2014

Annual
Report
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

Human rights
education is much more

than a lesson in schools or a

theme for a day; it is a
process to equip people
with the tools they need to
live lives of security and
dignity.
- Kofi Annan

presidents
remarks.
As I look upon the current work of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human
Rights, I feel we are on the precipice of vital and positive change in advancing
peace and human rights causes. During the past year, we have brought people
together in ways that have accomplished real and meaningful dialogue, learning and
change on issues related to poverty, mental health, children, and our identity as
Canadians.
Leading up to the 150th anniversary of Canada, we see this as the perfect
opportunity to challenge ourselves as Canadians to identify what we want to
represent as a nation. It has been a privilege for the John Humphrey Centre to bring
young Albertans together to reflect on this in the light of our past achievements and
also of our sometimes dark and untold past. This has been an incredible journey so
far. We look forward to this next year with great hope and optimism as we take
these conversations across Western Canada.
When we look back on 2014 and the challenges we were presented, I feel great
pride in our staff, volunteers and Board of Directors who have persevered to
overcome what at times seemed like insurmountable obstacles. The John
Humphrey Centre is a small organization, however we have a powerful vision and
are striving to fulfill the important goals we have set. These are being achieved with
the dedication of our staff and board and the strong support of our community and
those who sponsor our activities. We are very grateful for this commitment and are
going forward with a new sense of vibrancy and purpose.
Over the next year, my hope is our efforts and our accomplishments to advance the
principles enshrined in human rights and our work towards peace for all people, will
continue to grow. These endeavours are so critically important in our world today.
Thank you for your valued support and commitment to the John Humphrey Centre
for Peace and Human Rights.
Sincerely,

Joan Cowling
President

our board of
directors.
Joan Cowling, President
Lewis Cardinal, Vice President
Robert Gardner, Treasurer
Norm McLeod, Secretary
Gurcharan Bhatia
Dominique Clment
Claire Edwards
Salma Lakhani
Raffath Sayeed
Roxanne Ulanicki

our special advisors.

Christine Rapp

our staff.
Rene Vaugeois, Executive Director
Carrie Malloy, Education Programs Manager
Maigan van der Giessen, Creative Lead and
Educator

Tatiana Wugalter, Program Coordinator and Research

Lead
Ramona Fernando, Office Administrator and Finance
Ashintha da Silva, Summer Coordinator

a peek at
success.
1

Organizational Goals
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1: Putting Children First
UNICEF Canadas Rights Respecting Schools Program
Rights in Play
Youth Action Project on Poverty
This is Our Canada Retreat
Peace-Builders
McNally Peace-Builders

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2: Renewing Community through Partnership and

Human Rights Learning
Gall Conference: Childrens Rights
Human Rights Awards
Truth and Reconciliation Gathering Participation
ANFCA Partnership Signing
Edmonton Community Advocacy and Remediation Plan
Intercultural Education for a Peaceful World Training
International Day of Peace
Alberta Hate Crimes Committee
Do the Rights Thing: Standing up for Human Rights in History Film Series
Panel Discussion on Organ Harvesting
Komagata Maru Week
Honour Based Violence Partnership

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3: Supporting Respect, Protection and

Compliance of Human Rights in Business
Canada and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Natural Disasters: Human Rights Protection Gaps Research
Training Expansion:
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Human Rights Based Approaches to Programming
Gateway Association Cultural Competency Training
Human Rights and Gender Discrimination

5
In 2014, the Board of
Directors approved a
three year projection plan
for the organization. We
identified three strategic
objectives to guide our
work moving forward that
built on our momentum
but also allowed us to
deepen our
organizational capacity
for education on and
operationalizing of human
rights in various spheres.
This report provides an
overview of the progress
made in 2014.

1.Putting Children First:

To foster enterprising, inclusive and engaged
children and youth, the John Humphrey Centre
(JHC) is committed to building stronger
communities for Albertas children through
fostering programming of inclusion, learning,
participation and action for young people that
promotes a culture of peace and human rights.

2. Renewing Community through

Partnership and Human Rights Learning
Work in the advancement of human rights
crosses cultural, economic, social and political
lines. The John Humphrey Centre is committed to
building stronger connections between different
perspectives and philosophies fostering a circle
of learning and practice and where all Albertans
have the opportunity to reach their full potential
and achieve a quality of life.

3: Supporting Respect, Protection and

Compliance of Human Rights in
Business
With a key focus on the private sector, working to
enhance compliance of human rights both to
external practices in the community but also
internally to foster respectful and efficient
workplaces, will build a stronger Alberta where
we can live, play and work together. The John
Humphrey Centre aims to become a leading
expert in our province and country to support
Alberta businesses in their efforts to protect,
respect and remedy human rights concerns.

Throughout this report we acknowledge our funders and

supporters however we want to thank as well the City of
Edmonton Community Investment Operating Grant as well as
the Alberta Community Initiatives Program Operating Grant for
enabling us with a base of support to advance our work. We
would also like to acknowledge the incredible support of
Volunteer Albertas Serving Communities Internship Program
which has enabled us bring on board a number of student
interns to help our work.

our
goals.

Putting
Children
First:
Strategic Objective 1

To foster
enterprising,
inclusive and
engaged children
and youth, the John
Humphrey Centre
(JHC) is committed
to building stronger
communities for
Albertas children
through fostering
programming of
inclusion, learning,
participation and
action for young
people that promotes
a culture of peace
and human rights.

UNICEF Canadas
Rights Respecting
Schools Program
The UNICEF Canadas Rights Respecting Schools
Program is a whole school approach aimed at
embedding childrens rights as way of being; in
policy, decision-making and programming. The JHC
focused a lot of our time in 2014 supporting two
existing Rights Respecting Schools; Evansdale
School, Northmount School. We also worked hard
to evolve relationships with schools that were
making positive movements towards a rights
respecting school - these included Our Lady of the
Prairies, Ekota School and Amiskwaciy Academy.
We held a training workshop in Edmonton for 28
individuals at Amiskwaciy Academy who
represented schools from Olds and Edmonton as
well as Alberta Education representatives.
In order to further support existing RRS schools, the
JHC felt it was necessary to create materials that
would help RRS schools address challenges in their
pursuits in moving forward with RRS initiatives. At
each school, parent engagement was a major
concern. JHC thus piloted a series of 8 lessons with
students with Maigan van der Giessen at Evansdale
school where they built an art project around rights
and responsibilities through creative expression on
superheroes. They then displayed and presented
these at a family celebration night at the school. At
this time, we also provided a brief resource for
families to take home to help engage them in
conversation.
The JHC also took on a practicum student, Sofia
Alani, to help develop this brief parent engagement
tool, Human Rights at Home, to help facilitate
parental involvement in the school community. This
simple resource will thus be used with current and
future RRS schools to help address challenges with
parent engagement.

As a result of the series of pilot workshops around art

and rights with the students, the JHC also created the
Superhero Toolkit that teachers can now use to engage
young students in learning about rights and
responsibilities. From what we hear, it is being used in
Quebec for a traffic control project!
This toolkit has been picked up by Microsoft and we
worked in 2014 to build a plan to pilot an innovation of
the Superhero project whereby students could turn their
artistic creations of superheroes into live digital projects.
This program will be piloted by two elementary schools;
Keenooshayo and Mill Creek.
In addition to these activities, we were also honoured to
present Rights Respecting Schools to teachers across
the province at six conventions where we were able to
directly workshop with 45 educators in the province.
Thank you to the Alberta Human Rights Education and
Multiculturalism Fund for their support to this important
work.

Rights Respecting Schools in British Columbia

This year, two separate on-site visits were made to the three existing RRS schools in B.C. in January
2014, and April 2014. Our visit in January was particularly dedicated to professional development for
school staff and administration where workshops provided educational leaders with instrumental
resources, information, action planning, and tools to help schools enhance climates of self-regulation,
engagement, and social emotional learning amongst their students. At Chartwell, 15 staff participated;
9 staff partook at Cape Horn; and 35 staff members participated in our professional development
session at Monty Middle School. During this visit, two separate student sessions were also held to
elicit student voice regarding school matters and to garner their input on continuing to build their RRS
community: the student session at Chartwell comprised of 15 student participants and 18 students
partook in the session at Monty Middle School.

Special thank you to our partners at UNICEF Canada and Friends of Rights Respecting
Schools for their ongoing commitment to shift education towards a childrens rights based
approach. It is a difficult task but one well worth it as we have seen in the schools we have
been working with.

