Brooke Valley Research for Education in Nonviolence
Brooke Valley Rd Perth, ON, Canada

http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

Overjoyed that my motion calling for the establishment of a Canadian Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security passed in Canada’s House of Commons! The vote re...sult was 212 in favour and 84 against. I would like to thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and all my colleagues who voted to create this very important institution. I would especially like to thank Minister Chrystia Freeland for her steadfast support. By fate, this substantive Peace motion is not only the last to be passed as we rise for Christmas, it is the last motion to be passed before the current Chamber of the House of Commons closes for a 10-year renovation. The original Centre Block was destroyed by fire in 1916 and reopened with the new Peace Tower as its centerpiece in 1920; at a time when Europe was rebuilding from the ashes of the War to End all Wars, the First World War. As the vote progressed, my thoughts once again turned to places I’ve seen and people I’ve met. From my speech concluding the debate on the Ambassadorship of Women, Peace and Security of December 6, 2018: In 2005, as I walked down a dusty road in Jowhar, Somalia, to a waiting vehicle convoy, a small girl walked up to me and took my hand. She was barefoot with only a torn red T-shirt to wear, yet when she took my hand she beamed the most beautiful of smiles. We walked hand-in-hand to my waiting car. I smiled back at her, however, it pained me that I had nothing to give her as I left, I could not even offer her hope. As we drove away, I watched the little girl in the red T-shirt disappear into the distance. In the years since, I’ve often thought of that little girl. Did she ever learn to read and write? Did her black curls turn reddish from malnutrition? Did she survive; is she, in fact, still alive? This past summer the Minister for International Development and I travelled into Ukraine’s devastated Donbas region’s Grey Zone. The area that OSCE observers leave before sunset as artillery and snipers set to work. In the zone’s villages, it seemed that only older women, widowed or too poor to leave remained behind. We stopped on a road next to shell-damaged homes, as we stepped into the ankle deep mud twin girls of about seven years shyly came out from the neighbouring house. They were adorable with ribbons in their braided hair; their mother came out and I asked why they hadn’t left the zone. She took me inside, her legless husband sat in a makeshift wheelchair. I asked how the girls were doing in school; she responded, poorly. Every night as the sun sets the twins begin to shake and then hide under their bed throughout the night. Later, once again as we drove away, I watched the twins with braided hair disappear into the distance and I wondered, would their shattered lives ever be whole again. I’ve travelled through multiple war zones; the harsh reality is, it’s men who do the killing and women and children who do the suffering, In October of 2000, the UN Security Council passed resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. For eighteen years we’ve repeatedly acknowledged that women’s engagement is a critical key for peace and security; it’s been studied, and reaffirmed; multiple international resolutions are passed regularly. It’s time to act Let us build a world where every little girl, every child no matter where they are born can have the same hopes and dreams that Canadian children hope and dream of. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Peace in the New Year. Women, Peace and Security Network - Canada Amnesty International Canada, Canadem Canada's Civilian Reserve, CARE International, Inclusive Security, Inter Pares, Canadian Peace Initiative, Group of 78, The MATCH International Women's Fund, Mennonite Central Committee - MCC, Oxfam Canada, NATO’s Special Representative for Women,Peace and Security, National Council of Women of Canada, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, UN Women, Save the Children US, Humanitarian Coalition/ Coalition Humanitaire, UN Peacebuilding

