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Canada’s role in the struggle between human rights and corporate rights

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When we think about international development and its goal of improving the standard of living of people in the global south, we really need to start at home and look at how our own country’s policies – particularly trade policies – affect human rights.

International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signs the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signs the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

Canada and the countries with which we have signed International Investment Agreements (IIAs) are also signatories to numerous human rights treaties. Yet in spite of article 103 of the United Nations Charter stating that human rights obligations shall prevail when there is a conflict between human rights treaties and other agreements, it is the trade agreements that enjoy strong enforcement mechanisms.

A strong case in point is the International Investment Agreement Canada implemented with Colombia in 2011. The Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA) is just one of 57 IIAs signed by Canada as of January 1 2015. Like other agreements, the CCOFTA promotes market liberalization, privatization and deregulation, but it differs from the others in that it also requires a yearly report on the agreement’s impact on human rights.

Colombia’s tarnished human rights record includes the dismal status of leading the world in killings of trade unionists. But the country also contains extensive mineral and oil deposits that Canada’s extractive industry was hungering to get a bigger slice of. Adding the annual Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) was the then-opposition Liberal’s price for endorsing the Conservative government’s treaty with Colombia.

A recent report by the Canadian Council for International Cooperation’s Colombia Working Group found that the HRIA reports filed by the Canadian government annually since 2011 do not even examine the human rights impact of Canadian investment in the extractive industry.

The CCOFTA provides generous investment protections for the Canadian extractive industry investment with investor-state arbitration provisions to guarantee those rights, but only voluntary and unenforceable provisions for corporate social responsibility.

With the recent signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership, the new government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to signal a continued commitment to free trade and the enshrining of corporate rights. In his mandate letter to International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Prime Minister Trudeau states that a priority of her ministry must be to “Refocus Canada’s development assistance on helping the poorest and most vulnerable…” Putting human rights before corporate rights is one way the government could achieve this mandate.

Although International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has cautioned that “There is a big difference between signing and ratifying”, the Liberal Party made clear their support for free trade in their campaign platform. The Government of Canada has committed to consulting with Canadians before ratifying the agreement. If you would like to share your views on the TPP with the government, visit
http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/tppptp/index.aspx?lang=eng, where the government provides an email for feedback.


Urgent Action: Environmental Activist Assassinated in Honduras

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Witness to the assassination of Honduran indigenous and environmental activist Berta Cáceres being held in Honduras.

Urge Canadian & Honduran authorities to take action

CoDevelopment Canada joins the many organizations expressing condemnation of the assassination of Berta Cáceres, general coordinator and co-founder of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH).

Berta CaceresMs. Cáceres was killed in La Esperanza, Intibuca on March 3rd after several individuals broke into the house where she was staying and shot and killed her. We are also very concerned for the safety of Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican colleague of Ms. Cáceres, who witnessed and survived her assassination, and who is now being held in Honduras.

Ms. Cáceres’ murder was witnessed by Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican citizen and colleague from the organization Otros Mundos Chiapas. Mr. Castro has fully cooperated with all aspects of the investigation into Ms. Cáceres’ assassination. On Sunday, March 6th, Mr. Castro attempted to leave Honduras legally and with protection from the Mexican Embassy in Honduras, but was detained by Honduran authorities at the airport under the argument that he had to give additional testimony, without having received prior notification of this. Honduran authorities then insisted on conducting additional interviews with Mr. Castro in Intibuca instead of from the safety of the Mexican Embassy in Tegucigalpa.

After assuring Mr. Soto verbally that he could leave Honduras after giving additional Gustavo Castrotestimony, the Honduran Attorney General then issued a 30 day migratory alert requiring Mr. Soto to remain in Honduras, in spite of already having participated fully in the investigation. It is vitally important to highlight that Mexico and Honduras have a treaty for mutual cooperation in criminal investigations, under whose terms Gustavo could continue to participate in the investigation from Mexico. There is no need for him to remain in Honduras and it is urgent that Honduran authorities revoke his migratory alert and that, together with Mexican authorities, ensure his safety and safe passage home as soon as possible.

Furthermore, Berta’s family and her organization COPINH have been speaking out against the manipulation of the investigation into her murder, as rather than questioning the people that Berta was denouncing for threats and as being her paid assassins, the investigation has been oriented to further persecute and criminalize COPINH.