Free2BeYOUth is a collaborative venture between the John Humphrey Centre

for Peace and Human Rights and (IN)spired, a youth inclusion group. This
program was developed as a way to foster peer support and leadership in
junior and senior high schools around issues of inclusion and seek to create a
strengthened understanding of what full inclusion looks like.
In our pilot year,1 we were able to introduce Free2BeYOUth (F2BY) to 5
schools across the province: H.E. Beriault Junior High School, Strathcona
Composite High School, Jasper Place High School, Tofield School, and Holy
Trinity High School. The schools we had for this pilot year were very diverse,
from junior high to high school, from Catholic to public schools. It was great
that teachers and students incorporated their unique school cultures in
discussion.
A core resource that was developed for the F2BY program was a training
manual2 that comprised of 4 major components: an introduction to the program
and roles of club leaders; monthly themes related to inclusion; ideas for
fundraisers, club-based activities, school-wide events, and ideas on how to
advocate for inclusion; and community resources for facilitating monthly
workshops. In addition to the F2BY manual, a F2BY website was developed in
order to connect F2BY clubs with each other and to online resources that
would help them organize workshops, meetings, and events.
In January, the F2BY theme was accessibility, disability, and inclusion which
involved approximately 20 participants at Strathcona which helped to broaden
students definitions of communication since they were exposed to nonconventional forms of communication such as augmentative and alternative

10

communication. Demonstrating the functions of assistive technology for individuals

with disabilities and how such technology poses restrictions on communication for
these individuals was a highlight for Strathcona students. At H.E. Beriault, 80 junior
high students received a special presentation from a guest speaker, Cameron Tait
on verbs igniting change. The focus of the presentation was on developing a
sense of compassion and understanding towards others. Jasper Place also held a
session with a 16-year-old youth presenting on living with trisomy 18. Four of the
students learned about inclusion, empathy, and forgiveness from the youth. Jasper
Place also benefited from a January session with Crystal Jones, who facilitated a
session on non-verbal communication, and tips for communicating with deaf people
and those who are hard of hearing. Februarys workshop series involved developing
healthy relationships and four Jasper Place students participated in a session with
the Gender-Based Violence Project. April was dedicated to Learning about
Canadas Aboriginal peoples and Koren Lightning Earle from the Alberta Restorative
Justice Association facilitated a session with ten Strathcona students about
restorative justice from an Aboriginal perspective.
Overall, through the development of F2BY digital and print resources, workshops,
and presentations, students were inspired to start their own campaigns, projects,
and events within their school to help raise awareness about inclusive practices.
Although a number of schools outside of Edmonton did not organize as many
workshops with community leaders as H.E. Beriault and Strathcona, students still
used F2BY as a platform to launch many initiatives to promote inclusion within their
schools. For instance, students at Tofield School created a campaign to promote
inclusion in their school during the month of February where students left letters
containing positive, compassionate messages around the school to help their peers
feel more welcome and valued in their community. F2BY thus inspired youth to lead
meaningful initiatives within their schools and communities as they advocated for
inclusion and human rights.

Free2BeYOUth.

After a workshop from Nathan Devlin at Tofield

High School.

rights in
play.
Rights in Play, our longest running program,
has been very busy, delivering sessions to
many schools and organizations across the
province over the year. We have done
workshops at M.E Lazerte High School, J
Percy Page, Holy Trinity, and Ecole Le
Rousseau in Brooks, Alberta. We were able to
celebrate National Childrens Day with the
Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre
in Edmonton where we hosted learning
activities with the young people. The topics
we have covered range from exploring
Canadian identity with ESL classes to
gendered space and gender stereotypes;
diversity and exclusion; human rights 101 and
the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Rights in Play continues to be a very popular
request from teachers and organizations
working with youth. The program aims at
educating young people about human rights
in an experiential and creative space. We had
one of our busiest falls delivering sessions to
approximately 500 young people aged prekindergarten up to 18 years old.
During the summer, the John Humphrey
Centre hired a student for the position of
Human Rights Education Coordinator.
Ashintha da Silva spent three months doing
Rights in Play activities as well as dialogues
with youth experiencing poverty in
Edmonton. Sessions were held at local non-

profit organizations, clubs and other groups that

already work with youth, such as the Boyle
Street Youth Unit, Canadian Native Friendship
Centre, Youth Empowerment & Support
Services, The Pride Centre and the Old
Strathcona Youth Co-op. The Coordinator
delivered sessions to more than 500 youth aged
6 to 25 in and around the city, Some youth who
attended summer sessions later joined the John
Humphrey Centres Youth Action Project on
Poverty (YAP) that began in the fall.

