Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice
A national faith-based organization that supports Unitarian values through action
Your CUSJ Board is monitoring key issues that are continually developing in the world and working with our partners to create pressure on government and other bodies on those issues. To see what issues we are working on, go to CUSJ Priorities. Following are a few links to actions we have taken recently: Action to … Read more
Faith Tested: Deep Throat and Zombie Credits in Glasgow. by Ahti Tolvanen, CUSJ Delegate to COP26 It began on Halloween. I was pleased to be the sole representative, of Canadian Unitarians and CUSJ on site- as well as at meetings on the COP Interfaith Liason Committee. I was also honored to accept an invitation to … Read more
CUSJ stands with former member Catherine Hembling (80 years old) (lower right speaking at the microphone). She was one of the Brunette Six who defied the court injunction, stood in the way of the Transmountain (TMX) pipeline and was arrested. She is currently serving 14 days in jail for her protest. She began her statement … Read more
This blog is by CUSJ Board member Jim Sannes, a long-time activist for reducing our meat intake and caring better for the animals we do raise for meat. Reducing meat intake and moving from industrial agriculture to agro-ecology are essential strategies in the struggle to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Originally published in The Canadian Coalition … Read more
CUSJ Joins 200 Organizations to Send A Letter to John Horgan Asking For Climate Action Thanks to the Tyee for printing the open letter Tackling the climate crisis offers an opportunity to generate new economic and social wealth as the province transforms where its energy comes from and how it is used, writes the … Read more
Permits for the Keystone XL pipeline have been cancelled by US president Biden this week, citing climate change as the reason. CUSJ has joined a coalition of climate activist groups to demand Justin Trudeau cancel the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project for the same reason. Oil companies will be pulling out all stops to … Read more
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada Langevin Block Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2 The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, P.C., M.P. Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Minister of Finance House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 CC. Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister Catherine McKenna, Minister Steven Guilbeault Dear Prime Minister and Deputy Prime … Read more
LA VERSION FRANÇAISE SUIT Canadian Unitarians For Social Justice joined with many other NGO’s, unions, and faith organizations to call our Federal Government to direct subsidies toward helping workers through transition rather than bailing out oil companies once again. March 23, 2020 To the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Cc: Federal Cabinet Ministers COVID-19 is presenting … Read more
Letter of January 21, 2020, from CUSJ President Bill Woolverton TO: Honourable Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources; Premier John Horgan; Adam Olsen, Interim Leader, Green Party of BC; Andrew Wilkinson, Leader of the BC Liberal Party; Federal Justice Minister David Lametti; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Jagmeet Singh, New Democratic Party of … Read more
CUSJ is a member of the Climate Action Network and signed on to this long but informative letter detailing what is needed in a government oriented to acting on the climate emergency. Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Congratulations on your re-election to lead Canada’s government at this pivotal time in history. The next few years are … Read more
CUSJ member Philip Symons’ concise guide, Surviving Civilization’s Collapse, explores humanity’s history, its quirky psyche, and its options for survival. I recently attended a small group video presentation (Regeneration by Daniel Wahl) and discussion on the subject of climate change. It was evident from the reactions of the attendees, that for some (activists and news … Read more
The federal Liberal government has decided not to appeal the court ruling that cancelled the pipeline based on the fact that the government failed to properly consult First Nations. The court also found the government’s approval of the project violated its responsibility to protect endangered Southern Resident killer whales, siding with Ecojustice clients Raincoast Conservation … Read more
The General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly took place between September 25 and October 1, 2018. World leaders gathered at the UN Headquarters in NYC, with a vast lineup of speakers on a variety of global issues. The September 25th speech by Antonio Guterres, Secretary General to the UN, included a … Read more
Indigenous groups and other humans who are not in climate denial have significant reason to celebrate today, as the Federal Court of Appeal has invalidated the government’s approvals to build the $7.4 billion Trans Mountain expansion project. The court, represented by Justice Eleanor Dawson, found that the federal cabinet based its approval of the pipeline … Read more
At the 35 second mark, there is a beautiful pronouncement by Rev. Emilie Smith.
In one of the many UU forums out there, a UU from Alberta expressed the view that not all UUs think pipelines are a bad thing. This person wrote: I do not see an end to the need for fossil fuels in my lifetime, even if all of our governments immediately agreed on a plan … Read more
Mr. Trudeau, lately, we are bombarded with media sound bites in which you claim that the Kinder Morgan Trans-mountain pipeline is “in the national interest”. Ahem. Canada is not a corporation. This pipeline is not in the national interest: This pipeline is not in the interest of British Columbians who bear the risk to their environment … Read more
This letter, by CUSJ Past President Frances Deverell, was published in the Victoria Times Colonist. In the National Interest? According to Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Horgan should compromise because this pipeline is in the national interest. Why is that? He doesn’t say. I see the national interest as one where all of us move in a … Read more
Above: On April 12th, a group of artists form a blockade in front of the gates of Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby Mountain tank farm as part of ongoing Indigenous-led resistance. “Let’s not forget in all the provincial and federal squabbling that the company still doesn’t have Indigenous consent and never will,” said Will George, Watch House project … Read more
CUSJ’s JUSTnews editor Philip Symons has just published a new Discussion Paper from the July 10 2017 New York Times article on Climate Change, providing example after example of what awaits us. To summarize: Doomsday ‘Over the past decades, our culture has gone apocalyptic with zombie movies and Mad Max dystopias, perhaps the collective result of … Read more