Ontario Provincial Election

October 10, 2007

Voting: Informed, Concerned, Committed

Voting is one of the most fundamental rights of people in a democratic society. It’s also a great responsibility.

With Ontario’s provincial election set for October 10th, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto has created Election Guide 2007 - Counting on Your Vote: Raising issues with candidates in this election that affect the most vulnerable.

Catholic Social Teaching undergirds our Election Guide because it spurs us on to be in solidarity with all people but especially the poor and vulnerable. Justice is at the core of this thinking. The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops has reminded us of our responsibility to make sure that any government we elect must work to shape our lives and livelihoods in a way that benefits everyone. No one must be left wanting; no one should benefit to the exclusion of anyone else.

As Pope Benedict XVI has written: “The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics...Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics. Politics is more than a mere mechanism for defining the rules of public life: its origin and its goal are found in justice.”

We hope Election Guide 2007 is a helpful tool in your parish, your community and in your own family.

 

ELECTION GUIDE 2007

* NOTE: On page 2 of the printed edition of the Election Guide, last paragraph, under Affordable and Supportive housing, the figures shown are meant represent an average cost for rental per person in the GTA, based on a family of four. Average market rent in Toronto is approximately $1,055. The downloadable version here contains the explanatory footnote not present in the printed edition.



SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH

The Social Affairs Commission of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops
produced Social Justice Homily and Discussion notes, developed by Social Justice Representatives of the dioceses in Ontario and Fr. Lloyd Cummings of the Archdiocese of Kingston.
Homily and Discussion Notes

Ontario Campaign 2000 Discussion Paper, July 2007
On Poverty and Homelessness
A Multi-Faith Declaration and Call to Action     [TO COME]

 
   
RESOURCES

OCCB 2007 PASTORAL LETTER,
"Taking Stock: An Examination of Conscience"

Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Taking Stock”

OCCB 1998 PASTORAL LETTER
“Choosing A Government”

Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Choosing A Government”

 
 
EVENTS

VOTE OUT POVERTY
A Rally for Social Justice in Ontario
October 1st at Massey Hall

Campaign 2000 National Forum on Living Wages
Toronto, Sept 18-19th, 2007

25 in 5: Network for Poverty Reduction