Vandezande Named to Order of Canada

First Quarter 2002

Editor's Watch

by James W. Skillen

The Center for Public justice was incorporated in 1977 after about seven years of explorations, trials, and false starts. In this 25th anniversary year, we look back with thankfulness to many different people who helped lay the foundations for the Center and encouraged us along the way. One of the early constructive advisers was Gerald Vandezande, who organized the Committee for Justice and Liberty in Canada in 1963. The CJL was later renamed Citizens for Public justice, so we now share the CPJ initials.

Beginning in 1972, I was drawn into a U.S. circle of Christian citizens who were trying to start a political organization. On several occasions, Gerald or someone else from the CJL in Canada would come to Chicago, or Northwest Iowa, or Pittsburgh for a meeting of the U.S. group to encourage and advise us. Not only did Gerald bring with him 10 years of experience in organizing and directing the CJL; he brought more. Before founding the CJL, he had spent a decade working for the Christian Labor Association of Canada, and his roots in The Netherlands before that meant that he carried in his bones the kind of Christian organizing experience that Dutch Christians had been practicing for 100 years.

Gerald retired in 1998 after a lifetime of public service in his country.

Citizens for Public justice is now well-known and honored for its work in the civic and governmental arenas. In fact, late last year Gerald was honored by the government of Canada with one of its highest awards, membership in the Order of Canada.

The Governor General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson, lauded Gerald in the award citation: "He is a powerful and respected voice for social justice. One of the founders of Citizens for Public justice, for over three decades he served as Executive Director and national Public Affairs Director for this organization. He worked effectively with different levels of government in policy areas such as Aboriginal, minority and refugee rights, education, environmental issues and economic development. Also active throughout his life as a volunteer, he is known for bringing together different groups to work for the benefit of society's underprivileged."

According to Gerald's colleagues (writing in their newsletter, The Catalyst) "Today the notion of social responsibility on the part of business, labour, and others is widely accepted. Yet that was not at all the case in the 1960s and 1970s. Gerald played a key role in promoting such accountability." Despite poor health today, Gerald remains active, especially in the Campaign Against Child Poverty. In 2000, his book, Justice, Not Just Us, was published and is available from CPJ in Canada  (416-979-2443).

Congratulations, Gerald, for your years of service and for this high honor! And thank you not only for what you and Citizens for Public justice are doing in Canada but also for what you are doing to encourage Christians in other parts of the world, including the United States.

—Editor