Please join CoDevelopment in signing the two letters below. The first letter calls on the Canadian Government to: urge the Honduran government to revoke the migratory alert that keeps Gustavo in Honduras and guarantee his safe and prompt return to Mexico; urge the Mexican government to maintain and strengthen measures for Gustavo’s physical and psychological well-being in Honduras and safe return to Mexico; urge for the involvement of independent, international investigators specifically in coordination with the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), given the weakness of the Honduran justice system and lack of political will to ensure a full and impartial investigation of Berta Cáceres’ assassination.

The second letter calls on Honduran authorities to lift the migratory alert and allow Mr. Castro to leave Honduras, and calls on the Mexican authorities to take greater actions to pressure the Government of Honduras to allow Mr. Castro to leave Honduras.

Urgent Action 1: Letter to Canadian Authorities

If you wish to copy your MP on this action, add their email address here. If you don't know your MP's email address, you can find it here
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Urgent Action 2: Letter to Honduran Authorities

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International Women’s Day 2016

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As we continue to mourn the death of the courageous Indigenous Leader Bertha Caceres just a few days ago, let’s remember that March 8 is not just another day on the calendar. It’s a day for action, for honouring and remembering, and for supporting the incredible women who fought and who continue to fight for real and meaningful change…change for the girls and women of this world, and inevitably for all of society. We encourage you to #PledgeForParity.

Berta CaceresSince it was first celebrated more than 100 years ago, International Women’s Day (IWD) has honoured the political, social, cultural and economic achievements of women around the world.

Borne from the labour movement at the turn of the 20th Century and organized by the Socialist Party of America, IWD was first celebrated in memory of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union. In those early years, employees worked 65-75 hours per week, sometimes until dawn. Often they had to provide their own needles, thread, knives, irons, occasionally their own sewing machines. To protest these conditions and led by Clara Lemlich, some 20,000 workers walked off the job. The strike lasted from November 1909 to February 2010. A groundswell of public opinion favouring the striking workers forced management’s hand and a “protocol of peace” saw the workers return to work.

The Socialist International Meeting of 1910 in Copenhagen, established a Women’s Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women’s rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. Throughout the decades that followed, the idea of IWD was celebrated though not formally attached to March 8 until 1975 during International Women’s Year. It has been so ever since.

This year’s theme is Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality” A corollary campaign is also underway to encourage participation in the movement: #PledgeForParity, a reference to the fact that gender parity has slowed in many parts of the world. Organizers of this year’s events are asking its supporters to #PledgeforParity in order to up that pace. Here is a useful resource list to help guide you through the campaign.

While we have seen improvements in much of the developed world, there still exist ingrained discriminatory practices leading to desperate inequalities as relates to poverty, healthcare, violence against women, and so much more. International Women’s Day turns our attention to these facts.

  • It is estimated that one in three women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives. (UN, 2015)
  • More 700 million women alive today were married when they were under 18, with approximately 250 million married before the age of 15. (UNICEF, 2014)
  • Globally, women make up just 22% of parliamentarians. (Inter-Parliamentary Union 2014)
  • In a study of 173 countries 155 have at least one legal difference restricting women’s economic opportunities. Of those, 100 have laws that restrict the types of jobs that women can do, and in 18 husbands can prevent their wives from accepting jobs. (World Bank, 2015)
  • Only 4% of signatories in 31 major peace processes between 1992 and 2011 were women: 2.4% of chief mediators, 3.7% of witnesses and 9% of negotiators were women. (UN Women, 2011)

Action urgente après l’assassinat d’une militante écologiste au Honduras

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Un témoin de l’assassinat de la militante écologiste et autochtone hondurienne Berta Cáceres est retenu au Honduras

Les autorités canadiennes et honduriennes doivent agir

CoDevelopment Canada joins the many organizations expressing condemnation of the assassination of Berta Cáceres, general coordinator and co-founder of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH).

Berta CaceresCoDevelopment Canada joint sa voix à celles de plusieurs organisations qui condamnent ouvertement l’assassinat de Berta Cáceres, coordonnatrice générale et co-fondatrice du Conseil national des organismes populaires et autochtones du Honduras (le COPINH).
Mme Cáceres a été assassinée à La Esperanza, dans le département d’Intibucá, le 3 mars. Des individus se sont introduits dans la maison qu’elle occupait et l’ont tuée par balle. Nous craignons vivement pour la sécurité de Gustavo Castro Soto, un collègue mexicain de Mme Cáceres, qui a été témoin de son assassinat et a survécu au drame. Il est actuellement détenu au Honduras.

