Evidence of meeting #51 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was decision.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
I'll just make one clarification. That doesn't sound like it was Kairos work. We don't work with health clinics. It may have been some other aspect.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
It might have been the vaccine campaigns, but I remember coming across many of your volunteers on the ground.
In fact, Mr. Albrecht's very church is involved with your group. The Mennonite Central Committee and its subsidiaries are very strong supporters of this organization.
Conservative
Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
Just for the record, Mr. Chair, I am not a member of a Mennonite church.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Thank you.
Can you answer the question for me, Mrs. Corkery?
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
Mr. Chair, I can't answer that question. It's speculation. I don't know. Kairos doesn't know.
That's one of the things that is disturbing to the public and to the NGO community. Our fear is that using such language will make other people afraid of speaking out or doing their work. But we don't know why.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Do you think that the 18 million Canadians who were supportive of Kairos through its churches deserve to be offended by the comments made byMr. Kenney on the instructions of Mr. Harper?
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
I don't think that's a question. I think it's more of a statement, so I don't think I can answer.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Do you agree with the statement that 18 million Canadians have a right to be offended by that comment?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Mr. McGuinty, you're over your time. I'll allow Ms. Corkery to answer if she likes.
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
I think anybody has the right to be upset by what has happened. Whether they are or not, I don't know. For Kairos it's a question of standing our ground and saying it's not true. That seems to be sticking.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you, Ms. Corkery, for being here today.
I've talked to clergy in my home riding of Oakville. We have one synagogue in Oakville. I call the rabbi my rabbi, although I'm an Anglican. We've discussed this issue at length.
I have some questions about a section from one of your documents on the website about ending partnerships, which is a difficult thing to do. It says:
Kairos partnerships in the work of global justice are generally long term. However, they are not necessarily forever. This policy helps ensure that partnerships may be ended, if need be, in a transparent, equitable and fair manner.
There are some circumstances listed that may lead to the ending of a partnership. I'll just read you the first one, if I may. It says:
Changes in the political, social, or economic context--and our analysis of how Kairos can most effectively help--indicate that we need to give priority, with our limited resources, to new areas of work.
Isn't that really what CIDA has said to Kairos? If you replaced the word “Kairos” with “CIDA” you'd say, “our analysis of how CIDA can most effectively help”--you know that the minister's priorities are food, medicine, education, and aid in Africa, for example, rather than advocacy--and, “indicate that we need to give priority, with our limited resources, to new areas of work”.
So when CIDA ends a relationship, it's really doing what Kairos does when it has to end a relationship.
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
I think it's not the same. We have laid out a process in our partnerships paper and policy on how we would go about changing a partnership, ending a partnership, or establishing a new one. The key parts of it are transparency and accountability to the partners. We would tell them why we had done it.
On the implication here, you mentioned advocacy at the end--that Kairos is not doing aid or not.... There are a lot of implications here that we aren't assisting people with food security, which is not true. We are.
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
No. The minister has said a number of times, “We would choose to do this. We make decisions for efficiency and effectiveness”, implying that we aren't. You mentioned advocacy, implying that our money goes to advocacy.
When Kairos received money from CIDA over the years, we always spent the money for the purposes for which it was received, which include overseas programs and public education. If that were not the case, the auditors might have slipped up once, but they wouldn't slip up regularly. We had an excellent audit and excellent reviews.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
You were informed that your funding was not to be renewed on November 29.
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
No, it was November 30.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
How did you inform your members and your partners? Did you put it on your website? Did you send out letters?
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
I phoned a number of people on the board. I don't remember exactly, but I assume we sent an e-mail out. We phoned partners. We spent the time to phone and talk with them.
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
I would have to go back and talk to our staff. It was over a period of time, because one of the things we look at is that partnership isn't only about money; it's also about collaborating with people, listening to their understanding of what the root causes of underdevelopment, poverty, and human rights issues are. We said to them, “We will continue to work with you. We will try to find money to support you.” And we did.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Who are your solidarity partners? Can you tell me about some of your solidarity partners, and what they do, and what your relationship is with them?
Executive Director, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS)
We have changed that title. We have indicated under “solidarity partners” that they are people whose work we respect, whose work we like, but we don't have any money to give them, as opposed to a “funded partner”.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
But prior to that, you did fund them? You funded them before but you don't now?