Peace Train Canada

On Nov. 24, James Toews—pastor of The Ark, a small church in Nanaimo, B.C.—took his congregation on the journey of the Peace Train.   In his sermon, Toews tied in the message of the Peace Train with the peace message of Jesus.   If you click on the link, you can also hear and see some of the songs the group sang at the Ottawa train station!   Click here to join James on the journey.

  For many years, Canada had a much-lauded and highly respected reputation for peacekeeping — it helped define our national identity. Internationally, because of peacemaking, Canada came to be seen as an honest and reliable broker in international affairs. At the same time, Canadians proudly identified with the nation’s peacekeeping tradition and role, seeing it as a key way we could contribute to the world. Today, however, Canada has virtually no involvement in peacekeeping. In 1992, it had over 3,800 peacekeepers around the globe; today there are only about 30. Keith and Bernadette Wyton think Canada can and should do better. Earlier this year, the retired couple from Port Alberni, B.C., came up with the idea of a Peace Train that would travel from Vancouver to Ottawa to call on the government to renew support for peacekeeping efforts. Read more about the Peace Train in the Winnipeg Free Press. Photo above: Peace Trainers at the Winnipeg train station.

Two Parliamentarians mentioned the Peace Train in the House of Commons during the week of Nov. 18-22. On Nov. 23, during his regular speaking time, Dave Epp (Chatham-Kent—Leamington, CPC), said: “Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour and a pleasure to bring the voices of Chatham-Kent—Leamington to this chamber. “Before I get into the substance of my speech, I want to take a moment to recognize the efforts of 40 extraordinary Canadians, for that is truly what ordinary Canadians are, for bringing the peace train to Ottawa two nights ago. MPs from a cross-section of this chamber, representing a cross-section of philosophical paths to peace, from our military veterans and peacekeepers to our peaceniks, all agreed on the message represented by the peace train participants: that Canada should do more for peace in our world.   “It has been said many times that war is a failure of statecraft. We thank these folks for reminding us to invest more, in many ways, for peace.”   A day...

"If we want peace, we need to prepare for peace.”   That was the message shared by Lyn Adamson, co-chair of Voices of Women for Peace during her presentation at “Peace and Justice for the War Weary,” a panel discussion at Parkdale United Church in Ottawa on Nov. 22. The event, sponsored by the Peace Train, also heard from panelists Walter Dorn, professor of defence studies at Royal Military College in Kingston and Alex Neve, a human rights lawyer and professor at the University of Ottawa. One of the earliest memories for Adamson, who was born in 1951, was the Cuban missile crisis of the early 1960s. “I didn’t think I would live to be 65,” she said. But she did, and that experience helped convince her to dedicate her life to promoting peace. During her career one thing she learned was “we have agency. We can have failures, and he can get discouraged. But we have no option but to keep going.” For Adamson, peace isn’t just what happens internationally. “We need places to nu...

For the Cathy and Sameer Merchant of Vancouver, getting peace back on track in Canada is a family affair.   The couple are part of the Peace Train with their children, Inara, 10, and Ammar, 7, and Cathy’s father, James.   For Cathy, who is Minister of Community Life at Canadian Memorial United Church and the Founder and Interfaith Leader of the Living Interfaith Sanctuary, an Interfaith congregation in Vancouver, taking her children on the Peace Train is a way to provide them with an “excellent and intergenerational learning experience” and to “inspire other families to work together to promote peace in their own ways.”   She believes the Peace Train is important because “we are dedicating fewer resources to peacemaking now than ever before . . . and yet we think nothing of spending two percent or more of our annual budget on military spending. It's no wonder we don't have peace in the world; no one wants to fund it or take it seriously.”   While on the Peace...

“ You are inspiring in these difficult and uncertain times.”   With those words, Gord Johns, NDP Member of Parliament for Courtenay—Alberni, welcomed Peace Train participants to a reception in Ottawa at the Sir John A. MacDonald Building.   Eleven Members of Parliament attended the reception—something Johns noted was exceptional considering how busy Parliamentarians are each day. “This is a tremendous showing,” he said, noting that every political party was represented at the event. Johns praised the Peace Trainers, saying they were bringing an important and hopeful message to Ottawa in calling for a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice—something he was glad to support. Following Johns was John McKay, Liberal Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Guildwood and Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence. McKay said he spends most of his time thinking about the latest threats. “We live in a fraught environment,” he said, adding “I’m glad to see you here...

Keith and Bernadette Wyton were on CBC Ottawa Morning on Nov. 21, talking about the Peace Train. Click here to listen!

  Gord Johns, the NDP Member of Parliament for Courtenay—Alberni in B.C., presented the Peace Train petition to the House of Commons on Nov. 19.   The petition, which calls on the Government of Canada to establish and fund a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy, and peace operations for Canadian civilians, police, military personnel and the international community, received over 1,000 signatures.  Watch his presentation on YouTube.

  Two Parksville/Qualicum Beach residents are on their way to Ottawa aboard the Peace Train as part of a national effort to encourage the government to take on a peacekeeping role in global affairs. From the Alberni Valley News.

  Norma Emerson: “These are my people”   Why did Norma Emerson want to the part of the Nov. 15-22 Peace Train? “Because of the state the world is in, and I want to contribute to making a difference,” said the 75-year-old from Qualicum Beach, B.C. The retired teacher, who is part of Knox United Church in Parkesville, hopes the energy being put into the train can “be contagious across Canada” and convince the Canadian government to devote more resources to peace. “With pressure to spend more on militarization, weapons production corporations would thrive but housing, healthcare, education and mitigating climate change damage suffers,” she said. Esther Haack: Hoping Canada can once again be a peacemaker in the world  Esther Haack joined the Peace Train because she strongly believes that situations can’t like in Ukraine and the Middle East “can’t be resolved by continuing on the path of war and hatred. My hope is that Canada can once again become or have a peacemaking and n...