Gustavo Castro Soto, citoyen mexicain et collègue de l’organisation Otros Mundos Chiapas, a été témoin de l’assassinat de Mme Cáceres. M. Soto avait pleinement collaboré à tous les volets de l’enquête sur l’assassinat de Mme Cáceres. Le dimanche 6 mars, alors qu’il tentait de quitter le Honduras légalement avec la protection de l’ambassade du Mexique au Honduras, M. Soto a été arrêté et détenu par les autorités honduriennes à l’aéroport sous prétexte qu’il devait poursuivre son témoignage sans avis préalable. Les autorités honduriennes ont ensuite insisté pour que l’interrogatoire de M. Soto se poursuive au sein du département d’Intibucá plutôt qu’en lieu sûr à l’ambassade du Mexique à Tegucigalpa.

Après avoir donné à M. Soto l’assurance verbale qu’il pourrait quitter le Honduras après Gustavo Castroavoir complété son témoignage, le procureur général hondurien a émis une alerte migratoire de 30 jours obligeant M. Soto de demeurer dans le pays, et ce, malgré qu’il avait déjà pleinement collaboré à l’enquête. Il faut savoir que le Mexique et le Honduras sont signataires d’un traité qui prévoit la coopération dans les enquêtes criminelles et en vertu duquel Gustavo aurait pu continuer de participer à l’enquête depuis le Mexique. Rien ne justifie qu’il soit retenu au Honduras, et il est urgent que les autorités honduriennes révoquent l’alerte migratoire dont il est l’objet et collaborent avec les autorités mexicaines pour assurer son retour sécuritaire au Mexique dès que possible.

De plus, la famille de Berta ainsi que le COPINH dénoncent la manipulation de l’enquête menée sur l’assassinat, car, plutôt que d’interroger les personnes dont Bertha dénonçait les menaces et qui sont soupçonnées d’être des tueurs à gage, l’enquête est orientée de sorte à davantage persécuter et criminaliser le COPINH.

CoDevelopment vous invite à signer les deux lettres ci-dessous. La première lettre demande au gouvernement du Canada de faire pression sur le gouvernement hondurien pour que soit révoquée l’alerte migratoire en vertu de laquelle Gustavo est retenu au Honduras et qu’il soit promptement retourné en toute sécurité au Mexique, d’insister pour que le gouvernement mexicain maintienne et renforce les mesures assurant le bien-être physique et psychologique de Gustavo au Honduras et son retour au Mexique sain et sauf, de demander la participation d’enquêteurs internationaux indépendants agissant de concert avec la Commission interaméricaine des droits de l’homme (CIDH) vu l’inefficacité du système judiciaire du Honduras et l’absence de volonté politique d’assurer une enquête complète et impartiale sur l’assassinat de Berta Cáceres.

La deuxième lettre demande aux autorités honduriennes de lever l’alerte migratoire et de permettre à M. Soto de quitter le Honduras. On y demande également aux autorités mexicaines d’intensifier les pressions sur le gouvernement du Honduras pour que M. Soto soit autorisé à quitter le Honduras.

Urgent Action 3: French Letter to Canadian Authorities

If you wish to copy your MP on this action, add their email address here. If you don't know your MP's email address, you can find it here
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Urgent Action 2: Letter to Honduran Authorities

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Urgent Action: Increasing Death Threats in Colombia

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New Round of Death Threats against Union Leaders and Human Rights Defenders in Colombia

CoDevelopment Canada’s Colombian partner NOMADESC has informed us of a new round of death threats against numerous human rights defenders and union leaders in the Valle de Cauca region by the paramilitary group Gaitanistas Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC). This is the latest incident in a recent increase in human rights abuses in Colombia.

On April 11th 2016, a series of envelopes containing threatening messages from the paramilitary group Gaitanistas Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) were discovered at the Colombian Labour Central (CUT), Solidarity Committee with Political Prisoners (CSPP) and NOMADESC main offices.

The envelopes were slipped underneath the doors of the above-mentioned organizations and were addressed to Martha Giraldo, technical secretary of MOVICE in Valle (National Movement of State Crime Victims); Jose Milciades Sanchez of SINTRAUNICOL (National Union of University Workers and Employees of Colombia); Walter Agredo of CSPP (Solidarity Committee with Political Prisoners) and Wilson Sáenz of the CUT-Valle (Colombian Labour Central).

