2023/2024 Annual Impact Report - Eastern Canada

In May 2023, I embarked on an MCC learning tour to Saskatoon to visit MCC colleagues from the Indigenous Neighbours program. We are looking to create an Indigenous Neighbours program in Quebec this year, and this trip was an opportunity to see how MCC Saskatchewan has worked alongside Indigenous partners in the area.

It was a great time of learning from partners who are committed to walking the road to reconciliation with First Nations communities. I also took part in a pipe ceremony and visited with members of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation who are developing expertise in forest horticulture.

One of the most amazing encounters for me was meeting with Mennonite and Lutheran landowners who are engaged in a dialogue with Indigenous people who claim the settlers’ farms as their rightful reserve land — which used to be called Reserve 107 under Treaty 6 from 1876. Though there are challenges and no concrete solutions yet, the group took the first step of forming a relationship to recognize the history of land concession in the prairies before trying to settle the dispute. I was amazed at this rare capacity to remain calmly engaged in peacebuilding.
 

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I also got a clearer sense of how different the relationships with First Nations can be among provinces, especially between the one I know best, Quebec, and that of the prairies. Quebec was mostly populated by Europeans in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, before Canadian Confederation, the Indian Act and the residential school policy. Because of that, much of the language used around reconciliation (for instance, the term “settler”) has been questioned by many Quebecers. 

Nevertheless, I saw a very diverse movement in Saskatchewan made up of Indigenous people, settlers and newcomers, determined to address racism and achieve reconciliation. I am inspired to bring that same spirit of togetherness to the work in Quebec.

In Saskatoon, 115 organizations, including MCC, collaborate under an umbrella organization called Reconciliation Saskatoon.

The organization is committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and responds to issues such as the disproportionate number of Indigenous people in Canadian prisons. For example, more than 40% of women incarcerated in Canada are Indigenous, but in Saskatchewan, that proportion approaches 90%. Facing such gigantic issues, these organizations started to respond by concentrating on the root causes of colonialism and Indigenous dispossession, instead of getting caught up in addressing the consequences of criminal punishment.

Even more surprising from my Quebec perspective, religious groups, particularly Christian churches, are well-represented in this movement. Despite the confronting and difficult feelings in starting these conversations, I could sense the joy and excitement in using peaceful practices and dialogue to move toward a more equitable relationship. From grassroots to political circles, reconciliation is happening. It is up to us to do our part here in Quebec as well.

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The humanitarian disaster that unfolded in Gaza this year compelled MCC Quebec constituents and donors to respond. At the request of a Mennonite Brethren church, MCC Quebec hosted a webinar on the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict and MCC’s relief and peacebuilding work in the region since 1949.

The webinar was held in November 2023 and was open to all MCC Quebec constituent churches and donors, as well as to the student community at École de Théologie Évangélique du Quebec (ETEQ, Quebec School of Evangelical Theology).

The virtual discussion was an opportunity that brought together 75 people to better understand the roots and context of the conflict — particularly the injustice of Israel’s illegal occupation in the Palestinian territories — and identify prospects for peace in the midst of violence and turn our attention and prayers to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. The financial contributions and active engagement of our supporters were an encouraging and welcomed support for the work of MCC staff and partners in the region.

The last few years have seen many changes for MCC in Atlantic Canada. The most recent of those changes is my assumption of the role of regional representative in November 2023. In the midst of the many transitions, one thing has not changed and that is the commitment of Atlantic Canadians to the work of peace and justice in their communities and around the world.

It has been a joy to get started in this role by meeting people across the region who have deep roots and long-standing connections to MCC. As I embarked on this journey of representing MCC, I have been energized to hear their stories and learn about their passion for this organization and its commitment to relief, development and peacebuilding.

Gathering material resources has been so encouraging. I get to see first-hand the love and genuine care that goes into the preparation of each kit. Interacting with donors has shown me the depth of people’s generosity as they acknowledge their own advantages and seek to use them for the benefit of others. Working with partners has opened my eyes to the many organizations that are doing great work right here in our region. Visiting churches has reminded me that the work of peace and justice transcends denominational differences as we all set out to share God’s love and compassion with the world in the name of Jesus.

These early days have been pure joy. The learning curve has been steep, but it is such a privilege to interact with Atlantic Canadians and tell them about the work we do at MCC. I am looking forward with great anticipation to what the next year will bring!

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Jonathan Schut, Regional Representative

MCC Atlantic Canada
 

In November 2023, two different events showed just how much global impact a seemingly small action can have. First, Angela and Ray Geurkink invited a group of friends over to their apartment for an evening of good company. But in between food conversation, they assembled relief kits for MCC in between sharing crepes.

The second event was led by 15-year-old Lydianne Ferland, who gave a presentation on MCC’s work in Palestine and Israel to members of Église Chrétienne Évangélique de Saint-Eustache (Mennonite Brethren Church in Saint-Eustache) with the goal of raising funds for MCC’s emergency response in Gaza.

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Both events may have felt small in scale, but together they led to 178 donations of relief kits to MCC. That means 178 families will have their basic needs met in a time of crisis. Like the parable of the mustard seed that produces faith, these small thoughtful acts have produced a real impact on the lives of people in need.