In total in 2014, we reached over

2,500 young people in Edmonton
and other areas of Alberta
teaching them about the value of
diversity and human rights.
Through a partnership with the Indo Canadian
Womens Association we were also able to
develop a workshop on Honour Based Violence
and will deliver three sessions to Edmonton
Public Librarys GirlSpace to approx. 30, 11-15
yr old girls. In addition we have a number of
interested volunteers and will train them in time
to do sessions in the community over the
summer, bringing human rights education to a
playground near you.
Thank you to the support of South Gate Lions
Club and the Summer Career Placement
Program with the Government of Canada for
allowing us to conduct this important work.
In 2014, we published the second edition of the
Rights in Play: Practical Guide for Human Rights
Education after over fifteen years of growth and
learning. We also trained twelve Albertans how
to integrate the curriculum in their day to day
youth programming.

11

youth
action
project
on
poverty.

The Youth Action Project (YAP) entered its eighth

year in 2014. A youth leadership program
focused on engaging young people in human
rights issues in our community through applied
learning and dialogue, this year we focused on
making shifts around poverty. YAP brought
together 15 diverse youth from around the city to
explore poverty and bring forward youth
recommendations to the Mayors Task Force on
the Elimination of Poverty. The youth learned
about the use of human rights based approaches
to addressing poverty; focusing on the pillars of
Justice, Security, Freedom and Dignity.
Youth participants explored the dimensions of
poverty in Edmonton through a study tour to
community agencies and grassroots outreach to
youth agencies and at street level. Participants
visited the Elizabeth Fry Society, iHuman Youth
Society, George Spady Detox Centre, Boyle
McCauley Health Centre, Hope Mission and
Boyle Street Community Services. They have had
presentations by a front line social worker, police
investigators working with vulnerable persons
and first hand accounts from youth experiencing
poverty and street involvement.
These important perspectives have helped youth
participants collaborate on and create formal
recommendations with a larger group of young
people that they will bring forward to the Mayors
Task Force at the end of February 2015. In
addition to research and discussions, the YAP
team have engaged in numerous artistic projects
such as a music video, speakers corner video, a
documentary and poverty tree art installation all
focusing on the theme of poverty and human
rights in Edmonton.

A few of the Youth Action Project team members.

This work was made possible with support from

the City of Edmonton, South Gate Lions Club
and Telus Community Foundation.

12

13

peacebuilders.
With an aim to foster a greater understanding
and appreciation of faith diversity in Edmonton,
the 2014 Peace-Builders program began on
January 21st with a total of 26 participants from a
variety of faith, ethnocultural and career
backgrounds. They learned about seven unique
faiths in Edmonton and had the opportunity to
visit 6 faith centres including Islam, Buddhism,
Bahai, Judaism, Indigenous Traditions,
Hinduism and Catholicism. During each faith
session, Peace-Builders were given the
opportunity to meet a member, or in some cases
multiple members, of that faith community and
expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be
welcomed into a faith centre that was not their
own, which can often be a transformative and
inspirational learning experience.
The Peace-Builders also participated in the One
Nation, Many Faiths dialogue series which led
them through a dialogue-to-action process
where they built relationships, learned more
about each others diverse values and
perspectives, discussed community tensions,
and finally, worked together to create tangible
actions to enhance interfaith understanding in
Edmonton. JHC is very excited about the many
positive initiatives which came out of this action
planning process including: the capturing of
digital stories of faith elders in Edmonton, the

creation of a Peacebuilders logo, the One Nation:

Many Faiths Campus Dialogue series which
connected student representative of the Religious
Studies Undergraduate Association and the
Muslim Students Association and preliminary
plans for a Festival of Faiths event in 2015. JHC is
proud that many of its 2014 Peacebuilders have
remained committed to enhancing the
understanding and appreciation of our citys faith
diversity.
We would like to thank the Inspirit Foundation and
the Alberta Human Rights Education and
Multiculturalism Fund for their support of the 2014
Peacebuilders program.