The messages declare the following people military targets, and warn that anyone accompanying them will be gunned down: Walter Agredo, Rodrigo Vargas, Hernán Arciniegas, Wilson Sáenz, Julián Lozano, José Milciades Sánchez, Martha Giraldo, Ariel Díaz, Edison Méndez, Carlos Murcia, Ismael Hurtado, Henry Domínguez, Jorge Iván Vélez, Albert Quintero and Antonio Gutiérrez, as well as making reference to the Congress of the People. Mr. Sáenz, Mr. Lozano, Mr. Milciades Sánchez and Mr. Velez were all subjects of a death threat in December 2015.

Please join CoDev in calling on the Colombian government to ensure the safety of the threatened activists and to investigate and dismantle the paramilitary groups operating in Colombia.

Background

In 2003 the Colombian government began a formal process to demobilize the paramilitary group the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. The process came under significant criticism; only a small fraction of the 30,000 supposedly demobilized paramilitaries were convicted of human rights-related crimes, and according to reports from organizations including Amnesty International, paramilitary groups continued to operate under new names. In recent months human rights organizations including NOMADESC have reported increased threats and assassinations of activists by paramilitary groups in regions throughout Colombia.

NOMADESC stresses that these latest threats are part of an ongoing strategy by these re-constituted paramilitary groups to assassinate and intimidate social movement leaders. NOMADESC notes that the human rights group Somos Defensores (We Are Defenders) has registered 113 threats against human rights defenders in Colombia since the beginning of 2016. Of those, 81 were death threats, and 19 people have been assassinated.

At this important moment in the peace process, such widespread paramilitary actions are particularly troubling. There is concern for the safety of both demobilized combatants and communities in conflict zones, particularly in regions where there is a struggle for control over illegal activities and where communities are defending against forcible displacements.

Urgent Action: Colombia, April 2016

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2016 Solidarity & Fundraising Dinner

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CoDevelopment Canada invites you to join us on Saturday, June 4th (doors at 5:30 pm) for CoDev’s annual solidarity and fundraising dinner at the Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph Street, Vancouver).Your partnership is a major factor in our ability to celebrate 31 years supporting women’s rights, labour rights and education rights in Latin America.

We are offering a selection of delicious Latin American food, our popular silent auction, beautiful Latin jazz to accompany the festivities and the always delectable dessert auction.

Sandra MoranAs in year’s past, we will present our International Solidarity Award. This year’s recipient is richly deserving for so many reasons. Sandra Moran is a renowned Guatemalan human rights activist whose work made her a target for death squads. By the late 1980s, she was forced into exile in Mexico, Nicaragua and Vancouver. During her years in Vancouver, Sandra became involved in solidarity work and the Canadian women’s movement. Upon her return to Guatemala in the mid-1990s, she came out as a lesbian and began promoting LGBTQ rights in her country. She was elected to Guatemala’s Congress as its first openly gay member in last September’s general election. We look forward to hearing Sandra’s remarkable story on June 4th.

This event has earned a reputation as an evening where you can enjoy the company of good friends and have fun while supporting an important local solidarity organization.

We are honoured to work in partnership with you and hope that we can count on your continued support of CoDev by purchasing a ticket for the fundraising dinner.

Tickets for this fantastic event, which sells out every year, are available now! Tickets are $65 each or $25 for low income. Tables of 10 can be purchased for $650.

Buy Tickets Now!

Eventbrite - CoDev Annual Solidarity and Fundraising Dinner

Email us at codev[at]codev.org

Phone Cindy Pandini at 604-708-1495 ext 112

We appreciate your help in getting this information widely distributed, and also welcome donations for the popular silent auction. Please contact us if you have an item you would like to donate. Deadline to donate is 27 May 2016.

Thank you and we hope you will join us to celebrate the work of CoDev and our partners!

Urgent Action: Colombia, Three Dead and 179 Wounded by State Forces

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Three dead and 179 wounded by state forces in response to peaceful civilian protests in Colombia

In May 2016, the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) convened a National Agrarian, Peasant, Ethnic and Grassroots Mobilization – for Good Living, a Structural Agrarian Reform and Dignified Cities – Sowing Hope, Harvesting our Country (or Minga, as it’s known in Colombia).

The Minga brings together diverse social movement actors from Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and peasant farmer organizations. They are calling on the Colombian government to comply with agreements reached after popular Indigenous mobilizations in 2013 and 2014, particularly around land reform, expressing their opposition to the Colombian government’s development model, and denouncing repressive state policies against popular protest.

According to ONIC, since May 30th there have been indiscriminate attacks by state forces against non-violent protesters in the 38 points of protest throughout the country. As of June 6, reports indicate that three Indigenous people have been killed, and 179 others have been wounded.

