Advocacy

Together with our partners, we firmly believe in our responsibility to bear witness and speak up for the communities we work with, and to educate Canadians about the devastating impact that our lifestyles and policy choices may have on people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

This aspect of our mission has particular significance in today's globalized world, which is affected by factors ranging from the activities of unregulated financial institutions, to commodity prices, to the role played by resource extraction industries, to immigration policies — most of which are determined by powerful rich nations. The consequences range from armed conflict to economic or governance crisis, hitting the poor hardest of all.

Canada's mining corporations, for example, are held responsible for causing widespread population displacement, environmental degradation, destruction of livelihoods and mindless violence in Africa, Asia and in Latin America.

Advocacy through education

We engage in educational advocacy through our publications and educational events in parishes, churches and schools.

Advocacy through partnerships

To influence policy debates and decision-making, we work in partnership with human rights organizations and advocacy groups and coalitions both in Canada and internationally, and are linked to a network of Ignatian advocacy networks — networks of the Society of Jesus.