McNally Peace-Builders
McNally Peace-Builders brought together 30 youth from
McNally High school and Harry Ainlay School over two full
days to explore perceptions on religious diversity and the
intersection of religion in public life. Day one had the youth
work together to challenge stereotypes about different
religious groups and understand religious viewpoints
different from their own. Although this brought up many
personal stories and reflections on dealing with racism and
religious intolerance the students found much common
ground amongst religions and cultures that they hadnt
considered before. Taking an in-depth look at the role of
religion/culture in our daily lives was an important exercise
for many students who had never considered the
relationship between the two.
Day two involved the youth in a formal action planning
process to empower them to identify and solve specific
interfaith conflicts they experienced in their community. A
key barrier they identified was the prevalence of
miseducation and stereotyping attached to each cultural/
religious group. They came up with a social media
campaign via twitter to address this called
#breakthestereotype where they posted pictures of
themselves with statements they felt challenged the
stereotypes society attributed to their outward appearance.
This two day workshop brought together youth from two
different high schools and multiple different faith traditions to
combat misunderstanding and exclusion in their community;
capturing the true meaning of building peace.

14

Renewing Community
through Partnership
and Human Rights
Learning:
Strategic Objective 2

Work in the advancement

of human rights crosses
cultural, economic, social
and political lines. The
John Humphrey Centre is
committed to building
stronger connections
between different
perspectives and
philosophies fostering a
circle of learning and
practice and where all
Albertans have the
opportunity to reach their
full potential and achieve
a quality of life.

Gall Conference:
childrens rights.
On December 10th, 2014, in commemoration of
International Human Rights Day and the signing
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at
the United Nations in 1948, the John Humphrey
Centre hosted the third annual Gall Conference.
The Gall Conference is held annually in legacy of
one of our founding directors and human rights
champion Gerald L. Gall, O.C.
In 2014, the Gall Conference considered the state
of childrens rights in the province of Alberta. The
day was a blend of presentation, panel
discussion and dialogue that enabled a
conversation on how we, as Albertans, ensure
positive outcomes for all children in the province.
We considered policies and programs, if we are
meeting our collective obligations to children, and
potential strategies for collaboration and work.
Childrens rights provide a foundation to building
communities that foster the health and well-being
of all children. At the Gall Conference over sixty
delegates discussed the realities for children in
the province but also prioritized areas for
collective impact. Lisa Wolff, Director of
Advocacy and Education at UNICEF Canada, set
the day off with a presentation to help delegates
understand what our collective obligations are to
childrens rights and how we can consider
childrens rights as a lens for programming and
policy. We then engaged in intense conversation
of which this report seeks to highlight the key
outcomes.
The final Gall Conference Report can be found
online on the JHC website.

16

human rights
awards.
The 8th Annual Human Rights Awards took place on the evening of Dec.10th. Over 100 people
attended and the atmosphere in the Westbury Theatre at the ATB Financial Arts Barns was
amazing. The program included a welcome from the John Humphrey Centre President, Joan
Cowling, two child vocalists, a word from the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate and
keynote speaker Dr.Cindy Blackstock who spoke of hope amidst the stark reality for Canadas
First Nations children and their families.
This year, we honored five Edmontonians for their human rights work in our community. Brianna
Olson, Marni Panas, Mohamed El Daly, Velvet Martin and Amarjeet Sohi (who received the
Randy Palivoda Public Service Award). All of the recipients were honored to have been selected
by the Human Rights Awards Committee and all were very gracious in their speeches.
Once the formal program was completed, guests enjoyed the music of Jay Gilday in the lobby
where appetizers and a silent auction awaited them. Community businesses and individuals
were very generous with their donations to the silent auction. Contributors included Earls
Restaurant and Bar, Jewels de Oro, Theatre Network, Highlevel Diner, West Edmonton Mall, The
Keg, Be Hot Yoga, Sugar Bowl, The Citadel, Telus World of Science, Movie Studio, Earths
General Store, Audreys Books, Edgar Gualoto and Ashintha De Silva. The reception was
sponsored by the Lakani Family and the Sri Lankan Community.

17

truth and
reconciliation.
During the TRC, the JHC shared an interactive booth with the United Nations Association of Canada
and the Inspirit Foundation. At the booth, we asked people to reflect on the question, what actions can
we take to reach reconciliation? and to write their answers on colored index cards, which were then
pinned to a large bulletin board. With close to 500 comments, the board became a colorful rainbow of
reflections on the hopes and challenges we face when continuing the reconciliation process. We met
individuals from a wide diversity of backgrounds and had the opportunity to hear from many residential
school survivors who shared their experiences at residential school and the negative intergenerational
impacts these experiences have caused them and their loved ones. While several individuals expressed
anger and hurt, reinforcing how the journey of reconciliation still has many miles to go, others exhibited
excitement, hope and a willingness to work together, as Canadians, in building a better future.
JHC staff and volunteers also participated in the TRCs Education Day which allowed hundreds of youth
from across the province to learn more about residential schools and intergenerational trauma.
Our time at the TRC reminded us that, to build a better future for everyone in Canada, we must make
genuine efforts to build bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, dismantle
centuries of stereotypes and misconceptions, and take steps to truly listen and understand the many
injustices First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples have faced.