ONIC has reiterated its support for the peace dialogues between the State and the FARC, and the upcoming dialogues with the ELN. However, this repressive and violent response to peaceful civilian protest brings into question the State’s commitment to peace and its willingness to take into account the Colombian peoples’ vision of a just society.

Please add your voice to those calling on the Colombian government to cease using violence against its citizens and to comply with past agreements reached with National Indigenous protests.

Urgent Action: Colombia, June 2016

If you wish to copy your MP on this action, add their email address here. If you don't know your MP's email address, you can find it here
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Job Posting: Sales Coordinator

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Café Etico and CoDevelopment Canada are pleased to announce we are hiring a part-time, regular Sales Coordinator for our fairly-traded, specialty, certified organic line of coffees.

Are you inspired and enthusiastic about promoting a great product? Do you have exceptional customer service skills? Are you able to work independently to create marketing plans and sales materials to increase sales? Ready to bag some coffee, fill orders, and manage inventory?

If this describes you, please review the job posting and send us your C.V. and cover letter by July 10th. We look forward to your application! Find a printable pdf of the job posting here..

Job Opportunity – Café Etico Sales Coordinator

Overview: Café Etico is a fair trade, organic coffee social enterprise owned by CoDevelopment Canada, a BC-based non-profit. Our mission is to support farmers’ rights to a dignified standard of living through the fair trade business model, and promote fair trade organic coffee in Canada. Café Etico is an equal opportunity employer.

Job summary: As the sole employee of Café Etico, the Sales Coordinator is responsible for sales, marketing, and operations of Café Etico, including customer service, marketing to prospective customers, filling and shipping orders, and managing inventory.

Position details: This is a 22.5 hours per week position, with hours of work to be spread over 4 days (exact schedule to be determined in coordination with the successful candidate), with some overtime and weekend work required. The position will begin August 15th 2016. The starting salary is $27.95 per hour with a generous benefits package, and is subject to the provisions of the collective agreement with CUPE 1004.

Responsibilities include:

  • Developing a marketing plan to increase sales
  • Providing customer service to individual, organizational, and retail customers
  • Developing sales and promotional materials
  • Promoting Café Etico at a variety of events including in-store coffee samplings
  • Running the daily operations, including receiving, filling and shipping/delivering customer orders
  • Managing inventory, including roasted coffee and other supplies
  • Managing volunteers
  • Liaising with CoDevelopment Canada staff
  • Reporting to the Café Etico Committee

Required qualifications/experience:

  • Experience running a small business, with an emphasis on sales, marketing and customer service
  • Ability to work independently
  • Able to lift and transport boxes up to 40lbs
  • Proficiency with PC and Microsoft Office
  • A valid BC driver’s license is required; access to own vehicle a very strong asset (mileage compensated as per the Collective Agreement)

Desired qualifications/experience:

  • A university or college degree in business and/or marketing or equivalent experience
  • A strong understanding of fair trade, particularly as it applies to coffee
  • Willing to perform a range of tasks, from bagging coffee to designing marketing materials
  • Experience managing part-time staff and/or volunteers
  • Experience with grant/proposal writing and reporting an asset
  • Experience with Quickbooks and graphic design software an asset

To apply, please email, fax or mail your cover letter and C.V. in PDF or Word format to Cindy Pandini, quoting “Café Etico Sales Coordinator Application”.

Email: cpandini@codev.org
Fax: 604-708-1497

Café Etico
260-2747 East Hastings St
Vancouver, BC V5K 1Z8

Café Etico thanks all those who apply for this position, however only those applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

The closing date for applications is: midnight on Sunday July 10th 2016.


CoDevelopment Canada Welcomes Kirsten Daub as Executive Director

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Kirsten DaubThe Board of Directors of CoDevelopment Canada is very pleased to announce the appointment of Kirsten Daub as CoDev’s new Executive Director. Kirsten has been acting ED since July 2015, while our ED Kathryn Janzen went on maternity leave.

Kathryn has decided not to return to CoDev so that she can spend more time with her son.
The Board thanks Kathryn for the skill, energy, and creativity she contributed during her time as ED, and wishes her all the best.

Kirsten brings her enthusiasm, depth of knowledge, and strong connections–to our Partners in the Latin America and Canada–to the Executive Director position. She has been a part of the CoDev team in various capacities since 2003, when she first arrived as a volunteer. She has since filled the roles of Education Program Director, Administrative Director, Café Etico Coordinator and most recently, ED. Kirsten is thrilled to take on this permanent role and continue working to build solidarity between CoDev’s Canadian and Latin American Partners. The Board is excited to continue working with Kirsten in this role as the permanent ED.

