Members in Action

Dawn Michael and Johann Cooper get set to welcome guests for AmnesTEA

Group 63 members decided to try an AmnesTEA on the Victoria Day weekend. Johann booked the gym at Trinity St Paul’s church in Toronto and made sure the congregation were invited to drop by after the church service.

Johann, Dawn and Marilyn baked treats, put the coffee and kettle on, and laid out petitions, postcards and baskets for donations. Success! About 63 people signed a postcard demanding a fair trial for Huseyin Celil - a Canadian detained in China. The group also added their names to another action urging Canada to abolish the Designated Country of Origin list to allow refugee claimants a hearing based on their unique circumstance. We left with about $63 in donations and an invitation to make this a more regular event!

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed several Executive Orders targeting the rights and safety of refugees in the United States. 

Canada’s ‘Safe Third Country Agreement’ means that most refugees who arrive in the US cannot make claims in Canada.

The United States is failing to protect refugees. We must rescind the “Safe Third Country Agreement.” 

Every year on December 10th, Amnesty International celebrates Human Rights Day with the world’s largest grassroots human rights event. Activists in more the 140 countries around the world come together to write letters calling for the protection and promotion of human rights.

Your hand-written letters, combined with millions from around the world, can change a life. Last year, 30,000 participants in Canada contributed more than 35,000 letters to the worldwide total. Write for Rights is the power of one multiplied many thousand times over to make a difference. 

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

REGISTER NOW whether you're writing at home or planning a public event, register on our website to be a part of the day. 

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE to learn about this year's cases and to help plan your event.

A number of Canadian mining, oil and gas companies that operate overseas have been accused of having a role in the killing of protesters, forced eviction of communities, rape of local women, contamination of water, and failure to respect Indigenous land rights.

International law requires that victims of human rights abuses have a “right to remedy”. It is extremely difficult, however, for victims to obtain remedy if the perpetrator is a very powerful company headquartered in another country.

Amnesty International is working hard to ensure that people who have been harmed by Canadian companies in other countries have “access to remedy” in Canada. Together with a coalition of 30 Canadian civil society organizations we are urging the Government of Canada to create an Extractive Sector Ombudsperson who would be empowered to receive complaints about human rights abuses involving Canadian mining, oil and gas companies, launch an investigation, report on its findings and make recommendations.

Indigenous women and girls in Canada experience higher rates of violence than other women and girls in Canada. Our activism and solidarity with Indigenous activists over many years has helped to raise the profile of this issue, and we hope this raised profile will lead to concrete and lasting change. One way we hope change will be created is through the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which commenced its work on September 1. Throughout the two-year National Inquiry, our solidarity with Indigenous women, families and communities is needed more than ever.

On October 4th, people across Canada showed their solidarity by attending vigils to honour the lives of indigenous women and girls whose lives have been lost to violence. Amnesty International will continue to stand in solidarity with Indigenous women and families throughout the process of the inquiry. 

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

LEARN MORE on our campaign website. 

We share our world, and we share responsibility for making it the kind of place we want to live in. This includes responsibility for protecting each other’s human rights and freedom. Right now, record numbers of people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes. But instead of protecting refugees, many countries are slamming their doors shut. The solution to the global refugee crisis starts with each and every one of us making one simple, personal commitment to help – simply by saying: “I welcome refugees”.

This September Amnesty launched “I Welcome”, a two year refugee campaign which demands that States strengthen their commitment to protect refugees. This includes that countries cooperate with one another and commit to resettle more refugees; asylum systems be strengthened in key countries; refugees and migrants are protected as they move between countries; and that we always communicate that refugees are welcome.

By Catherine Brunelle, Write for Rights Support Team

Have you ever wanted to make a difference, but then felt totally overwhelmed by that massive idea? We all have the potential to impact our world for good, often by simply supporting a cause already in motion. 

Amnesty International is inviting you to help change lives on December 10, International Human Rights Day, with the world's biggest grassroots event for human rights: Write for Rights! Last year we sent 3.2 million letters and messages for human rights from 143 countries. Here's a list of 10 ways you can get involved: