For the latest social justice and advocacy news and activities, see Current Activities. For general information about the work of the Social Justice and Advocacy Committee, read below.
The Social Justice and Advocacy Committee (SJAC), with the Social Justice and Advocacy Consultant, works at the diocesan level, focusing its advocacy work on the following areas:
- child poverty
- affordable housing and homelessness
- environmental issues
- HIV/AIDS
Our goal is to strengthen the voice of the church so that it can influence social policy and the social realities around us in a positive way. We do so by:
Involving church leaders in advocacy efforts to strengthen our impact with government.
For example, Archbishop Colin Johnson and Bishop George Elliot have met with senior Ontario Cabinet Ministers and other political leaders to discuss the need for further action on homelessness and child poverty. Another example is an ad by Archbishop Johnson in the Toronto Star, issuing a public appeal to Premier Dalton McGuinty to carry through on the government’s pledge to reduce poverty and take swift action to help the poor.
Equipping Anglicans with skills and information so they can do advocacy.
To succeed, advocacy needs to involve a broad range of people, not just church leaders. SJAC can provide practical advice on how to work with other people in your parish and how to contact politicians. We can meet with your Outreach Committee or other parish group to discuss action ideas. For tools such as the Parish Outreach Guide, go to Advocacy Resources.
Focusing on developing advocacy strategies on key issues.
Our priority issues are child poverty, affordable housing and homelessness, environmental issues and HIV/AIDS. We’re working to educate Anglicans about these issues and what can be done in response, as well as working to influence government policy to promote solutions. For strategy papers, go to Advocacy Resources.
Teaming up with justice partners.
We do much of our work in partnership with other organizations, especially the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition, the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction, and Citizens for Public Justice. For more information, see the Justice Partners page.
Informing Anglicans and others on social justice issues
We do this through articles in The Anglican newspaper and on the diocese’s website.
For more information. please contact Murray MacAdam, Social Justice and Advocacy Consultant, 416-363-6021 ext. 240 (1-800-668-8932).
