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The following is the August 27, 2015 memo from the Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to the House of Bishops
Attached is a package of materials concerning the engagement of Canadian Anglicans in the current federal election campaign. Prepared by Henriette Thompson (Director of Public Witness for Social and Ecological Justice) and the Rev. Laurette Glasgow (Special Advisor for Government Relations) and a host of other staff of the General Synod and Primate’s Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) in consultation with the Office of the General Secretary and my own, these materials include:
- An Anglican Approach to Election 2015 titled, “Compassion, Justice and Reason.” It references our ethos, our commitment to The Marks of Mission, and three broad themes that we feel are critical in this campaign
- Bridging Divides
- Restoring Right Relations
- Promoting Peace and Stability
- A series of notes on specific issues related to these themes.
Bridging Divides
- Child Poverty
- Homelessness and Affordable Housing
- Intergenerational Inequities
Restoring Right Relations
- Steps on the Journey of Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
- A New Dialogue on Restorative Justice
- A New Dialogue on Diversity, Inclusion, and Interfaith Co-operation
- Caring for Creation
Promoting Peace and Stability
- Investing in a Fragile World through International Assistance
- Welcoming the Stranger – Refugees
- Partnerships for Peace in the Middle East
Tips for a successful meeting with your Member of Parliament or candidates for election.
These materials form the basis of a communications strategy that will help us get the message out to all Anglicans, to our partners, and to the broader public about our public policy priorities, the active engagement of our Church in these areas, and our concerns, in the form of pivotal questions for political candidates of all parties.
I commend these materials to your attention and for distribution throughout your diocese. I trust a number of Anglicans will be quite engaged by the issues and the questions they could pose to candidates for election. Given the length of this campaign, some parishes or deaneries may have time to organize a public meeting with candidates. While the materials are written from an Anglican perspective, they may also be of interest to others as well.
I am grateful for the time and care and competence given by Henriette and Laurette in writing these materials and assembling this package and do hope that it will be a valuable resource for our Church.
For your information I’ve also included a copy of an open letter from me to the leaders of all our federal political parties. It is part of the downloadable package. As it ends on a note of expressed commitment on the part of our Church to work with all in authority in building a society whose hallmarks are compassion and justice for all people; and a pledge of my prayers for the leaders in all their travels and engagement with Canadians throughout this campaign I invite your prayers as well.
Finally, I would ask that you join me in encouraging all to get out and vote. Electoral stewardship is fundamental to sustaining the valuable gift of democracy.
For Responsible Citizenship at the Time of an Election
Lord, keep this nation under your care. Bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth. Help us elect trustworthy leaders, contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare, and thus serve you faithfully in our generation to the honour of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.