Peace Trainers inspired by Alex Neve's Massey Lecture to go to Ottawa to request creation of a Peace Centre

 

Peace Train Canada will be in Ottawa in October 21 to 25 to call on government to establish a Peace Centre. 

Foundational to our request is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); it inspires our goal. With the enactment of the declaration, Canada and other countries committed themselves to build a more secure world for all. 

Our request was emphasized and given credence on September 25 in Vancouver when about a dozen Peace Trainers attended the Massey Lecture delivered by international human rights lawyer and Peace Train Canada advisor Alex Neve. 

This year’s title was “Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World.” In his presentation, Alex delivered a tour de force argument to reinvigorate the understanding and efficacy of human rights. 

In his presentation, which will be delivered in five cities across Canada, Alex—who was also a panelist at the November 22, 2024 Peace Train Canada panel discussion in Ottawa titled “Peace and Justice for the War Weary”—noted that universality is the core promise of the human rights order born out of the devastation of World War II and the Holocaust. 

These rights extend to everyone, everywhere, at all times, without exception, he said, but the cruel reality is that the word universal also screams of our profound failure to keep the promise. 

Too often, Alex said, human rights are applied selectively, withdrawn on the whims of political leaders, or ignored altogether, and the broken promise is palpable in humanity’s darkest moments, not only in violent conflict, but also in the economic, political, and social structures of our fractured world. 

In other words, this is not universality’s finest hour. 

Weaving together law, history, and stories from decades on the front lines of the struggle for human rights, Alex spoke about where we went wrong, how we have progressed, and what we can do to fulfill the promise that human rights are inherent, inalienable, and applicable to all people. 

Peace Trainers came away from his presentation assured and inspired that going to the national capital in these fraught days is the right thing to do. 

While in Ottawa, we will meet with politicians to bring focus to the basic values embodied in the UDHR and the UN Charter that form the foundation of enduring peace. This commitment Canada has made to international cooperation and human dignity has delivered stability and wellbeing to millions. 

Today, however, there are destabilizing forces that are trying to erode our natural reflexive compassionate response to suffering. 

When we are counseled by the Secretary General of NATO to take on a war mindset, we believe we must reflect back on the driving motivation of the North Atlantic Treaty Articles 1 and 2: “To settle any international dispute in such a manner that international peace, security and justice are not endangered” and that “the parties will contribute toward further development of peaceful and friendly international relations.” 

The role of the Peace Centre will be to bring Canada’s commitment to peace and international security to life by developing the tools and skills to build peace not war. 

Peace Train Canada’s motto is “Peace is a verb. If you want peace train for peace.” That’s what we hope Canada will do. 

Keith and Bernadette Wyton

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