SCM Solidarity Statement on Democracy, Torture, and the Parliament of Canada
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*Passed by consensus of the General Board, Student Christian Movement of Canada, January 18, 2010
“The just uphold the rights of the oppressed, but the corrupt care only for themselves” (Proverbs 29:7)
The Student Christian Movement of Canada adds its voice of concern to those of Canadians raising critical questions about the prorogation of the Parliament of Canada.
The Student Christian Movement of Canada is an ecumenical network of student collectives engaged in spirituality and progressive social justice issues at universities across Canada. We strive to be a healing community, embrace radical ecumenism and interfaith work, act in solidarity with the oppressed, resist structures of domination, and work for justice in its varied forms and settings.
The suspension of Parliament raises serious questions about the use and abuse of executive authority, and the place and role of democratic principles at all levels in society. In addition, the current system of stacking the Senate through appointment by the Prime Minister’s Office runs counter to the principles of democracy. The action of proroguing Parliament ends current investigation into Canadian complicity with the torture of Afghan detainees.
The people of Canada, however, are being stirred to action. A growing activist tool, the Facebook page “Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament” has been expanding at a rapid rate, evidence of multi-partisan displeasure with the engineering of process for political gain, with well over 170,000 members as of January 12, 2009 and a multitude of protests planned for January 23.
The Student Christian Movement of Canada has spoken on matters of governance before. In our Pastoral Letter on the 2008 Federal Election we lamented: “At times, this system does not deserve the description ‘democratic’ nor does it hear the voices of the marginalized… Our faith calls us to hope, by renewing our commitment towards radical change. We call on the members of the Student Christian Movement to stay involved in the political landscape of this country.”
We call for a country-wide dialogue, discussion, and immediate action about and for democratic values, examining issues like the Senate and proportional representation, re-engaging the electorate and ensuring that all voices – especially those of the marginalized – are heard in public discussions, and holding our elected officials to the highest levels of accountability. We reaffirm our call to move towards a more just governmental system, investigation into what powers are vested in the executive, and how to divest power away from the Prime Minister’s Office such that it is more equally and fairly shared. In addition, we call for a transparent and accountable public inquiry into the question of Canadian complicity with torture.
