How do you want your tax dollars spent?

 

Image credit: barrie.ca

Why are Canadian taxpayers still subsidizing the oil and gas industry which is making handsome profits?

According to CSIMarket (csimarket.com), in the second quarter of 2022, the net profit margin for the oil and gas production industry was 31.43%, significantly above the industry average; and the gross margin for the industry was 86.46% in the same period.

Both the federal and provincial governments provide financial support to fossil fuel companies through various means, such as tax breaks, direct funding, and public financing. A report by Environmental Defence estimated that in 2023, the federal government provided at least $18.6 billion in support to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. This includes $8 billion in loan guarantees for the Trans Mountain pipeline and $7.4 billion in public financing through Export Development Canada.

Here are a few ideas for a more compassionate and less environmentally harmful use of $18 billion from the federal government than lining the pockets of fossil fuel company shareholders:

• Affordable housing
• Childcare subsidies for single parents
• Education
• Healthcare, Pharmacare and Long Term Care
• Improved Disability Benefits
• Universal Basic Income (UBI)

The Cry of the Poor - Laudato Si'

 

Image credit: https://institucionteresiana.org/en/focal-points/the-cry-of-the-earth-cry-of-the-poor

I asked Meta AI, "What does Laudato Si' say about 'The Cry of the Poor'?" 
Laudato Si' is an encyclical written by Pope Francis and released on May 24, 2015. It addresses the interconnectedness of environmental and social issues. Here is the response from Meta AI...

Laudato Si' emphasizes the intimate relationship between the cry of the Poor and the cry of the Earth. Pope Francis stresses that we're facing a single, complex crisis that's both social and environmental ¹. The encyclical highlights how the Earth's degradation disproportionately affects the world's most vulnerable populations, particularly the poor.

The Cry of the Poor

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis identifies two significant injustices experienced by the poor due to the climate crisis. Firstly, they're usually the first affected by extreme weather events, losing their livelihoods and facing displacement ². Secondly, despite contributing minimally to climate change, they bear the brunt of its consequences.

Key Points

- Ecological Debt: The global north owes an "ecological debt" to the global south due to commercial imbalances and disproportionate resource consumption ².

- Vulnerable Groups: The encyclical emphasizes the need to protect human life in all forms, with special attention to indigenous people, migrants, unborn children, and children at risk of modern slavery ³ ⁴.

- Spiritual Crisis: The ecological crisis is also a spiritual crisis, requiring a spiritual conversion to address the root causes of environmental degradation ⁴.

Pope Francis urges us to listen to the cry of the poor and respond with solidarity, advocating for eco-justice and defending human life ¹ ³. By doing so, we can work towards a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

Here are the references for follow up:

1 https://www.jpic-jp.org/en/a/the-cry-of-the-poor-laudato-si-2nd-goal

2 https://ssnd.org/shalom-laudato-si-laudato-si-reflections-response-to-cry-of-the-poor/

3 https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/listening-to-the-cry-of-the-poor/

4 https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/response-to-the-cry-of-the-poor/

Hope and Act with Creation

 

The Season of Creation began September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends tomorrow, October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.

The theme for the 2024 Season of Creation is "To hope and act with Creation." This annual Christian celebration encourages Christians worldwide to pray and respond to the cry of Creation. The guiding symbol for this year's season is "The first fruits of hope," inspired by Romans 8:19-25.

The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are two sides of the same coin. The cry of one causes the cry of the other.

The times we live in demonstrate that we often view the Earth not as a gift from our Creator but as a resource to be exploited - almost always at the expense of the poor. However, Creation teaches us that hope is present in waiting, in the expectation of a better future. To hope, in the biblical context, doesn't mean remaining still and silent; it means actively groaning, crying out, and struggling for a new life even amidst difficulties. Creation and all human beings are called to worship the Creator and work toward a dynamic future from which the first fruits of hope can spring.

As the season comes to a close, let us reflect on our relationship with the Earth, seek reconciliation with the Earth and with one another, and resolve on meaningful new personal habits to care for our common home.

