Story number 3 for 7 Jul 2003

(Canada)–Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister recently invited all Canadians to participate in a national dialogue on the country’s future priorities and direction. In response, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee urged the government to focus on a ‘human security’ agenda, in which people become the focus of action. Canada office spokesperson Sandra Elgersma. “The CRWRC, because we’re involved in relief development and justice programming overseas, felt it was important to give our input, from the faith perspective, on how we’d like to see Canada’s foreign policy.” Elgersma says their international mission deals not only with poverty and insecurity, but also the root causes. She adds that often includes the spiritual well-being of the people the help. “We try to have a holistic approach, mostly going through meeting immediate needs and development-long-term needs. But then also, trying to share the Gospel wherever possible, working mostly with churches as local partners.”