Canada’s next federal election is scheduled for April 28. Democratic institutions rely on informed citizens’ engagement. This resource contains questions about issues that The Presbyterian Church in Canada has spoken on. Grounded in our understanding that the church’s role in society is to pursue love and justice for all of God’s creation, this resource is intended to support personal reflection, conversation within congregations and advocacy with candidates.

What do we mean by love and justice for all of creation? Through Jesus Christ’s ministry, we understand that love is the way of seeing others as God sees them and is compassion for creation. Love means seeking the best for others. Through Living Faith, we understand justice as standing with our neighbours in their struggle for dignity and respect and demanding the exercise of power for the common good. We affirm that justice opposes prejudice in every form, rejects racism and relates to employment, education, health, rights and responsibilities. We know that God is at work when people recognize the inhumanity of war and work for peace with justice.

You are invited to use these questions as you reflect on how best to respond to God’s call for love and justice in this time and place. While this resource focuses on issues that are national in scope, local issues also have a place in our advocacy with candidates and elected officials. If there is a topic not included in this resource that you would like to learn more about, you may be able to find out more about it on the Social Action Hub.

Download a printable version of the topics and questions here.

Safe, affordable housing is vital for stability and wellbeing. Adequate housing meets individuals’ and families’ needs by providing access to services such as clean water, sanitation, health care and schools. The church supports strategies to reduce systemic barriers to affordable housing (such as racism and other forms of discrimination or insufficient income supports) and encourages support for seniors’ and public housing initiatives.

  1. How will your party work to reduce chronic homelessness across Canada?
  2. What is your party’s plan to work with provinces and municipalities to increase the supply of affordable housing and meet the unique needs of communities across the country?
  3. How will your party work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders to meet their nations’ specific needs for safe and adequate housing, including access to clean water?

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Global warming drives climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts, wildfires, heat warnings and severe storms. These effects are worldwide, but the worst impacts fall disproportionately on people in countries in the global South that have fewer resources to cope with a problem they did not cause. The church advocates for fair and just ways to respond to the causes and impacts of the climate crisis nationally and globally.

  1. How will your party address the need to drastically reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030?
  2. What steps will your party take to support workers and communities impacted by the need to transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon economy?
  3. What funding will your party invest in response to global loss and damage due to climate change?

Learn more

  • Visit the Social Action Hub’s Ecological Justice page to learn more about what the church has said and done in response to the climate crisis.
  • Learn about how PWS&D works with global partners to address the climate emergency .
  • Access resources for faith groups to facilitate conversations about the climate crisis, online here , prepared by the faith-based coalition For the Love of Creation.

The PCC has sought a path of reconciliation and learning for over 30 years. The church has apologized for its role in colonization and operating 12 residential schools, repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery—which sought to legitimize colonization—and committed to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). Reconciliation with Indigenous people remains at the heart of work the church is called to today.

  1. How is your party supporting Indigenous sovereignty and well-being, including through the implementation of UNDRIP?
  2. What steps is your party taking to implement the 42 Obligations released in the final report of the Office of the Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites Associated with Indian Residential Schools?
  3. What are some concrete steps your party has taken recently to respond to the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action and to further reconciliation?

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Our work to end hunger and poverty is rooted in the knowledge that it is God’s desire for no person to go hungry, and that we are called to act with compassion for the most marginalized in the world. God has provided enough for all. PWS&D has been working to eradicate poverty globally for over 75 years. Recent funding cuts for international aid around the world are raising significant concerns and creating setbacks in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals .

  1. Given worsening global hunger and poverty, what will your party do to increase the insufficient budgets for humanitarian and development aid?
  2. Canadian civil society organizations have a demonstrated history of delivering effective aid. Will your party ensure sufficient budgets are made accessible for them?
  3. Working together with other countries is essential to address global issues. Will your party commit to sustain funding of key multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization, the World Food Program and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees?