CoDev’s Burning Election Questions

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We Can Do Better!

Members of CoDev partner CODEMUH march for women’s rights in Honduras

Members of CoDev partner CODEMUH march for women’s rights in Honduras

There are an awful lot of important issues being talked about during this extended election period. Canada’s policy on foreign aid and international development is one that CoDev and the international cooperation community are keen to see included. There have been significant changes to Canada’s policies on these issues in the past decade, and many in the international development and solidarity community believe there is an urgent need to take a long hard look at the direction our country has taken.

We believe Canada has an important role to play at the international level, and that policy decisions here at home have a real impact on the lives of people throughout the world. With that in mind, CoDev has contacted the parties running in this federal election with a list of questions about their stance on key issues related to inequality, women’s rights, environmental sustainability and trade justice.

CoDev’s letter to the parties running in the 2015 federal election

We’ve asked the parties to respond to our questions by September 30th so that we can share their stances with CoDev members and the general public. In the meantime, we’re posting our questions here for people looking for tools to address Canada’s role in international development in the lead-up to October 19th. We encourage our members to use them as a tool to formulate your own questions when engaging with the parties in this election, whether at all-candidates forums, when campaigners knock at your door, or when discussing the election with friends and co-workers.

CoDev is part of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC), the umbrella group for organizations engaged in international cooperation. CCIC has developed a great election tool kit for both individuals and organizations, which CoDev has drawn on in developing our questions. It’s full of excellent resources for reaching out to candidates and educating yourself on the issues. We encourage you to check out the We Can Do Better campaign website and share it and the Election Toolkit with your networks.

Urgent Action

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The Ecuadorian government has ordered the destruction of the country’s national teachers’ union.
Ask President Correa to rescind the dissolution order.

On July 20th, the Ecuadorian government accused the National Union of Educators (UNE) of failing to comply with strict new regulations issued for non-governmental organizations. Although it did not specify how the UNE had violated the regulations, the government gave the organization 15 days to comply or face dissolution. Despite protests from around the world, including the United Nation’s International Labour Organization, the government ordered on August 18 2016 the dissolution of the UNE. This is the latest in a serious of increasingly punitive measures that have been taken against the 72-year-old public school teachers’ federation.

The Ecuadorian government attempts to project an progressive image abroad, yet its treatment of Ecuador’s historic teachers’ organization is reminiscent of the worst dictatorships in the region.

Submit the action below and send a message to President Correa urging him to rescind the dissolution order against UNE.

Urgent Action: Protect Freedom of Association in Ecuador

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New Video – Non Sexist & Inclusive Pedagogy

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View our brand new video describing NSIP on You Tube!

Non-Sexist and Inclusive Pedagogy is aproposal which began with unionized teachers in Costa Rica, for developing liberating, democratic and inclusive educative practices. The pedagogical proposal is in constant transformation as teachers, students and communities participate in the analysis of their reality and create ways to transform it. Several teachers’ unions in the Central American region have created teaching aids for elementary or secondary levels, and which today have been endorsed by Ministries of Education as official textbooks in the classroom. NSIP workshops have taken place in: Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Canada.

The regional coordination for Non-Sexist and Inclusive Pedagogy Program is led by Maria Trejos Montero and Esperanza Tasies Castro.

For more information visit the NSIP (PNSI) website.

  CoDev seeks a Program Director to join our staff for a one-year temporary contract.

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codev-logo_colour_smallThe Program Director coordinates relations with Latin American and Canadian partners (mostly labour unions in Canada) primarily related to development and social justice projects carried out by our partners.  The program director is also responsible for developing and presenting educational materials regarding CoDevelopment Canada’s work. The Program Director is required to travel and work irregular hours.

The successful candidate would work closely with other CoDev staff in the daily operations of this Vancouver-based non-profit solidarity organization.

Click here for a detailed description of the posting and how to apply: CoDev Program Director Posting

Application deadline is midnight, Monday March 6 2017

Join CoDev in calling for an independent human rights Ombudsperson for Canada’s international extractive sector

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Take action today to call on the Canadian government to ensure communities BTS #Ombudsperson - Franklin - Facebookaffected by Canadian oil, mineral and gas corporations have access to justice. Write your MP and the Minister of International Trade to let them know you want Canada to be a leader in protecting human and environmental rights by creating an independent human rights Ombudsperson.

