Peace Trainers reflect on the Oct. 21-25 visit to Ottawa

 

From Oct. 21-25, a dozen people were on the Peace Train—they had to fly there this time—to meet with Parliamentarians, attend the award ceremony for disarmament advocate Douglas Roche, attend the annual conference of the Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (CNANW), and have personal meetings with MPs. Here are a few reflections about that experience. 

Diane Mayba, Port Alberni, B.C. 

My main reasons for coming were to engage with more politicians, foster relationships with more people and groups working for the same or similar goals, increase the visibility  and capacity of the Peace Train to achieve our goals and learn from the amazing line-up of speakers at the conference. 

Looking ahead, we should plan earlier for a parliamentary event next year. There is a lot of support and good will for the idea of a Peace Centre, but MPs are incredibly overworked and over taxed with so many pressing needs that they have limited time, energy and ability to turn their good will into concrete action. 

The most hopeful thing that happened was the enthusiastic response of the parliamentarians at the breakfast to the idea of creating a Peace Caucus.

 

John Mayba, Port Alberni, B.C. 

I came on this one because the first Peace Train had been so exciting and surprisingly productive. I could not pass up the opportunity to come to Ottawa again to engage with both politicians and other peace makers again to further our project. 

I met briefly with a number of MPs and government assistants at the all-party breakfast.

I was part of a half hour meeting with an assistant to the Minister of Defence in which he suggested that some of the money earmarked for defence might be available for “soft defence” projects. However, he suggested that a peace centre would fall more under the purview of Foreign Affairs. 

Overall, I came away feeling that our message was very well received and that we had received a great deal of encouragement to continue our efforts. The all-party breakfast itself yielded one possibly hopeful sign when it was stated that MPs were working to form a “peace caucus.” We already have or will be following up with them in attempt to establish working relationships. 

The support and encouragement we received from our MP, Gord Johns, and his assistant Corinne, along with that from Senator McPhedran, the CNANW and the many speakers at the conference we attended, altogether encouraged us to keep working towards, as Douglas Roche summarized, the “evolution” of our institutions of peace, justice and sustainability.

 

Katherine Murray, Abbotsford, B.C. 

I was on the original Peace Train to Ottawa and also made the Peace Train trip to the United Nations in March 2025. I came on the Peace Train again to Ottawa because I strongly support and share the vision that Canada would commit to building a culture of peace and would demonstrate that commitment by investing in a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice. Going to Ottawa now continues the work we started last year and builds on the momentum of the Peace Train. 

My overall impression is there is real support for Peace Train Canada's request for a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice as part of Canada's commitment to building a culture of peace. This was indicated through conversations with several MPs, civil servants, other NGO members, at least one former Ambassador, and academics in the field of international affairs. 

For next steps, I think we need to hone our strategy, streamline our communication, follow up with those persons who indicated support for the Peace Train and consult with advisors. 

I am encouraged that a number of people support the idea of a Peace Centre. It was an amazing experience and I am grateful to be a part of the Peace Train. 

Lori Matties, Winnipeg, Man. 

This was my second trip to Ottawa with Peace Train Canada. Last year we were told that if you want to be heard by politicians in Ottawa, you need to come back. I wanted to help be that voice for establishing a center of excellence for peace. 

This year there seemed to be even more reason to open avenues for talking among nations to prevent war. I am concerned about the environmental brink we humans are bringing ourselves to, and we should all be working at ways to cooperate at mitigating what's left of our human and other-than-human home rather than competing for its so-called resources. We can only do that by talking to each other. 

This trip was useful for clarifying our vision. We have work to do to consolidate that. We know that many in government are interested and supportive of our goal. It's not completely clear how to move forward from there, but we were able to connect with people who can help us do that. 

Christophe Elie, Ottawa, Ont. 

I greeted the Peace Trainers at the Train Station when they arrived last year. I decided to be part of it again this year to keep the momentum going through a concert, but also wanted to be part of efforts to meet and influence the politicians and other associated partners, associates and stakeholders. 

One takeaway for me was a chance to meet Chris Houston, Executive Director of the Canadian Peace Museum. We talked about global challenge for people to write peace Songs. 

What I took from the event was that our presence this week has created some momentum for the re-establishment of a Peace Centre in Canada. I believe the Peace Train made a splash here this week in Ottawa. 

The Evening of ‘Music and Words for World Peace’ was an incredible event that I was honoured to host and perform at. Held in the majestic Sanctuary at the St. Andrews church across from the Supreme Court of Canada, with a theme of “Conditions for Peace,” we were honoured to have the founders of the Peace Train Canada Keith and Bernadette Wyton share their words, along with stories from other Peace Trainers.

Photos: Top--Diane Mayba, centre, standing beside Douglas Roche. Second, John Mayba, right, talking with Keith Wyton and an unidentified participant in the Parliamentarian's breakfast; third, Katherine Murray, right, talking with Michael Byers; fourth, Lori Matties, right, talking with Conservative MP Dave Epp; fifth, Christophe Elie singing at the peace concert.