North America

Excellent news for the Quebecois! The organising committee of Non-violence Week in the Saguenay region in partnership with Stéphane Bédard, deputy of Chicoutimi, obtained the introduction of a bill on non-violence at the National Assembly of Quebec on November 12. This bill aims to designate 2 October every year as International Day of Non-violence.

The Zero Nuclear Weapons Forum was held in Toronto this weekend, bringing together renowned experts and activists for informative discussions on nuclear disarmament. Over 250 people attended, and what was perhaps most notable throughout all the talks was the sense of optimism and hope that achieving a world free of nuclear weapons was now becoming possible.

The YMCAs of Québec is happy to announce the names of the finalists for the 22nd annual Peace Medal ceremony. Exceptional individuals who have thought about peace, demonstrated it, and inspired it at the local, national, or international levels will have their contributions publicly recognized.  This year, 17 nominees are in the running in six different categories.

Since his arrival at the White House, Obama signaled that poor healthcare coverage in the USA was a major problem and insisted on pushing through his proposals. The historic vote in the House of Representatives was an unprecedented victory for the President, who had staked much of his political capital in the fight for healthcare reform.

Twenty years ago a wall fell and the world watched in awe and in hope. The Berlin Wall had stood for decades as a physical reminder of how mistrust and hatred can dominate relations between nations and peoples. The men and women celebrating its fall were rejoicing not just the reunion of Germany and end of the Cold War but the promise of a new era of freedom and optimism.

The Pre-parliament of the World’s Religions was held on October 22nd and 23rd in Guadalajara, Mexico with the theme “Hope: Opportunities for Religious and Spiritual Pluralism.” Representatives from all manner of religious denominations exchanged ideas. The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was present on the scene.

A team of 15 mountaineers, who had to cope with harsh climatic conditions, managed to plant the flag of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence on Eagle’s Peak, which is the second summit of the volcano Nevado de Toluca in Mexico. The volcano is a popular reference for many legends and is a sacred place for the native peoples of the area.

The organization “Circulo Latinoamericano de Estudios Internacionales”, part of Abolition 2000, is pushing for the signing of a letter requesting the withdrawal of all US bases from Latin America. Until now, the signatories are artists, politicians, and professionals from Mexican civil society, but they are looking to extend the initiative to signatories from the entire region.

The first ever Legislative Bill for a Department of Peace in the Canadian Parliament was tabled on Sept. 30. The Bill calls for a Federal Department of Peace, headed by a Cabinet level Minister. This Department should coordinate and promote issues such as Nuclear Disarmament, Human and Economic Rights, Peace Education and Prevention of Violence in Canada.

People the world over must find non-violent ways to oppose American military force lest they suffer the fate of the Vietnamese and the Iraqis. In response to the menace of the U.S. military-industrial complex, non-violent soul force needs to be considered in international conflicts just as it was used by Mahatma Gandhi in India and by the Reverend Martin Luther King in the U.S.