For too long Canada’s extractive industry has not been held accountable for its actions overseas. Human rights violations by Canadian mining corporations are widespread and well-documented. Canada needs an independent human rights Ombudsperson with full investigatory powers and the ability to make recommendations for remedies.

Almost 10 years ago, industry and civil society leaders recommended creating an independent human rights Ombudsperson to address serious violations of human rights or environmental damage. The Canadian Network for Corporate Responsibility recently proposed draft legislation to create just such an office. During the 2015 election, most parties, including the Liberal party, committed to creating an independent ombudsperson’s office. Such an office is long overdue.

As it stands, the offices in Canada responsible for overseeing corporate social responsibility (the Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor and the National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines) lack independence, investigatory powers, and are not mandated to make recommendations for remedies. Communities whose human rights have been violated by Canadian corporations operating in their territory deserve more. It’s time the Government of Canada to take action and make Canada Open for Justice.

2017 Solidarity & Fundraising Dinner

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CoDevelopment Canada invites you to join us on Saturday, June 17th (doors at 5:30 pm) for CoDev’s annual solidarity and fundraising dinner at the Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph Street, Vancouver).Your partnership is a major factor in our ability to celebrate 31 years supporting women’s rights, labour rights and education rights in Latin America.

We are offering a selection of delicious Persian food, our popular silent auction, beautiful Latin jazz to accompany the festivities and the always delectable dessert auction.
As in year’s past, we will present our International Solidarity Award. This year’s recipient TBD.

This event has earned a reputation as an evening where you can enjoy the company of good friends and have fun while supporting an important local solidarity organization.

We are honoured to work in partnership with you and hope that we can count on your continued support of CoDev by purchasing a ticket for the fundraising dinner.

Tickets for this fantastic event, which sells out every year, are available now! Tickets are $65 each or $25 for low income. Tables of 10 can be purchased for $650.

Buy Tickets Now!

Email us at codev[at]codev.org

Phone Cindy Pandini at 604-708-1495 ext 112

We appreciate your help in getting this information widely distributed, and also welcome donations for the popular silent auction. Please contact us if you have an item you would like to donate. Deadline to donate is 10 June 2017.

Thank you and we hope you will join us to celebrate the work of CoDev and our partners!


Canada should support democracy, not just condemn the government, in Venezuela

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Backing a mediation effort would be a good start.

By JIM HODGSON, STEVE STEWART
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, May 10, 2017 12:00 AM

“The Venezuelan people are again dying in the streets as they battle an ongoing coup d’état
being carried out by a group of politicians who oppose our government, and who since April 19 have been carrying out acts of violence, killing people and destroying our national patrimony, just as they did in 2002 and 2014.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pictured at the UN in New York in 2015. Mark Garten  photograph courtesy of the UN

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pictured at the UN in New York in 2015.
Mark Garten
photograph courtesy of the UN

These are the words of Bishop Elida Quevedo of the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela (UEPV), but hers is not a story that you will see in major media. Instead, facts are distorted to make it appear that it is government forces who repress a “pro-democracy” movement. Bishop Quevedo goes on to describe the April 20 attack on a maternal and child hospital, and sniper shootings of pro-government demonstrators and security forces.

As a coalition of Canadian civil society organizations long engaged in solidarity, social justice, and development work in the Americas, we call for a more even-handed approach to issues in Venezuela than that shown recently by Canada and several other members of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Since early April, opponents of the government of President Nicolás Maduro have participated in demonstrations—some of them peaceful, but many that have included acts of vandalism, arson, and attacks on security forces. Protests began after the Supreme Court suspended some powers of the opposition-dominated National Assembly after it refused to comply with court rulings on electoral corruption and foreign investment. Even though the court decision was almost immediately rescinded, protests continued.

Since then, as many as 37 people have been killed. In cases where public security forces have been linked to violence, investigations are carried out and in some cases, charges filed. The dead include trade union leader Esmin Ramírez, killed after being kidnapped April 23 in the southeastern state of Bolívar, and Jacqueline Ortega, an organizer of an alternative food distribution program in greater Caracas.

Clearly, the situation in Venezuela is marked by polarization. But instead of building bridges to enable dialogue between the government and sectors of the opposition that reject violence, the government of Canada and the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights have echoed the voice of the OAS secretary general, Luis Almagro, and taken up the cause of the hardline opposition.

On March 28, Almagro had pressed the OAS permanent council to expel Venezuela from the organization. When it was evident he could not rally a majority of members to apply the OAS Democratic Charter against Venezuela, the session ended without a vote.