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The PCC affirms that Christians should work to end conflict and address its root causes. Canada has an important role to play internationally through actions such as advocating for a just peace in places like Ukraine and Palestine, an end to isolation for Cuba and Taiwan, and speaking against economic or physical violence between nations and peoples. We are called to love our neighbours and speak up for justice both here and around the world.

  1. What are some specific ways your party will promote and protect human rights around the world, especially for people in places like Palestine and Ukraine?
  2. What steps will your party take to mitigate Taiwan’s continued vulnerability and isolation, and increase food and medical aid to Cuba?
  3. In your party’s support of Canadian sovereignty, how will it also support other nations whose sovereignty is threatened, and uphold Indigenous sovereignty here in Canada?

Learn more

  • Review the sections on justice (8.4) and world peace (8.5) in Living Faith .
  • Read the 2024 International Affairs Committee’s report (A&P 2024 , p. 89-103) and learn more about the church’s support of human rights around the world on the Social Action Hub.
  • Visit the Just and Lasting Peace page to learn more about the church’s response to the situation in Palestine and Israel.
  • Access a study guide on peacemaking on the Social Action Hub.
  • Read about the PCC’s commitments to Indigenous sovereignty and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, as well as our repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, on the Indigenous Justice page of the Social Action Hub.
  • Visit the Social Action Hub’s Advocacy page and click on “Cuba: Call for increasing Humanitarian Aid and Development Assistance.”

Poverty—its alleviation and ultimate elimination—has long been a focus of the church. When speaking about poverty, the PCC advocates for social and economic policies that address the injustices of poverty, wealth inequality and human rights. Over the years, the church has advocated for a guaranteed livable income, improved social supports and a national poverty reduction strategy.

  1. What steps has your party taken to reduce or eliminate poverty in Canada?
  2. What will your party do to address the urgent needs of people facing food insecurity in Canada and what will you do in the long term to address the underlying causes of food insecurity?
  3. Does your party support a guaranteed livable income as part of its poverty reduction or elimination strategy?

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The Presbyterian Church in Canada has a long history of advocating for the rights and dignity of refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants and migrant workers. The church’s actions stem from the biblical call to love and protect the “alien,” “foreigner” and “stranger.” The PCC is concerned about increasing language in public and government spheres that appears to scapegoat immigrants and refugees for issues such as the housing shortage in Canada.

  1. What is your party’s position on recently announced cuts to refugee resettlement numbers and immigration targets?
  2. How will your party work to address the large backlog of refugee resettlement applications?

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The PCC affirms that all people, whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity, are equally beloved by God. In recent years, there has been an increase in anti-2SLGBTQI+ rhetoric, legislation and violence globally. The PCC confesses that homophobia and transphobia in the church contributes to hatred and neglect of 2SLGBTQI+ people, making them targets for violence. The church is called to work for a future where no person experiences violence or persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

  1. What is your position on safeguarding Canadian human rights protections based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation?
  2. What steps will you take to implement the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and improve social, economic and health outcomes for Two-Spirit and LGBTQI+ people in Canada?
  3. What actions will your party take to support LGBTQI+ people’s safety and human rights internationally? How will you support LGBTQI+ people seeking refugee status in Canada due to persecution in their home countries?

Learn more

  • Learn about the PCC’s response to homophobia and transphobia on the Social Action Hub.
  • Read our Confession to God and LGBTQI People (2022).
  • In 2023, the PCC contributed to an ecumenical letter to the federal Minister of Foreign Affairs encouraging Canada to continue supporting LGBTQI+ people around the world through advocacy, pathways to securing refugee status, international assistance and humanitarian aid. Click here to download the letter.
  • Visit the Government of Canada’s website to learn about federal action for 2SLGBTQI+ Communities .

A note on language: In Canada, 2SLGBTQIA+ is one of the most common acronyms to describe people who are Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, aromantic or who identify with related gender identities or sexual orientations. Two-Spirit is a contemporary term used by some Indigenous people to describe roles, responsibilities, and identities that exist outside colonial understandings of gender and sexuality. Two-Spirit is primarily used in North America. In an international context, LGBTQI+ is a more common acronym.