Recently the G7 Summit was held in Kananaskis, Alberta, which included a Jubilee People’s Forum on Creating Hope co-organized by KAIROS Canada, DPCC and others. Over the next several weeks we will be providing highlights from Development and Peace’s Special Newsletter, dated June 27th, 2025.

G7 Jubilee People’s Forum: Interfaith and Interconnected.
Our forum began with an interfaith service, organized by the Calgary Interfaith Council, where representatives from First Nations, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Christian communities all spoke about how their tradition relates to the theme of Jubilee. In a time of so much division, it served as a miraculous proof that a desire for true justice and liberation unites us through, rather than in spite of, our differences.

Throughout the forum, participants attended workshops on a variety of topics, including Indigenous spirituality, organizing and advocacy, and how to envision a better future. There was a palpable sense that the diverse problems of our world are truly interconnected.

Among the highlights of the forum was a unique pilgrimage to the medicine wheel on Stoney Nakoda territory, where elders welcomed us and shared their wisdom. A significant theme was that the Creator is always with us, no matter what is happening in the world, a theme that sustained us as we continued to process the complex structural causes of injustice.

Brenda Arakaza, a DPCC national council member and past president, reflected that “at the People’s Forum, I felt a deep clarity: this is a moment of convergence. In a circle with Indigenous leaders, Global South partners, interfaith allies, and youth, I witnessed the sacred power of collective purpose. The Stoney Nakoda ceremony reminded me that truth requires courage, and healing begins with humble listening.”

Our forum concluded with a commissioning that sent participants out into eight churches of various denominations in Calgary with petitions in hand. After gathering fresh signatures, we met up again downtown, where we joined a peaceful rally including many others groups raising grievances, hopes, and messages for the G7. (By Dean Dettloff, Research and Advocacy Officer, DPCC)