International Day of Peace (2014) by Renée Vaugeois

Last night I went out to take our dog Oshi for a walk. It was 8:30 so it was getting dark. There was a point as I was walking toward the treed off-leash area that I hesitated and questioned whether I should go ahead. Common parlance for women at night.

I realized however that a woman walking at night with a Rottweiller won’t likely be bothered by anyone. Then I couldn’t help but think about two friends of mine who have been recently homeless for well over a month and how vulnerable the woman would have been if she would have been homeless on her own. I then couldn’t help but think about the fact that Indigenous women carry a heavy burden of poverty in Canada and here we are with a crisis of missing and murdered women and girls. 

I was extremely excited this year when the Honourable Mayor Don Iveson launched off the Task Force on the Elimination of Poverty.  I have been hopeful in the City Council and their commitment to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. Leading up to this, I have been privy to work with Amarjeet Sohi for example over the past eight years working to build an Edmonton for All; where racism did not exist. 

It was at the launch of the Task Force however that I became increasingly concerned about whose voices are consistently left out of decision making tables. While policymakers talk about engagement of diverse voices at the table - I can’t help but notice at every table I sit at, the predominance of privilege and lack of diversity.

It was at the Task Force that we at the John Humphrey Centre made the commitment to stand beside the City of Edmonton in this effort to address poverty and work to be a space for voices often not heard.

On Tuesday night, I am incredibly honoured to announce the launch of our eighth annual Youth Action Project - this year a group of impassioned young Edmontonians, many who directly experience poverty, who are committed to work together to build an action plan to address poverty. They will present this to the Task Force and City before the final plan is drafted. 

With three out of ten people living in Edmonton being children under the age of 18, we believe that bring the young voice forward in decision making around poverty is critical. We hope we can shift some mindsets. In the process as well, a number of the us are getting involved on working groups with the City to make sure voices at the table are diverse and represent the young generation. 

As we are here on the International Day of Peace, we stand together at an interesting precipice of time.  I have to admit, I am trying to convince myself lately that perhaps I am paranoid but I can’t help but wonder about tomorrow with fear and anxiety.  

We aren’t managing well on Earth. I feel that in so many ways we are falling apart at the seams. our world of overconsumption, disposability, bargains and convenience is killing us.  

Caribou Mating (Lac La Biche)

whaling and fishing

natural disasters

dispossession and accumulation

precariousness of those out of peripheral

We have more to distract us from ourselves and each other. I recall seeing a recent article where I think it was around 82% of people hated the thought of being alone with themselves with nothing. That is scary. Our mental health is overwhelming us and generally it seems we aren’t coping well. And because we are so distracted with everything else, who could be bothered with caring if those that govern us are accountable, transparent, democratic or legitimate.

Now more than ever, we need to find 

peace with the earth,

peace with ourselves, and

peace with each other.

I see people fighting at all levels to make meaningful change. There is incredible devotion from those committed to peace. I see this in people like Douglas Roche, Colleen Ring and many of you here in this room. I see hope in the amazing things that we are able to achieve together. We need to continue to build on our trust of one another and continue to grow as a community; a community committed to peace.

Whether it’s 

The surgency in Iraq...

the turmoils of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

the rising rate of environmental refugees and displaced persons...

the scourge of the Ebola virus...

the women and children alone on our streets...

We have our work cut out for us. But we can celebrate today - as with all those around the world - that here right now we stand together in peace and solidarity.