As Canada deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, people of faith have an opportunity to respond in a way that reflects a love for our neighbours. As Willard Metzger shared in his latest reflection, this time of personal anxiety can also heighten our awareness of the needs of others. A pandemic calls all of society to work together. It requires people to take personal responsibilities. But it should not cause us to abandon our commitment to the common good.

This virus is an assault against all humanity. Unfortunately, certain groups (the elderly, immunocompromised, precariously-employed, and under-housed) are bearing the brunt of this pandemic more than others. CPJ is taking time to thoughtfully make sense of the quickly-changing policy landscape in Canada.

More than ever before, now is a time for collaboration. That's why CPJ has joined our partners in crafting early responses to the latest policy changes. We echoed the call from the UNHCR for Canada to prioritize the safety and security of irregular refugees at the US border. We contributed to the CCPA's Alternative Federal Budget, which this year includes a special introduction addressing COVID-19 and calling for, among other things, a doubling of the the Canada Child Benefit, increasing benefits for Canada's EI program, and creating a new federal transfer to provide up to $1,800 per adult and child living with low-income. And we signed on to the joint letter from Environmental Defence, calling on the federal government to provide financial supports directly to workers in Alberta and across the country.

As people of faith, we can further uphold the dignity of all people by speaking truth to misinformation and fear-mongering. Reports of racism against the Asian population in Canada are disheartening and unacceptable. This week, CPJ released a special episode of our podcast, "The Intern Exchange" where our public justice intern Keira Kang shared her reflections on coronavirus and the rhetoric of ‘othering.'