The Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology

Activities

JOIN US: Lobby Days with MPs in Ottawa and in your local ridings

Filed Under: Activities, Advocacy, Take Action, Uncategorised

Connecting the dots between the debt crisis, the climate emergency, cuts to foreign aid and an unjust financial system, ORCIE is calling for Canada to fund our fair share to confront the climate crisis.

Will you join us for our upcoming Lobby Day September 25th, 2025 in Ottawa? Our Learning & Lobbying process prepares small teams of members of religious congregations to meet with Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, MPs and Members of Standing Committees on Parliament Hill.

Details on our Learning & Lobbying Days:

  • September 20 (Sat): Global Climate Strike, locally across Canada
  • September 23 (Tue): ORCIE Learning Session, virtual
  • September 24 (Wed) : ORCIE Preparation for meetings, Ottawa
  • September 25 (Thurs): ORCIE Lobby Day on the Hill, Ottawa
  • September 29- 30 (Mon-Tues): Meet your MP at local offices
  • October 13-17 (Mon-Fri): Meet your MP at local offices
Prep day with the ORCIE members

Religious are invited to join us in Ottawa for September 24-25, or to work together locally to meet MPs in their riding. For more information and to express your interest please contact Sasquia or Genevieve so we can prepare for your participation.

Join Us to “Draw the Line” for People, for Peace, for the Planet

Filed Under: Activities, Take Action

Saturday, September 20 – During the Week of Our Learning and Lobbying Event in Ottawa

On Saturday, September 20, people across Canada and around the world will rise up to Draw the Line—for People, for Peace, for the Planet. This is a historic, broad-based mobilization calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Canadian government to choose: Will we continue on a path of injustice, violence, and climate destruction—or build a just and safe future for all?

As people of faith and promoters of Integral Ecology, we recognize that this is not only about climate—it is about justice in every part of our lives. Together, we stand with Indigenous communities, migrants, racial and economic justice movements, and anti-war advocates to call for a future rooted in dignity, peace, and care for Creation.

ORCIE is proud to endorse the Draw the Line campaign, alongside other members of For the Love of Creation, including Citizens for Public Justice, KAIROS Canada, and more. This shared witness reflects our commitment to Laudato Si’ and to safeguarding our common home.

Draw the Line Poster ENDownload
Draw the Line Poster FRDownload

If You Are Joining Our Learning and Lobbying Event in Ottawa…

Please walk with us in the Ottawa march during this important week. Together, we can make visible our faith-based commitment to climate justice and peace.

✔ See Ottawa March Details & How to Plug In

Not Coming to Ottawa? Here’s How You Can Still Take Action:

✅ Find or Organize a Local Event
There are marches and actions happening across Canada.
🔍 Check the Cross-Canada Event Map
Bring together people from your parish, local congregation, or community to join.

This movement is an expression of integral ecology and solidarity. It is a witness to our shared belief that care for Creation and care for one another are inseparable. Catholic Social Teachings calls us to act for justice, resist violence, and work for peace. This is our opportunity to do so—together.

Let us pray, act, and walk together.
On September 20, let us show Canada and the world that people of faith are committed to a just and life-giving future for all.

ORCIE Endorses Open Letter by Faith Organizations in Support of Preserving El Salvador’s Historic Ban on Metals Mining

Filed Under: Activities, Advocacy, News, Take Action

The Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE) is pleased to share that we have officially endorsed the Open Letter by Faith Organizations in Support of Preserving El Salvador’s Historic Ban on Metals Mining. This collective statement urges governments to uphold the decision of the people of El Salvador and their church institutions to protect their land, water, and communities from the devastating impacts of metallic mining.

We, the undersigned, from a diversity of church structures(representing local, regional, and national expressions of churches and related agencies),express our steadfast support for the people of El Salvador and their religious institutions and leaders who are struggling to maintain their country’s historic ban on metal mining –in place from 2017 to 2024 — so all Salvadorans can enjoy their God-given right to clean water.  We stand in solidarity with civic and religious leaders who are being persecuted and imprisoned for working against injustices, including the devastation that metals mining would cause their communities…”

We encourage our members to join us in this important initiative by signing on behalf of your congregation. Adding your voice amplifies the call from people of faith who are advocating for ecological justice and the defense of communities most at risk.

📅 Deadline to sign: September 1, 2025

👉 Read and sign the open letter here

Together, our collective witness can amplify the moral voice of the people of El Salvador in their call for justice and the care for creation.

Jubilee People’s Forum: A Voice Amid Global Headlines

Filed Under: Activities, Media, Take Action

Media coverage of the G7 events was largely dominated by pressing geopolitical developments, including Trump’s arrival and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Yet ORCIE’s message at the People’s Forum was present and reflected a growing call to recognize ecological debt and lift the burden on low-income countries.

Coverage from The Catholic Register captured our participation in a spirited public demonstration alongside global partners, and CTV News documented the grassroots mobilization that unfolded in Calgary.

A key highlight was deepened collaboration with the Calgary Interfaith Council, a 30-year-strong alliance of diverse religious communities. This relationship opens new pathways for ORCIE to expand its interfaith advocacy work on economic and climate justice.

Hope in Action: A Global Movement

The Forum offered more than analysis—it fostered relationships, re-energized commitments, and created space for a shared vision. As our partners at Development and Peace beautifully reflected in their post-event summary, “Hope was created, nurtured, and shared” through this collective gathering. Their thoughtful reflection captures the spirit of the Jubilee People’s Forum and the momentum it generated.

📖 Read the full reflection by Development and Peace: Creating Hope at the G7 Jubilee People’s Forum

Read and watch more about the Jubilee People’s Forum and the G7 in the media: 
📰 The Catholic Register – March to protest G7 leaders
📰 CTV News Calgary – Protesters Gather at Designated Zones

Let us continue connecting the dots—between faith, finance, and the future—and transforming systems that exploit into systems that heal.

Forging the Path Ahead: Insights from the People’s Forum and ORCIE’s Fall Advocacy

Filed Under: Activities, Communications, Take Action

What are we calling for?

The Global North can make payments on this climate debt by funding climate adaptation and mitigation in the Global South and by contributing to the Loss and Damages fund. The cancellation of unsustainable debts is another way of freeing up money so countries badly impacted by climate change can invest in climate adaptations and mitigation. If the Global North cancelled debt payments to low and lower-middle income countries, it could free up approximately $109 billion for climate action globally (Canada’s Fair Share Platform).”
— Sue Wilson, CSJ

Solutions from the Forum: Advancing ORCIE’s Fall Advocacy

Participants at the Forum went beyond critique to present clear, actionable solutions—many of which will shape ORCIE’s upcoming advocacy with the federal government. These proposals include:

  • Cancelling unjust and unsustainable debt without conditions;
  • Supporting the creation of a UN Global Debt Framework for transparent and fair resolution;
  • Tripling Canada’s climate finance pledge to $15.9 billion/year, with a focus on grants over loans;
  • Enacting windfall taxes on oil and gas companies instead of continuing public subsidies;
  • Reforming trade rules to protect human rights, land, and ecosystems over corporate profit.

Read Sue’s full analysis here: Connecting the Dots: Jubilee People’s Forum and The Debt Cancellation Campaign | Sue Wilson