The Social Justice Committee (SJC) is a Montreal-based non-governmental organization that was founded in a church basement in 1975. It has since evolved into a secular organization, with its headquarters in the heart of downtown Montreal.
Derek MacCuish is the editor of the SJC’s quarterly journal Upstream. Upstream defines itself as a publication providing “a Canadian perspective on global justice.”
Though the SJC has a wide range of projects, process reform is one area in which they are particularly active, especially in regards to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Lately, according to MacCuish, the SJC has been “very active in trying to ensure the IMF establishes fair and objective evaluations of its programs”.
What makes the SJC stand out is its extremely strong team of volunteers. The organization was featured in Activism that Works, a volume of essays compiled by three university professors on what makes activist groups and organizations successful. “What worked here very well was the level and quality of volunteer involvement” said MacCuish about why the SJC was approached for the book.
The SJC receives most of its funding from private donors, but also, “what we want to do is include people in campaigns” said MacCuish. Upstream’s articles include mention of easy ways for people to get involved, such as publishing the mailing addresses where readers can send letters to campaign for social justice. The SJC is also big on teaching human rights, social justice and activism. “We run about 50 educational workshops a year,” said MacCuish.
One of the main roadblocks that SJC has come up against lately is the current Canadian government. “Canada is a problem” said MacCuish. “They are actively eliminating funding for NGOs that are doing any advocacy work.”
Furthermore, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has re-formatted its financial aid structure so that NGOs must apply to carry out projects mandated by CIDA. Under the old system, groups submitted self-devised projects for funding approval. The SJC is considering possible action against these adversities.
The SJC can be found online at http://www.s-j-c.net and Upstream can be found online athttp://www.upstreamjournal.org.
Photos courtesy of the Social Justice Committee
