embrace the causes, course and consequences of conflict and though often seen as an essentially educational tool, now is appreciated more broadly as a culturally independent act of witness to such tragic events.

War artists included a select group who were employed on contract, or commissioned to produce specific works during the First World War, the Second World War and select military actions in the post-war period. This group includes members of the still operational Canadian Forces Artist Program.

“What each of you achieved on the artist’s canvas is more profound and more powerful than any words can express.” Hon. Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs

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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms contributes to peace as a big step towards ensuring basic rights & freedoms for all.#Canada150

The Charter came into effect under the Canada Act which repatriated the Canadian Constitution in 1982. It enshrined individual rights and brought them under judicial review rather than parliamentary review. It was recognized that all Canadians have the right to have the Supreme Court examine cases where rights may have been violated or laws are believed to violate individual rights.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Charter guarantees certain political rights to Canadian citizens and civil rights of everyone in Canada from the policies and actions of all areas and levels of the government. It is designed to unify Canadians around a set of principles that embody those rights.

The Charter was preceded by the Canadian Bill of Rights, which was enacted in 1960. However, the Bill of Rights is only a federal statute, rather than a constitutional document. As a federal statute, it can be amended through the ordinary legislative process and has no application to provincial laws. The Supreme Court of Canada also narrowly interpreted the Bill of Rights and the Court had been reluctant to declare laws inoperative. The relative ineffectiveness of the Canadian Bill of Rights motivated many to improve rights protections in Canada. The movement for human rights and freedoms that emerged after World War II also wanted to entrench the principles enunciated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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