But on April 3, without the presence of either Bolivia (president of the OAS Permanent Council) or Haiti (the vice-president), just 15 of the 35 members (including Canada) approved a resolution “by consensus”—despite opposition from four other members—declared an “alteration of the constitutional order” in Venezuela and resolved to “urge action by the Venezuelan government to safeguard the separation and independence of powers.”

On April 28, Venezuela served notice that it would begin a two-year process to withdraw from the OAS. With regard to Venezuela, the OAS has consistently failed to fulfill its role as a space for multilateral dialogue to resolve conflicts.

In challenging Venezuela’s democracy, Canada has aligned itself with the governments of Colombia, Mexico, and Honduras—all of which face serious human rights issues themselves—plus several others, including Brazil which, after the removal last year of the democratically elected president, is also facing waves of popular protest.

The government of Canada should make clear its support for constitutional government, electoral democracy, and the rule of law in Venezuela. It could support a mediation initiative led by former heads of government from Panama, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Spain. This initiative proposed last year by the Union of South American Nations and has sparked the interest of Pope Francis.

Canada should condemn foreign intervention in Venezuela’s internal affairs via the funding and training of groups and individuals seeking regime change through violence or other unconstitutional means, and support dialogue as the only appropriate means of achieving peace and reconciliation in Venezuela.

Jim Hodgson is a member of Common Frontiers, a Canadian civil society coalition on trade justice issues. Steve Stewart is executive director of CoDevelopment Canada, a Vancouver-based international development agency.

The Hill Times

https://www.hilltimes.com/2017/05/10/canada-support-democracy-not-just-condemn-governmentvenezuela/106330

Join us at our 2017 Annual General Meeting

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Join us for our Annual General Meeting on Thursday, September 14th at the Maritime Labour Centre. We are pleased to announce that author and human rights lawyer Matt Eisenbrandt will join us to read from his new book, Assassination of a Saint. Matt was part of the international legal team that brought about the only conviction for the assassination of the “Peoples’ Archbishop” Oscar Romero, gunned down by death squads in 1980. Click here for details.

 

2018 Solidarity & Fundraising Dinner

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CoDevelopment Canada invites you to join us on Saturday, June 2nd (doors at 5:30 pm) for CoDev’s annual solidarity and fundraising dinner at the Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph Street, Vancouver). Buy your tickets now!Your partnership is a major factor in our ability to celebrate 33 years supporting women’s rights, labour rights and education rights in Latin America.

We are offering a delicious meal, our popular silent auction, beautiful Latin jazz to accompany the festivities and the always delectable dessert auction.

As in year’s past, we will present our International Solidarity Award. This year’s recipient TBD.

This event has earned a reputation as an evening where you can enjoy the company of good friends and have fun while supporting an important local solidarity organization.

We are honoured to work in partnership with you and hope that we can count on your continued support of CoDev by purchasing a ticket for the fundraising dinner.

Tickets for this fantastic event, which sells out every year, are available now! Tickets are $75 each or $25 for low income. Tables of 10 can be purchased for $750.

Buy Tickets Now!

Email us at codev[at]codev.org

Phone Cindy Pandini at 604-708-1495 ext 112

We appreciate your help in getting this information widely distributed, and also welcome donations for the popular silent auction. Please contact us if you have an item you would like to donate. Deadline to donate is 25 May 2018.

Thank you and we hope you will join us to celebrate the work of CoDev and our partners!

CoDev seeks a Program Assistant to join our staff

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codev-logo_colour_smallThe program assistant works with CoDev’s Program Directors and Executive Director on administrative tasks related to the organization’s international programming. Secondary responsibilities for outreach and public education, as well as general office duties are included in the person’s job activities as time allows.

The successful candidate would work closely with other CoDev staff in the daily operations of this Vancouver-based non-profit solidarity organization.

Click here for a detailed description of the posting and how to apply: CoDev Program Assistant Posting

Application deadline is 5 pm (Pacific Time), Thursday, August 2, 2018

RFP: Communications & Fundraising Development Plan

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codev-logo_colour_smallCoDevelopment is seeking proposals for the development of a communications and fundraising plan to enhance current partnerships, increase partnerships and donations, and strengthen communication through the use a range of tools, including social media.

The successful candidate will create a communications and fundraising plan that focuses on effective ways to create interest, inspire current partners to deepen their financial support, and engage with new partners to support our work financially.

Click here for more details and how to submit your proposal: RFP – Communications and Fundraising Plan

Deadline for submissions is 5 pm (Pacific Time), Monday, September 10, 2018

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