Poverty remains a persistent reality across Canada, disproportionately impacting Indigenous communities and marginalized groups. While churches have long sought to respond faithfully, many traditional approaches have unintentionally reinforced power imbalances rather than centering the voices of those most affected.
To address this, The Canadian Council of Churches’ Commission on Justice and Peace (CJP) is launching Churches Listening & Responding to Poverty. This national initiative invites local congregations, para-church organizations, and ecumenical groups into a structured process of shared listening with people who have lived experience of poverty. Rather than introducing another programmatic model, the initiative seeks to move beyond traditional charity toward relationships rooted in dignity, humility, and justice.
The CJP Poverty Priority Working Group aims to establish several small, local groups across the country. To spark these connections, a cross-Canada listening tour began in March 2026 in St. Catharines, Ontario, followed by gatherings in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, in May. The journey continues in September 2026 with listening circles in Vancouver, Victoria, and Calgary, before moving to Nova Scotia and Kitchener, Ontario, in October. The tour will conclude in Regina, Saskatchewan, this November.
To anchor this work locally, each community group is seeking three vital participants:
- A Church Lead in each location to work closely with the CJP Staff organizer to arrange the conversations in the local community;
- Listening participants from various churches and partners in the community who are willing to listen with grace and eagerness to learn
- The experts: Persons with lived experience of poverty.
To support this journey, the CJP Working Group will provide facilitators, connect participants with resource people, and later synthesize common themes to share nationally. A dedicated notetaker will ensure all reflections are effectively documented and reviewed for accuracy while maintaining strict confidentiality.
Join us in this journey of solidarity and transformative change to better respond to God’s call to seek justice and care for the oppressed. To get involved, please contact the CJP Poverty Priority Working Group.