Author Archives: Conscience Canada

For both Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford and Dr. Linda Thyer, health encompasses much more than personal wellbeing. Mary-Wynne worked vigorously towards nuclear disarmament until her recent death; Linda wanted to honour her memory and found this article, http://www.peacemagazine.org/archive/v14n1p25.htm remarkable because it’s so relevant, even though it’s over 20 years old: . It’s also remarkable that both women speak of the need for a new ethic, Mary-Wynne in that article, and Linda when she spoke in September at an anti-pipeline rally, urging us to “also address the crisis of ethos and spirit that our society faces. If we are to allow the Earth to heal, we must also heal our society’s ways.”

Remembrance Day will soon be here. It’s fascinating to learn that the author of the iconic poem, In Flanders Fields, John McCrae, was apparently urging us to resist the spirit of warfare. To learn more, check out our Remembrance Day Education Kit, available on our “Resources” page. Also: https://www.theregis.ca/politics-social/the-poppy-s-war-against-war/  & http://peacemagazine.org/archive/v29n4p27.htm .

“The Fund was established decades ago as part of our efforts to withold any support from war and militarism.” explains President Jan Slakov. “As we go through a period of transition, we want to make sure that people who have deposited money in the Fund know that it’s shutting down, so they can decide whether to ask us to return their deposits or allow the funds to be redirected to Conscience Canada’s operational costs.”

Conscience Canada intends to maintain its Peace Tax Return and letter-writing option, available on its website. Its board is exploring ways to help conscientious objectors to redirect resources from death and destruction towards life and health.

For more information, contact:

info@consciencecanada.ca
or contact Jan Slakov, president of CC at (604) 223-9328.
www.consciencecanada.ca

William Watson won this year’s War Abolisher of the Year award (selected by World Beyond War) for this wonderful film. Lots to learn, to rejoice in and to be inspired by! Here is the link to the film on vimeo: https://vimeo.com/490372154

We know the roots of war go much deeper than individual participation. They include our worldview, our values and the systems we are part of. With this in mind, we share Robin Wall Kimmerer’s article, The Serviceberry: an economy of abundance. Thank you to Emergence Magazine for permission to share, and to illustrator Christelle Enault!

Having been involved in Conscience Canada for over 40 years now, I [Jan Slakov] have seen our thinking evolve. The threat of nuclear war is still present, but is now in some ways eclipsed by other threats, notably ecological collapse.

We see the roots of these threats as inextricably related; we know that, in our efforts to defend the earth, there is a real need to defund war.

So it’s truly heartening to see that some young people share this view and are working for change. Let’s do our best to support Kasha Sequoia Slavner and her team with their film, “1.5 Degrees of Peace”.

Learn more here: https://www.1point5degreesofpeace.com/

Conscience Canada will have a “virtual booth” at the World Beyond War conference starting July 8. There’s still time to register! See: https://act.worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2022/