Season of Creation

 

Grassy Narrows First Nation Sues Over Mercury Pollution

 

Image credit The Toronto Star

News items in today's Canadian media report that Grassy Narrows First Nation is suing the Federal and Ontario Governments over continued mercury pollution of their drinking and fishing waters since 1960, when Dryden's paper mill in northwestern Ontario dumped an estimated nine tonnes of mercury into their water in violation of Treaty 3.

We asked Copilot (Microsoft's AI): What does Pope Francis say about water in Laudato Si? Here is Copilot's response:

In his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis addresses the issue of water by stating that “access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights” (LS 30). 

He emphasizes the critical importance of water, the growing tendency to privatize it, and the need for it to remain accessible to all, especially the poor who are disproportionately affected by water scarcity.

Pope Francis also reflects on the broader environmental crisis, linking the degradation of nature to the exploitation and abuse of the planet’s resources, including water. He calls for a collective response to the “cry of the earth” and the “cry of the poor,” urging for a change in lifestyle, production, and consumption to protect our common home.

The encyclical is a call to action for all humanity to recognize the severity of the environmental challenges we face and to work together towards sustainable solutions, with clean water being a fundamental aspect of this global endeavor.

It behooves Canadians, especially Ontarians, of conscience to support and amplify the repeated pleas of the people of this First Nation to have the waters of Grassy Narrows remediated. Boiling water can kill bacteria in the water, but no amount of boiling can get rid of mercury.

It is the mission of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) to serve Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy. Where people are disadvantaged by systemic injustice, we advocate with them and on their behalf.

Advent Reflection: Two gifts that are needed

 After telling us how King Ahaz, St. Paul. and St. Joseph received the gift of divine grace which they in turn passed on to bless and strengthen others, Claretian Fr. Ferdinand Okorie CMF, writing for the Catholic Theological Union, concludes a reflection for the 4th Sunday of Advent as follows:

"Next Sunday, we celebrate and renew our faith in the gift of God’s presence in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and in doing so, we share in the spirit of the season by giving and receiving gifts with our loved ones, and with one another. But I invite you to think beyond the traditional routine of wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree, but rather to discern the impactful gift that your loved ones and the world are in dire need from you today. For our loved ones, trust is ebbing dangerous in our homes and society, affecting our respect and dignity for one another. Rebuilding a culture of trust can go a long way to repair fragile and damaged relationships. For our world, let us remember that every region has experienced a record climate disaster or the other. Time has come to give our world the gift of doing whatever we can to contribute to cutting down our carbon footprints. During this season of giving and receiving gifts, give the gift that is impactful and transformational to one another and to the world." https://learn.ctu.edu/fourth-sunday-of-advent-3/

Rebuilding a culture of trust: Instead of being negative and critical, can I be more positive, affirming and upbuilding? Pray the Prayer of Saint Francis

Cutting down our carbon footprints: Food waste? Plastic? Recycling? Unnecessary travel? Explore Laudato Si' - the encyclical by Pope Francis on the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor

Resources:
Laudato Si' Movement - https://laudatosimovement.org/
Laudato Si' - News and Resources - https://www.laudatosi.org/
Laudato Si' Action Platform - https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/

Image credit: https://cdn3.volusion.com/yhebw.jkdkr/v/vspfiles/photos/10501-2.jpg

Does Canada need a law to combat environmental racism?

Image: Steve Greenberg

The following is an excerpt from...

Why Canada needs a law to combat environmental racism

Read the full article here

At a time when health and environmental crises dominate the public conversation, Black History Month in February was a stark reminder of the pervasive environmental struggles racialized communities, past and present, disproportionately face.

This month, there may be good news on the horizon. Nova Scotia Liberal MP Lenore Zann has introduced Bill C-230 in the House of Commons, the National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act. It’s scheduled for a March vote.

The historical link between the civil rights and environmental justice movements is widely acknowledged, yet these struggles have become increasingly isolated over time. While environmental laws and regulations have grown exponentially since the NIMBY protests of the 1970s, the concerns of racialized communities have rarely, if ever, been at their forefront.

Instead, environmental governance and zoning regulations have often been deployed against the interests of Black, Indigenous and immigrant communities in North America. Well-known Canadian cases include Ontario’s chemical industry cluster that surrounds the Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Nova Scotia’s hazardous waste siting in historical Africville.

