Press Release: February 6, 2008
MEDIA ADVISORY – For Immediate Release
February 6, 2008
147 organizations, thousands of people endorse demands of rally for Housing Not War at Jim Flaherty’s Toronto office
RALLY & PRESS CONFERENCE
12:00 noon, Thursday, February 7 @ north-east corner King St & University Ave (Toronto)
This Thursday, a broad collection of people will demand Housing Not War at a rally and press conference outside the Toronto regional office of Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
Speakers will include prominent author Linda McQuaig, Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) co-founder Beric German, Canadian Peace Alliance coordinator Sid Lacombe, Low Income Families Together (LIFT) founder Josephine Grey, NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, Toronto City Councillor Gord Perks, and Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) member Gaetan Heroux. There will be music, and a delegation of leading peace and anti-poverty activists will hand deliver to the Minister’s office the national campaign’s demands and list of endorsers.
By confronting issues of severe domestic poverty and violent foreign policy, the national Housing Not War campaign has gathered an unprecedented broad alliance challenging the Federal government’s basic priorities. Almost 150 organizations ranging from Canada’s largest civil society bodies to small grassroots community groups and thousands of individuals including public figures and politicians from all levels of government have joined so far. Every day, more sign the Housing Not War Declaration demanding an end to the war and a shift of resources from record-high military spending to peace, including an extra 1% of the budget for social housing.
“The Federal government has been fighting against its own people and Afghans alike. At home, it neglects the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression. Abroad, it fights an aggressive counter-insurgency war to prop up a government of warlords”, said Beric German.
“We did not choose these policies imposing destruction on poor people here and abroad. The government is alienating so many different people, and those different groups are uniting and pushing back together for change”, said Andrew Mindszenthy of TDRC.
Housing Not War endorsers include anti-poverty and peace groups, labour unions, women’s groups, faith groups, scientists, environmentalists, ethnic communities, artists, academics, social agencies, students and health practitioners. They can be found at www.HousingNotWar.ca.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
416-599-8372 (TDRC Office)
housingnotwar@gmail.com
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