Conscience Canada annual meeting on May 1

April 13, 2021

Four decades ago, a group of Quakers in Victoria, B.C., birthed an organization to support and propagate war-tax resisters. It attracted Mennonites, Friends and various other peace-minded people across Canada. Conscience Canada (CC) members worked for 20 years trying to get the government to allow people to pay taxes for peace instead of for war. However, CC’s board ran out of steam and thought it best to wind down its operations. Then some Ontario activists rescued CC from the dustbin of 20th-century peace movements and resuscitated it. Today, people continue to deposit the military portion of their taxes into a trust fund and use CC’s Peace Tax Return to send their reasons and objections to those in Ottawa most responsible for military policies. Again, many of CC’s current directors are aging, and replacements are needed to keep the organization going. If the board cannot be renewed, another option is to seek out a peace organization to take over CC’s key functions. Critical action must be taken at the upcoming annual general meeting, to be held virtually on May 1 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. To register, email info@consciencecanada.ca to get a Zoom link. Use the same address to volunteer for the board or suggest another person or organization having the wherewithal to perpetuate CC’s goals.

—By Mary Groh

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