Environmental injustice is just one aspect of the systemic racial discrimination that continues to plague Canada from coast to coast to coast.

In December, researchers Amanda Giang and Kaitlin Castellani from the University of British Columbia published research showing that the cumulative air pollution burden in Canada’s three major cities (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal) disproportionately affects racialized communities. In Montreal, immigrant residents consistently experience higher cumulative air pollution, while in Toronto, this burden falls on low-income residents. In Vancouver, it’s Indigenous residents. These disparities in exposure to air pollution are just one dimension of the generalized pattern of environmental injustice affecting historically marginalized groups: Indigenous Peoples, racialized newcomers and the urban poor.

Read the rest of this article here.

Environmental Racism

 

Environmental racism occurs when racialised communities are targeted for the establishment of environmentally hazardous sites and the subsequent neglect of those communities in relation to the cleanup of those sites, especially where this happens with respect to environmental policy-making by any level of government.

A private member's bill that aims to address environmental racism is headed for debate in the House of Commons this month.

According to a CBC news article: "Introduced by Nova Scotia MP Lenore Zann, Bill C-230 is seeking a national strategy to examine the link between race, socio-economic status and environmental risk, as well as the connection between hazardous sites and negative health outcomes in communities where Black and Indigenous people and people of colour live." Read the full article here: Bill that aims to address environmental racism heads for debate in House of Commons.

The bill was inspired by Ingrid Waldron, associate professor in the faculty of health at Dalhousie University in Halifax and author of "There's Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities", which in turn inspired the 2019 Netflix documentary featuring actors Elliot Page and Ian Daniel.

If you have Netflix, do yourself a favour and watch this documentary, "There's Something In the Water."

Season of Creation 2020 - Jubilee for the Earth

 

Endorsed by Pope Francis in 2015 and supported by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the annual month-long ecumenical celebration entitled the Season of Creation will begin on 1 September (World Day of Prayer for Creation) and continue until 4 October 2020 (feast of Saint Francis of Assisi). 

The celebration calls on the global Christian community to promote prayer and action to protect our common home, and is one of the initiatives to celebrate the Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year which runs from 24 May 2020 until 24 May 2021. The theme for this year’s season is “Jubilee for the Earth”. 

For more information and resources on the Season of Creation, please visit the website at https://seasonofcreation.org/

Reproduced from the website of the  Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)

Resurrection, Not Resuscitation

Following is an extract from a reflection on last Sunday's readings by Stephen Bevans, SVD and
Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD of the Catholic Theological Union. The Gospel was Matthew 14:13-21, the feeding of the multitude.

It is the generous extravagance and abundance of “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” that we need to keep in mind in this trying, difficult, almost unbearable time in our lives. We are in that “deserted place” and it is “already late.” If you are like me, it’s not just the COVID-19 pandemic that is terrifying — and that is terrifying enough. It is the racism and hatred that has revealed itself, the shocking individualism that is prolonging the agony of these months, the painful call (for some of us — liberating for others!) to revise our history and our heroes, the dangerous disregard for science and real wisdom that is harming an entire generation. It is the disregard for human lives, especially Black lives today, that is making us pant with thirst. It is a refusal to see the harm we are causing to our planet, and to future generations of plants and animals and human children, that is making us faint with hunger. We desperately need the love of God in Jesus to feed us with hope, with compassion, with patience, with perseverance.

Laudato Si' - just some kind of 'green' encyclical about climate change?

Pope Francis has called for special events this week to mark and draw attention to the 5th anniversary of his encyclical, Laudato Si'.

Laudato Si’ Day 7 - #52 One Single Human Family

This is the last in this series of meditations on the Pope's encyclical, Laudato Si', Chapter 1, Section V - Global Inequality.
What does the Pope mean by “structural perversion” and “differentiated responsibilities”?

52. The foreign debt of poor countries has become a way of controlling them, yet this is not the case where ecological debt is concerned. In different ways, developing countries, where the most important reserves of the biosphere are found, continue to fuel the development of richer countries at the cost of their own present and future.

