Churches in Canada expressed their support for the call to reopen peace talks between the Government of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). They sent a letter on October 1 to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging the Canadian government to support the talks. They hope that Trudeau will convey this message to Ferdinand Marcos Jr who will visit to Canada later this year.

In their letter, the Canadian churches urged Trudeau and the Canadian government to:

1) openly support the reopening of peace talks and call on the Philippine government to stop its counter-insurgency policies and strategies
2) take diplomatic steps to facilitate dialogue towards reopening peace talks
3) take steps to ensure that Canada prioritizes human rights, including:

a) review Canadian financial, programmatic, and technical support to the Philippine government
b) stop negotiations for the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA)
c) suspend the memorandum of understanding on Enhanced Defense Cooperation

The letter was signed by church leaders from the United Church of Canada, Anglican Church of Canada, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, The Evangelical Church in Canada, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and The Philippine Independent Church Eastern Canada-Tampa Diocese.

The letter expresses the churches’ solidarity with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines’ call to support peace talks. The mentioned churches also joined the NCCP’s call for an International Ecumenical/Interfaith Day of Prayer for JustPeace in the Philippines, a month-long prayer campaign starting September 1.