This Library contains documents from all recent United Church governance meetings, including General Council and its Executive. It will also soon include “Our Beliefs Explained” official policy documents dating back several decades. If you can't find something you think should be included, contact gcbusiness@united-church.ca.
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The 34th General Council through the Division of Mission in Canada a) seeks the removal of the new domestic workers regulation introduced by Immigration Canada, and in effect since 20 January 1992; and
The 34th General Council agrees to 1. affirm the Divisions of Mission in Canada and World Outreach for their involvement with the End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT) coalition, and through ECPAT to communicate with Canadian tourism organizations to discourage the development of sex trade tourism originating in Canada; and
Implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Follow-up to the UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, June 1992. WHERAS the 33rd General Council (1990) adopted a policy resolution on the problem of climate change (global warming) recognizing it as one of the most serious threats to the well-being of God’s Creation and urging international negotiations to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, and WHEREAS the United Church has provided leadership in educating people about what they can do to reduce the threat of climate change, in pressing governments to limit their emissions of greenhouse gases, in encouraging churches in other countries to become involved, and in participating in World Council of Churches’ Monitoring Teams during the negotiations for a treaty on climate change, and
The 34th General Council resolves to: 1. endorse the current Division of Mission in Canada work in the study and possible creation of community-based “land trusts” to support family farming; 2. urge conferences to support the study and possible creation of land trusts, as appropriate.
WHEREAS in the Report of the Committee on Agriculture and Food Resources to the 29th General Council in 1982, a family farm was defined as “a farm in which the family members accept the responsibility for labour, management and risk-taking, and the stewardship of land and capital.
The 34th General Council recognizes the moral right and the responsibility of United Church congregations to provide sanctuary to legitimate refugee claimants who have been denied refugee status by a process which the church recognizes as being inadequate; and directs the Division of Mission in Canada to make available guidelines to congregations on the legal and financial implications of attempting to provide sanctuary.
The 34th General Council calls upon the Government of Canada and all provincial and territorial administrations to ensure the enshrinement of a social charter in the Constitution of Canada; that this charter guarantee access to basic social, health care, and economic services regardless of gender, ability, race, age, sexual orientation or place of residency; and with a commitment from the federal government to the maintenance of national standards and federal funding to achieve the goals of such a charter.
The 34th General Council agrees to 1 reaffirm the Refugee Policy of the 32nd General council, providing guidelines for work with refugees, and commend the Division of Mission in Canada for the work presently being done to implement it; and 2 ask the Government of Canada to change proposed amendments to the Immigration Act, introduced in Bill C-86 currently before the House of Commons to reflect the following principles: Refugees, Asylum, Justice
The 34th General Council agrees to adopt the following statement on environment and development. Keywords: Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Consumerism, environmentalism, greenhouse gases, greenhouse effect, global warming
The 34th General Council of The United Church of Canada a) recognizes the world-wide significance of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED), which met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1-12 June 1992; and b) urges presbyteries and congregations of The United Church of Canada to raise and maintain awareness of UNCED agreements (The Rio Declaration, The Climate Change Convention, The Biodiversity Convention) for environmental protection and development;