Laudato Si’ Day 5 - #50 Population Growth vs. Unbridled Consumerism

What does the Pope mean by “the present model of distribution”?

50. Instead of resolving the problems of the poor and thinking of how the world can be different, some can only propose a reduction in the birth rate.

Laudato Si’ Day 4 - #49 The “Excluded”

Who is the Pope talking about when he references “the excluded”? Who are the “excluded” in your community”

49. It needs to be said that, generally speaking, there is little in the way of clear awareness of problems which especially affect the excluded. Yet they are the majority of the planet’s population, billions of people.

Laudato Si’ Day 3 - #48 Inseparable and interactive coexistence

Having meditated on the two prayers which the Pope has proposed, we now contemplate paragraphs #48 through #52 from “Laudato Si’”. We follow the same steps each day from now on:

1. Read what the Pope wrote a first time.
2. Read it again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out for you.
3. While reading a third time, prayerfully and with a listening heart, tell the Lord in your own words how you feel about what you have just read, and why. Does anything need to change for you, personally?
4. Quieten your mind and allow time for silence and the Holy Spirit.
5. Finally, pray “A Christian Prayer in Union with Creation”.

Laudato Si’ Day 2 - #246 A Christian Prayer

Today we continue Laudato Si’ #246
Firstly, simply read what the pope wrote. Then read it again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out the most to you. With a third reading, prayerfully and with a listening heart, tell the Lord how you feel about what you read and why: Frustration? Encouragement? Helplessness? Resolve? Whatever. Allow time for silence and simply being present to God’s Presence. Conclude by praying the prayer again, simply and quietly. 
The refrain, “Praise be to you!” echoes the hymn of St. Francis, “Laudato Si’”.

A Christian prayer in union with creation

Father, we praise you with all your creatures.

Laudato Si’ Day 1 - #246 A prayer for our earth

Firstly, simply read what the pope wrote. Then read it again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out the most to you. With a third reading, prayerfully and with a listening heart, tell the Lord how you feel about what you read and why: Frustration? Encouragement? Helplessness? Resolve? Whatever. Allow time for silence and simply being present to God’s Presence. Conclude by praying the prayer again, simply and quietly.
Don’t focus only on the prayer itself. Consider also what the Pope is saying in the introduction to the prayer.

#246. At the conclusion of this lengthy reflection which has been both joyful and troubling, I propose that we offer two prayers. The first we can share with all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator, while in the other we Christians ask for inspiration to take up the commitment to creation set before us by the Gospel of Jesus.

Laudato Si’. Introductory Hors D'oeuvres

Picture credit: iustitiaetpax.va

Five years ago, on 25 May 2015, Pope Francis promulgated his famous encyclical letter, Laudato Si' - On Care for Our Common Home. Papal encyclicals are always named from the opening words in Latin, but this one is in Italian - from the opening words of the famous Canticle of the Sun and Moon by St. Francis of Assisi: "Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures, especially Brother Sun, Who is the day through whom You give us light." Indeed, the encyclical devotes an entire section to this great saint of the poor who had such love both for the poor and for the goodness and beauty of the natural world around him.
(You can download the encyclical in PDF format here.)

In Easter message, Pope Francis proposes universal basic income

The following is reprinted from  the Jesuit review, "America", under the title: In Easter message, Pope Francis proposes universal basic income by Kevin Clarke. (Italics and emphases have been added by me.)

Image credit: www.americamagazine.org

In a remarkable Easter Sunday letter to members of social movements around the world, Pope Francis, noting that the widespread suffering caused by the global coronavirus pandemic does not fall evenly, suggested that the crisis warranted the establishment of a universal basic income. He described it also as an opportunity for affluent societies to “downshift” and re-evaluate patterns of consumption and exploitation.

“This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out,” Pope Francis wrote. “It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights.” (In the original text, the pope used an expression, “el salario universal,” that is typically used in Spanish to refer to the universal basic income.)

Daily Advent Meditations with Pope Francis and Laudato Si'

These meditations were originally published in 2015 by St. Vincent de Paul Parish Community in Baltimore.

 

Sunday, Dec. 1: God's loving plan