ANFCA partnership signing.

On October 16th, 2014 we formalized our ongoing work with the Alberta Native Friendship Centres
Association through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. For the past seven years, we
have been working with the ANFCA through Common Ground and Circle Alberta, which were both
initiatives working to bridge and build relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people at a
municipal and provincial level. We are excited to expand this collaborative work through the This Is Our
Canada project which allows Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth to learn and share together while
collaborating on community issues and re-creating a history of Albertans in Canada that is shared,
reciprocal and inclusive. The ANFCA has been an incredible partner and we are glad to continue
working with them in advancing our mutual goals.

18

edmonton community
advocacy and remediation
plan.
As a result of increasing human rights complaints and concerns coming to the John Humphrey
Centre for Peace and Human Rights, we called together a wide range of community advocates
in July to discuss the need for enhanced supports to people. Twenty one community advocates
and individuals came together to discuss and as a result, the John Humphrey Centre created a
draft plan for collaboration. Two roundtable discussions were held to advance networking and
plans were made to launch a monthly advocates gathering to foster networking and support in a
HUB model style. We were also able to work with the University of Alberta Community Service
Learning program to do some ground based engagement with community advocates to
understand the common barriers that are faced in supporting people in the area of human rights
and identify best practises that affect change.

intercultural education for a

peaceful world.
On June 20 and 21, 2014, the John Humphrey Centre offered a 2 day workshop entitled Intercultural
Education for a Peaceful World. Leading the workshop were professors Toh Swee-hin and Virginia
Cawagas from the UN mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. The 15 participants spent the 2
days listening, dialoguing and role playing as they explored cultural identity, discrimination,
intercultural understanding, culture and human rights and affirming diverse wisdoms, values and
virtues.

19

international day of peace.

On September 21st, JHC worked with the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, the United Nations
Association of Canada - Edmonton Branch and the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education
and Action to host an afternoon of song, dance, spoken word and keynote speeches that
inspired Edmontonians to think critically about their role in creating communities of peace,
both at home and abroad. The day began in Churchill Square with the annual Peace Flag
Raising Ceremony and then moved to City Hall where the exhilarating drumming of Kita No
Taiko and Sangea kicked off the Right of Peoples to Peace Celebration.
Presentations included Global Voices Choir, spoken word artist Ahmed Knowmadic Ali, the
Honourable Douglas Roche, Rene Vaugeois, Executive Director of the John Humphrey
Centre for Peace and Human Rights; and Vivian Giang, UNA-Canada Edmonton Branch
President. The guests, which numbered near 100 people, had the opportunity to browse
close to 15 booths at the Building Peace Exhibition, learning more about the work Edmonton
organizations are doing to build communities of peace, and concluded the day with a
powerful closing dance and drum circle led by Marcus Fung. This was a day of unity,
inclusion and collaboration, where guests left feeling reinvigorated to advance peace in their
communities.

alberta hate crimes.

In 2014, the John Humphrey Centre was able to provide support to the work of the Alberta
Hate Crimes Committee in advancing efforts to increase awareness of the impacts of hate
crime and to foster improved reporting. During this time, we created a plan with the Calgary
Police Service to expand their award winning Hate Hurts program which will be launching
out in 2015. We also created a 60 second PSA that would be hard hitting with a message
about hate. This PSA is to be launched as part of the National Victims of Crime Awareness
Week in 2015.
AHCC has been making incredible strides over the years. In 2014, we were able to invite two
members from the Ontario Provincial Police to provide directed and intensive training to all
AHCC members in an effort to expand capacity in the province. With representation from
Crown prosecutors, the training was incredibly productive and resulted in refined training
plans. Six workshops were held to communities across the province to test the AHCCs
skills, including a high school in Fort McMurray.
Special thanks to the Alberta Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund for their
support to the work of the AHCC.

