Branch News

Montreal – Peggy Mason was the guest speaker at the Montreal Branch AGM on October 18, 2007 (see report on page 5) attended by 50 people. A lively question period continued following the end of the talk. Other activities this fall included three meetings of the Marie-Berthe Dion Issues Action Group for letter-writing sessions on climate change, Afghanistan, and Canada’s native peoples. Daytime and evening sessions were held on each of these topics. Sessions are planned in February, March and April. The annual post-holiday luncheon will be held at the Musée des Beaux Arts on Sunday, January 20, at 12:30 pm. Christine Jacobs, who spent a sabbatical this year volunteering in Ghana, will present an illustrated talk about her experiences. For details about the luncheon, please contact Jacqueline Desbaillets at jadespap@total.net or by phone at (514) 933-1987. The branch is selling attractive note cards with an antique map of the globe, bearing the quotation from Socrates, “I am not an Athenian nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world” in French and English, and the branch name on the back. For information about branch meetings, to receive copies of briefing papers, or to order cards, contact Carol Greene at cgreene@sympatico.ca.

National Capital Region – Professor John Sigler was the guest speaker at the branch meeting October 23. His address was entitled What Lies Ahead for the Middle East? (No Pun Intended). A snowstorm forced cancellation of the annual Christmas Pot Luck dinner. Many Ottawa World Federalists joined discussions at the December 19 annual meeting of the World Federalists Foundation.

Winnipeg – The annual Robson Lecture was moved to November 11 this year to pay tribute to long-time branch member and former Winnipeg City Councilor Magnus Eliasson who died November 11, 2006. Former Manitoba Deputy Premier Muriel Smith hosted the event which took place in the Winnipeg Convention Centre immediately following the City’s Remembrance Day commemorative events. Approximately 40 people attended. Guest speakers were former Manitoba Premier Ed Schreyer and Manitoba MLA Bidhu Jha.

Victoria – Does climate dithering cost more than effective action? That question framed the discussion at the November 30 branch meeting where Dr. Doug Seeley led participants through the findings of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, a recently published U.K. government report. More than 70 people attended a talk October 26 by Hal Sisson, author of 911 Modus Operandi, a fictionalized dramatization of a contrarian version of the events of 9/11. In September, the branch meeting discussion topic Whither Deep Democracy – a Wisdom Council Update was led by Philip Symons and Caspar Davis. Branch meetings are held the last Friday of the month at St John Anglican Church.

Vancouver – On December 20, there was a screening of the film In Search of International Justice, portraying the evolution of the International Criminal Court and discussing justice initiatives in Kosovo, Rwanda, Darfur and Northern Uganda. On November 15, more than 60 people attended a public forum on Global Democracy at the United Nations. Panelists Michael Byers (UBC), Terry Farrell (Douglas College), and Patricia Marchak (UBC) discussed how a parliamentary assembly at the United Nations could symbolize new consciousness, jumpstart global governance reforms, and empower citizen perspectives at the UN. The forum was part of the international campaign for the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly (see page 2). On October 18, Dr. Leonard Angel of Douglas College (and branch president) concluded his lectures on the need for global action and an international perspective on the ecological challenges ahead. At a meeting September 20, Professor Maurice Copithorne, UBC Faculty of Law, discussed the relationship of civil society to international law and institutions, as well as how citizens can take part in their further development and democratization. Professor Keith Banting, Queen’s University, was the guest lecturer September 27 at the Inaugural Dr. Richard B. Splane Lecture. The event was co-sponsored by WFMC (Vancouver), the Vancouver UN Association and the UBC School of Social Work. Banting is one of Canada’s leading scholars on federalism and social policy. His address was entitled Do Immigration and Multiculturalism Erode the Welfare State?