150 Canadian Stories of Peace ~ What is Yours? ~ In celebration and commemoration of Canada’s 150th year of Confederation and contributions to the peace of it...s residents, we are inviting stories from individual Canadians for a book on their unique ways of building peace in themselves, their homes, their communities and beyond. Canada is rich with stories of individuals who have dedicated their lives and their work in the pursuit of peace, in Canada and abroad. Across cultures, ideologies and politics we have seen ordinary Canadians step into the role of peacemakers, using empathy, deep listening and a genuine desire to do good in order to build bridges and foster a culture of peace. We have seen leaders in our communities and world stage take a stand for peace, and make decisions based on those principles, even when it wasn’t popular to do so. It’s been said that you can’t hate people once you’ve heard their stories. Whether or not that’s true, what cannot be denied is that stories give us the sacred space to reflect on who we are as individuals and on the fabric of the society we wish to weave. Stories have the power not only to inspire and unite, but to heal divisions and transform hearts and minds. They unite us in our search for a common humanity, crossing boundaries and going straight to the deepest place of truth that dwells within us. We are excited to collect these stories, and deliver them to an independent committee which will choose 150 stories for publication in a book. Those stories that do not make it into this book will be saved and hopefully published in future editions. So we invite you (young and not so young), to tell us, in English or French, your personal story. Share with us a time when you chose peace over hatred, love over fear, nonviolence over violence, non-killing over killing. Tell us about a project that built bridges across people of differing ideologies and beliefs. Tell us a story from your culture that inspired you to act from a place of peace. Tell us how your beliefs helped you be at peace even when surrounded by war. Tell us how you stopped a bully. Submissions and questions to be sent to [email protected] or to Civilian Peace Service Canada, 1025 Richmond Road, Apt. 2106, Ottawa, ON, K2B 8G8. Story deadline: July 1, 2017. Submission guidelines: Your story, in English or French, must be true. Don’t be afraid to speak from the heart. If you wish to use a pen name, please do so, but reveal your name to us. Maximum 3,650 characters counting spaces, Times New Roman 12 font, including story title, author’s name/pen name, and 1-line bio info (latter if desired by the author). You are welcome to submit a photo with your story. We cannot guarantee it will be published. Additional information (video, YouTube, and written is welcome but will not form part of the publication. Rather, it might be used for publicity). 150 histoires canadiennes de la paix ~ Quelle est la vôtre? ~ Pour célébrer et commémorer la 150ième année de la confédération du Canada et des contributions à la paix de ses habitants, nous cherchons à collectionner des histoires de Canadiens et de Canadiennes qui, à leur façon, construisent la paix en eux-mêmes, dans leurs foyers, dans leurs communautés et au-delà. Le Canada est riche d’histoires d’individus qui ont consacré leur vie et leur travail à la poursuite de la paix, au Canada et à l’étranger. À travers différentes cultures, idéologies et politiques, nous avons vu des Canadiens ordinaires jouer le rôle de pacificateurs, grâce à leur empathie, à leur capacité d’écoute et à un véritable désir de faire du bien pour construire des ponts et une culture de la paix. Nous avons vu des leaders de nos communautés, ici-même et sur la scène mondiale adopter des positions en faveur de la paix et prendre des décisions basées sur ces principes, même si ce n’était pas populaire. On a dit que vous ne pouvez pas haïr les gens une fois que vous avez entendu leurs histoires. On ne peut pas nier que ces histoires nous donnent l’espace sacré pour réfléchir sur ce que nous sommes en tant qu’individus et sur le tissu de la société que nous voulons créer. Les histoires ont le pouvoir non seulement d’inspirer et d’unir, mais de guérir les divisions et de transformer les cœurs et les esprits. Ils nous unissent dans notre recherche d’une humanité commune, traversant les frontières et allant directement à l’endroit le plus profond de la vérité qui nous habite. Nous serons ravis de recueillir ces histoires et de les remettre à un comité indépendant qui choisira 150 histoires pour publication dans un livre. Les histoires qui ne feront pas partie de ce livre, seront sauvegardées et, espérons-le, publiées dans les prochaines éditions. Alors, racontez-nous votre histoire personnelle. Partagez avec nous un moment où vous avez choisi la paix au lieu de la haine, l'amour sur la peur, la non-violence au lieu de la violence, ou vous avez refusé de tuer. Nous vous invitons, jeune et moins jeune, à nous dire, en anglais ou en français, votre histoire personnelle. Dites-nous une histoire de votre culture. Dites-nous un projet qui a crée des ponts entre des personnes d’idéologies et de croyances différentes. Dites-nous une histoire de votre culture qui vous a inspiré à agir pour la paix. Dites-nous comment vos croyances vous ont aidé à être en paix, même si vous étiez confronté à la guerre (en anglais, ‘non killing’). Dites-nous comment vous avez pu faire cesser l’intimidation. Veuillez envoyer vos soumissions/histoires à [email protected] ou à Civilian Peace Service Canada,1025 Richmond Rd., Ottawa, ON K2B 8G8. La date limite pour vos soumissions est le 1er juillet 2017. Directives pour la soumission : Votre histoire, en anglais ou en français, doit être vraie. N’ayez pas peur de parler à partir du cœur. Si vous souhaitez utiliser le stylo, faites-le, mais révélez-nous votre nom. Un maximum de 3,650 caractères comptant les espaces, y compris le titre de l’histoire, le nom de l’auteur et l’info biographique d’une ligne, si vous le souhaitez. La police Times New Roman 12. Vous pouvez soumettre une photo avec votre histoire. Nous ne pouvons pas garantir qu’elle sera publiée. Les renseignements supplémentaires (vidéo, YouTube et autres écritures) sont les bienvenus, mais ne feront pas partie de la publication. Au contraire, ils pourront être utilisés pour la publicité. Civilian Peace Service Canada ~Ottawa Peace Festival ~ Spirit Wrestlers ~ Walking for Peace