20

do the rights thing:

standing up for
human rights in
history.
This film series launched off in 2015 in partnership with
the Edmonton Public Library, Whitemud Crossing Branch.
Each month a documentary related to human rights
history in Canada took place followed by a dialogue and
discussion lead by Robert Normey, a long time
constitutional lawyer who has practised both private and
public law. The goal of this partnership was to provide
free educational opportunities for those interested in
history, law and to provide a space to enhance
knowledge, appreciation and understanding of Canadas
provoking historical record on human rights issues. We
were excited to host such films as Sitting Bull, Forgotten
Warriors, Los Canadienses and From Black Tuesday to
Building Jerusalem in a Cold Climate.

discussing organ harvesting.

In partnership with Falun Dafa, JHC assisted with an expert panel discussing the latest findings on
the live organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience. The forum grappled with issues such as why
would the Chinese leadership risk perpetuating such a barbaric perversion of its medical system?
What is the scale of the atrocity? How does harvesting connect with the current political struggles
in the upper echelons of China? Ethan Gutmann, Veteran China analyst and author of The
Slaughter, was joined by David Kilgour and Dr. Charl Els to challenge the ethics of foreign policy
and human rights issues around live organ harvesting.

21

remembering komagata.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Komagata Maru episode when Canada turned away
376 migrants of South Asian origin aboard a Japanese steamship in Vancouvers Burrard Inlet, the
John Humphrey Centre supported the efforts of a group of young Edmontonians to host Komagata
Maru Week (May 26-31st) to raise awareness of this historical event and foster dialogue on its
relevance to the present day.
The events of the Komagata Maru week included:

a reception at Latitude 53 featuring documents and photographs from the Komagata Maru
Incident in 1914 along with interpretations of the incident by two emerging artists.

film showing of A Continuous Journey followed by a session with Ali Kazimi, film maker and
Associate Professor in Yorks Department of Film.

an evening of spoken word poetry from local poets highlighting themes of race,
discrimination and multiculturalism in Canadian society.

a Punjabi language lecture by retired UBC Professor, author and poet, Sadhu Binning.

discussion panel at the University of Alberta to engage conversation discussing the

relevance of the historical events such as Komagata Maru to todays sociopolitical
landscape.
From the week of events, the Komagata Maru team published a book Reflections on the Komagata
Maru with all proceeds going to the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. The
book can be purchased online on Amazon.

honour based violence.

Through a partnership with the Indo-Canadian Womens Association, the Today Family Violence
Help Centre and the YWCA Edmonton, JHC worked to identify and respond to the specific needs of
women and girls who experience, or at risk of experiencing, honour based violence. This was mainly
accomplished through a series of initiatives which sought to identify and address institutional
barriers which limit the work of community agencies in responding to the needs of such women and
girls. The project provided training by the Barbra Schlifer Clinic and the South Asian Legal Clinic of
Ontario for up to 60 frontline workers in Edmonton, developed a standards of practice for honour
based violence and connected individuals working in this area with the hopes of establishing a high
risk team dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals at risk of honour based violence.
Specifically, JHC contributed to the creation of a comprehensive report on honour-based violence,
led strategic planning sessions and led Rights in Play workshops on the themes of honour, shame
and violence. Thanks to Status of Women Canadas support to this partnership!

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Respect,
Protection and
Compliance of
Human Rights:
Strategic Objective 3

With a key focus on the

private sector, working to
enhance compliance of
human rights both to
external practices in the
community but also
internally to foster
respectful and efficient
workplaces, will build a
stronger Alberta where
we can live, play and
work together. The John
Humphrey Centre aims to
become a leading expert
in our province and
country to support
Alberta businesses in
their efforts to protect,
respect and remedy
human rights concerns.

Canada and the

UN guiding
principles on
business and
human rights.
Executive Director, Renee Vaugeois,
participated in a roundtable forum
Where to From Here: A Canadian
Strategy for the UN Guiding Principles
on Business and Human Rights at
Ryerson University exploring the
approach Canada has been taking on
implementing the UN Guiding
Principles and to assess the potential
role of the John Humphrey Centre in
building efforts to advance these
efforts. This is the first in our efforts
to build our capacity as a leader in
operationalizing human rights in
business practice.

24

natural disaster
and human rights.

ultimately with the goal of ensuring that all

Canadians, no matter their location,
background, socioeconomic status or race will
be supported and will have their human rights
maintained during natural disasters.