Like for other Peace Train riders, Cat Steven’s ‘Peace Train’ song is very familiar for James Toews, a pastor and boomer from Nanaimo, B.C. It hit the airwaves in 1971, another challenging time in world affairs. Despite that, James remembers it as a time when there was also a “deep and persistent hope that a new age was dawning. The song ‘Peace Train’ spoke to that.” Now James hopes another Peace Train—not a song, this time, but the Nov. 15-22 Peace Train from Vancouver to Ottawa—will spark another round of hope for a better world. There are many challenges today, James said, but that also means “it’s time for a new ‘Peace Train’ to create a world that should not accept war as the norm, a world where Canada can reclaim its place as one of the world’s peace keeper nations.” The goal of the Peace Train is to ask the Canadian government to establish a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education, and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy, and pe...

  For Helen Grace Smith of Port Alberni, B.C., participating in the Nov. 15-22 Peace Train is a way of “taking a small action that is rooted in compassion.” Smith, 67, is enjoying her comfortable new life as a retiree following a career as a speech language pathologist. At the same time, she is aware that millions of people around the world are suffering due to conflict and war in places like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. “For many people insecurity, hunger, disease, and death are daily realities,” she says. “I feel a need to pay attention, to be aware.” For her, going to Ottawa on the Peace Train to ask the government to establish and fund a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education, and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy, and peace operations is a way to pay attention and be aware. “Our collective action is a small one,” she acknowledges, noting other groups such as Project Ploughshares have been working at this agenda for a long time....

  For Deborah Walker, minister of connection and social justice at  Shaughnessy Heights United Church in Vancouver,  participating in the Peace Train is a way to show that the church is involved in things people care about. This includes things like addressing issues like global hunger and poverty. But “peace is an overarching issue” since war is a major reason why people are poor and hungry as they are driven from their homes, work and farms, she said. War also impacts women through rape and sexual violence. “There is a gender dimension to war,” she said.   As a minister, “it’s important for people to see the church is trying to do something about this issue,” she shared. “It’s important for us to be seen.” By participating in the Peace Train, “I’m saying the church has something to say about peace.” Speaking personally, Walker also wanted to be part the Peace Train in order to participate in “the deep yearning” for peace. The goal of the Peace ...

For Diane and John Mayba of Port Alberni, B.C., being a part of the Peace Train is a way “to turn our hopes and desire for peace into a concrete plan of action.” Diane, 71, and John, 72, hope the Peace Train will resonate with many other people across Canada so that “together we can bring a powerful voice for peace to Ottawa.” The retired couple believe that war “is the ultimate injustice” that is too often seen as “a solution instead of the catastrophic failure that it really is. We believe that the only real path to lasting peace is for every country to participate in mutually assuring the security, freedom, equality and well-being of all.” They also believe that Canada has an important role to play in building that true global security system, and that the Canadian government can work towards that goal by agreeing to the Peace Train’s request to establish and fund a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice to promote peaceful and diplomatic ways of dealing with conflict. T...

    As soon as Kristi Lewis of Cobble Hill, B.C. heard about the Peace Train, she knew she wanted to be part of it. “These are my people,” she said of those who spoke about the Nov. 15-22 cross-country trip to ask the federal government to establish a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education, and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy, and peace operations. “I value their endeavors with regards to the peace train and trust their commitment to the cause. I know it is for all the right reasons, that we are seeking to re-institute a peace center in Canada that puts peace back on the map. Not choosing sides. Standing up for peace. Period.” Kristi admits she is “as heartbroken as everyone by the news every day. But I simply want to do more than nothing. Despondency does not get us anywhere. I believe we must engage grief in order to move through it, and that loving community aids us in the process.” While on the train, Kristi, 44, pl...

“We need to find a new way to stop militarism. We need new diplomatic initiatives for peace.” That’s what the Hon. Douglas Roche, a former Canadian Senator, parliamentarian, diplomat and author told Peace Train participants Nov. 16 at their stop in Edmonton. Roche, who is also founder and chairman emeritus of the Middle Powers Initiative, an international network of eight international non-governmental organizations specializing in nuclear disarmament issues, noted that Canada is being criticized for not spending enough on its military as a member of NATO. “That’s a myth,” said Roche, stating that Canada is currently seventh out of the 32 NATO members in terms of spending two per cent of its GDP on the military. “It’s not true we aren’t carrying our weight,” he added. And now, Roche said, Canada can expect to be pressured by the Americans to spend three per cent of GDP, following the election of Donald Trump. “That’s absolutely outrageous,” he said, noting that kind of mone...

Inspired at least in part by Cat Stevens’ 1971 hit Peace Train, a band of ardent peace activists is slow rolling its way across Canada. The group of 40 left Vancouver aboard a Via train on Nov. 15. With a few stops along the way, they plan to arrive in Ottawa Nov. 20. Along with other “peace trainers” from points south and east, they’ll spend three days meeting MPs, holding panel discussions and participating in a rally on Parliament Hill on Nov. 23. Their aim, as stated in a petition to be presented to the House of Commons by B.C. MP Gord Johns: that Parliament “establish and fund a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy and peace operations for Canadian civilians, police, military personnel and the international community.” Never mind that petitions to the House seldom catch the attention of government, let alone result in action. Organizer Keith Wyton of Vancouver Island says he’s motivated as mu...