The Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology

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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.

The Fair Share Platform for Global Climate Equity

Filed Under: Advocacy, Take Action

ORCIE has joined organizations from across Canadian civil society to call upon the government of Canada to fulfill our fair share of the global effort to confront the climate crisis.

Canada cannot take on the climate crisis alone. As one of the world’s top polluters and wealthiest countries, we must do our fair share globally, not just at home. As the 30th annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) approaches, Prime Minister Carney has a generational opportunity and responsibility to lead boldly on climate justice, economic transformation, and international solidarity.

Why this matters

The climate emergency was created and is accelerated by a deeply unjust global economic system that is unfairly distorted against Indigenous communities and the Global South. The time has come to reckon with Canada’s role in the international community. Canada can show leadership in supporting energy transitions around the world. We can also help transform unfair systems that have become barriers to climate action.

Doing our fair share means building a new package of support to the international community from the Canadian government – rooted in justice and led by social movements.

  1. Triple Canada’s climate finance to support the Global South with grants, not loans.
  2. Cancel unjust Global South debt and free billions for climate solutions.
  3. Make big polluters and the ultra-rich pay their fair share. 
  4. End trade rules that undermine climate action. 

Individuals are encouraged to sign the petition to send these demands to the Prime Minister and key cabinet ministers.

Religious congregations are invited to sign on as an organization and can do so through this form.

Read the full platform for a detailed breakdown of how Canada can do its part in the global climate fight. The Platform is a living document that is growing and evolving as our Fair Share movement expands.

ORCIE at the G7 Jubilee People’s Forum: Connecting the Dots on Debt Cancellation and Climate Justice

Filed Under: Advocacy, Communications, Media, News, Take Action

From July 12–15, ORCIE was proud to join voices from across the globe at the G7 Jubilee People’s Forum in Calgary, where Chair of the Board Sue Wilson and Executive Director Genevieve Gallant represented our shared commitment to integral ecology and economic justice.

Held in the days leading up to the G7 Summit in Alberta, the Jubilee Peoples’ Forum in Calgary brought together people from across Canada to explore how debt cancellation, financial system reform, development issues, climate change, and ecological debt are deeply connected—and why, as Sue Wilson reflects, these challenges must be addressed concurrently.

ORCIE, along with KAIROS, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, Citizens for Public Justice, and the Canadian Council of Churches came together at the Jubilee People’s Forum to deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of global debt, ecological harm, climate justice, and systemic inequality.

“Who Owes Whom?”: Understanding the Debt Trap

As Development and Peace vice-president Tashia Toupin aptly put it, the issue of debt can feel overwhelming—politically, economically, culturally, and ideologically. Yet the Forum helped to demystify these dynamics, showing how unjust debt, particularly in the Global South, is both a result of and contributor to structural inequality. ORCIE Chair Sue Wilson helped unpack these complex relationships through a lens of integral ecology.

“At the rally, a bystander came up to me and said, ‘Your group is concerned about a lot of issues.’ I looked at the signs the people around me were holding: Turn Debt into Hope. Climate Justice. Reform the Financial System. People before Profit. Who owes whom? Where he saw different issues, I saw the multifaceted and interconnected aspects of the Jubilee Debt Campaign.” — Sue Wilson, CSJ

Sue emphasized how unsustainable debt in the Global South is often driven by:

  • Global economic shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine;
  • Predatory lending practices by private financial institutions;
  • International systems that force countries to prioritize debt repayments over development;
  • Lack of global rules on responsible borrowing and lending.

Debt cancellation, then, is not charity. It’s a form of justice—especially when viewed through the lens of ecological debt, the concept that the Global North countries, including Canada, owes a climate and resource debt to the South and Indigenous communities due to centuries of exploitation and emissions.

“This is not charity, but a commitment made in the 2015 Paris Agreement which states that countries must fund global climate actions according to their responsibility for the climate crisis and their ability to pay. Countries like Canada (wealthy, large historic climate polluter, and a key producer of crude oil and gas) must contribute our fair share towards addressing the impacts of climate change in the Global South (Canada’s Fair Share Platform).”
— Sue Wilson, CSJ

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

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

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.