Canada has not been immune to increases in

extreme weather; the Southern Alberta Floods
and Slave Lake Fire are recent examples of
extreme natural disasters resulting in the
devastation of communities. After learning of the
experiences of members from both of these
communities, the John Humphrey Centre for
Peace and Human Rights became concerned that
certain rights, particularly those of individuals or
groups who are already marginalized or
vulnerable, were not being upheld in situations of
natural disaster. As such, they partnered with
Thinking... for a Change on a project which seeks
to ensure that all Canadians have their human
rights met in situations of natural disaster.

To strengthen our understanding of the many

complex social, financial, physical, political and
emotional impacts of natural disasters, we have
been spending time in High River discussing
issues related to the flood with community
members from a variety of backgrounds. These
learnings are invaluable in our understanding of
the key human rights protections all Canadians
deserve when they are affected by natural
disasters and will continue throughout 2015 as
we work more closely with our partners in High
River. In our efforts to build strong relationships
with the community, we have participated in a
Collective Impact Summit as well as hosted six
dialogues in the community with various
stakeholders.

The joint aim of this project is to assess and

identify the common protections that all people
deserve in the event of natural disaster and
determine the gaps in fulfilling these protections.
In 2014, we worked to identify gaps in both
response and reconstruction efforts, and learn
who has been marginalized in these processes;

We have also undertaken preliminary research

to determine the current context of natural
disasters, both nationally and internationally,
and attended the Fifth Annual National
Roundtable on Disaster Risk Reduction hosted
by Canadas Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction and Eleventh Annual Canadian Risks
and Hazards Network Symposium hosted by
the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network in
Toronto.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to
Thinking... for A Change Society for their
support in enabling us to advance this
important work.
Community members build plans and foster
improved collaboration during the High River
Collective Impact Summit.

25

expansion of training.
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
In 2014, the John Humphrey Centre was able to pilot a full day training session on the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and compliance with 15 participants and guest
speakers Danika Littlechild and Lewis Cardinal. The training was incredibly well received with
strong evaluations.

Human Rights Based

Approaches to
Programming
The Centre piloted a twelve week long training
program on learning how to apply human rights
based approaches to programming. A team of
five worked together over the course of ten
sessions to identify a prominent human rights
issue and build a plan to address the root
causes. This team identified mental health as a
critical priority for the community. The training
was fruitful with strong feedback from
participants. The intention is to hold it again over
the course of 2-3 days.
The photo to the side shows some of the work of
the participants in building a human rights based
action plan to address the root causes and issues
surrounding mental health.

26

Gateway Association Training

On December 15 and 16, 2014, the John Humphrey
Centre for Peace and Human Rights worked with
approximately 23 staff in learning about cultural
competency and exploring how skills and practices in
cultural competency could be applied to their work. The
Gateway staff were all very welcoming and interested in
improving their cultural competency and creating an
even more inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.
The first day of training focused on individual
perceptions of culture, digging into what it means to be
culturally competent, identifying barriers to accessing
disability services for people from different cultural
backgrounds and becoming familiar with the Human
Rights Framework around disabilities.
On the second day of training, guest speakers from four different cultural backgrounds shared
their personal insights into cultural differences in Canada. Gateway staff also had the opportunity
to have small group conversations on these individuals experiences in Canada in relation to
accessing social services and things that posed challenges for them. The participants spent the
later part of the training assessing their organizations cultural competency and creating some
items for action.
The staff recognized that they were very diverse in their abilities but less so in other respects,
such as ethnicity of staff and languages spoken by staff. The group came up with actions to be
taken on in the six months following the training, such as developing a relationship with local
cultural organizations for mutual education and staff recruitment. The John Humphrey Centre has
agreed to organize an initial meeting with at least one organization that works with newcomers
and will continue to follow up on their work.

Human Rights and Gender Discrimination

This year we were happy to develop training on human rights and gender discrimination to deliver
for WISER at the University of Alberta. This training helped participants to understand legislation
at both national and provincial levels and what strategies could be applied in addressing
workplace discrimination. The workshop also looked at current cases to discuss trends in Human
Rights practice and policy with particular relevance to gender and family.

27

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights is an

organization committed to advancing the principles enshrined in the
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other
international documents, through education, dialogue and change.
Named after John Peters Humphrey, a Canadian lawyer and
principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
Centre believes that education in human rights has an immense
power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of
freedom, democracy and sustainable development. (Kofi Annan)

www.jhcentre.org