Our commitment to outreach and social justice...
SSUC has always been committed to providing leadership in deepening awareness and engaging in meaningful action that responds to social justice issues locally, nationally and globally. We aim to raise the consciousness of the community by encouraging study and discussion of important issues, problems and needs, followed by recommending ways that we might respond appropriately through action, advocacy and/or service.
Petition: “Water Not Coal”
Watch for opportunities on Sundays in March to sign the “Water Not Coal” petition. It is a grassroots effort to ask the Alberta Government to stop new coal mining, in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies, to protect our water.
“Coal mines destroy the landscape, and release toxic chemicals into the air and water, which threatens fish, birds, wildlife, livestock and the water we drink.
This is why I started a Citizen Initiative Petition to put an end to all new coal mining in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.” — Corb Lund, proud Albertan
See more information here.
Petition to the Government of Canada: e-7167
On December 28, 2025, Israel announced it planned to bar 37 humanitarian organizations from operating in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Please consider signing this parliamentary petition, with the support of MP Salma Zahid. The demands of the petition are made in solidarity with an international call to action for all States.
The petition demands that Canada:
Implement comprehensive diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel, a two-way arms embargo, and a ban on trade that sustains the occupation;
Revoke charities and other entities supporting settlements and Israeli military and State entitlements to unlawfully present settlers with dual nationalities, and implement legislation to prohibit the sale of settlement goods and services;
Comply with obligations under the Genocide Convention and enforce the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders for provisional measures to prevent irreparable harm to Palestinians in Gaza;
Fully implement the recommendations of the ICJ 2024 Palestine Advisory Opinion and 2025 UNRWA Advisory Opinion;
Cooperate in enforcing International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli officials;
Publicly condemn as unlawful Israeli and US sanctions against Palestinian human rights organizations and ensure continued financial and political support for their work;
Ensure the safety and uninterrupted passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza and provide all necessary support to UNRWA.
For a just peace in Palestine and Israel: 20-minute presentation by Dawn Waring
On Feb. 1, 2026, Dawn Waring offered a presentation at Knox United Church in Parksville, BC. She spoke about shifting from a Christian Zionist perspective to advocacy for a just peace in Palestine and Israel, in the context of her work with the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). Dawn’s talk starts at 43 minutes and 6 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otWwDcKgNXs&t=4440s The presentation is a very helpful introduction to learning about the long history of the Israeli government’s occupation of Palestine.
Anti-Trans Legislation by the Alberta Government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, and Bills 26, 27, and 29
Leaders from both Chinook Winds and Northern Spirit Regional Councils have written Premier Danielle Smith and other elected Alberta government representatives urging immediate reconsideration of legislation that restricts transgender people’s rights and uses the notwithstanding clause. We invite you to read the full message and to join us in encouraging the Alberta government to reconsider these laws that clearly infringe on human rights. Read the full letter here.
Sign petitions with transactionalberta and on the Alberta NDP Caucus website.
Canadian Soldiers in Israel
In mid-November 2025, Canadian soldiers participated in Israeli military seminars on its war crimes in Gaza. They were to reportedly “hear lectures, conduct tours in the Gaza Envelope, and meet with soldiers and civilians who took part in the defensive battles on Oct. 7, 2023,” according to some Israeli news outlets.
Follow the link below to write to Prime Minister Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anand to request that Canada sever all military ties with the Israeli government and military, given the genocidal apartheid state in Israeli-occupied Palestine:
“It Didn’t Start on October 7th: An Informal History of Zionism and its Victims”
A series of nine 90-minute illustrated, online sessions (one-hour talk plus 30 minutes Q/A) that traces Zionist/Israeli efforts to occupy historic Palestine, dispossess the Palestinian inhabitants, and deny them human rights and self-determination. The talks are introductory and non-academic, and no prior knowledge of the history of Palestine and Israel is necessary. The series will be recorded.
Presenter: Philip XXXXXXX is a BC freelance writer, editor, and educator. He has visited Palestine four times, most recently for a month in April 2025. Since 2014, he has made over 100 in-depth presentations on Palestine in post-secondary classrooms and at community events. Philip helps organize a local solidarity group and is a member of the national coordinating team of UNJPPI.
Online: Thursdays, January 15 to March 12, 2026, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (MST)
Cost: Free, but prior registration here is mandatory.
Sponsor: United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine Israel
Campaigns shared by the United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel:
E-Petition e-6645: Equal Treatment for Palestinian Canadians with Palestinian Identification Cards
Call on the government of Canada to ensure that all Canadian citizens, regardless of Palestinian Authority ID or passport, are granted equal treatment by Israel, including the ability to enter via Ben Gurion International Airport, and are not subjected to harassment or movement restrictions due to their heritage or secondary documentation. Go to the e-petition here.
E-Petition e-6751: Restoration of Humanitarian Assistance and Workers
Call on the government of Canada to ensure that humanitarian assistance and food aid is restored and provided through reputable organizations. Request the full restoration of access for UN agencies and established humanitarian NGOs, including UNRWA and the World Food Programme. Insist on safe and immediate entry for Canadian healthcare workers and other international humanitarian personnel to Palestine. Go to the e-petition here.
E-Petition e-6662: Sanctions Against Israel
Call on the government of Canada to implement an arms embargo, to cancel the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement and impose sanctions on Israel identical to those currently on Russia and launch an investigation under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act into Canadian citizens, residents, visitors who have been affiliated or collaborated with the Israeli military. Go to the e-petition here
E-Petition e-6719: Implement an Evacuation Plan for Gazans
Call on the government of Canada to implement a comprehensive and urgent evacuation plan for at-risk relatives of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from Gaza. Go to the e-petition here.