September 11 will mark 50 years since General Augusto Pinochet overthrew Salvador Allende. On the anniversary CFPI will be hosting Canada & the Coup in Chile 50 Years Later. The event will launch the new book Canada-Chile Solidarity, 1973-1990.

ABOUT THE BOOK: “Canada-Chile Solidarity, 1973–1990 Testimonies of Civil Society Action” Editor: Liisa L. North

The stories & documents presented in this book relate key facets of the history of Canadian civil society solidarity with Chile after the September 1973 military coup d’état. It is a history that speaks to the importance of well-organized and coordinated civic action in the formulation of public policy, especially with regard to refugees and dealing with dictatorships; it also speaks to the significance of refugee & exile community contributions to Canadian society.

SPEAKERS John W. Foster teaches in the International Studies & Human Justice Programs of the University of Regina. He was a founder of the Latin American Working Group (LAWG) in 1965; headed the Chile Welcome Committee & the Inter-Church Committee for Human Rights in Chile (ICCHRC) that formed immediately after the 1973 coup; played a leading role in its successor organization, the Inter-Church Committee for Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA); was National Secretary of OXFAM-Canada for seven years.

Laura Macdonald is Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Economy at Carleton University. Her recent work looks at transnational activism in North America around labour rights, migration, & human rights in Mexico, trade and gender, and policies to reduce crime & violence in Mexico City.

Joe Gunn is the Director of Centre Oblat – A Voice for Justice of Saint Paul University. For seven years, he lived in Latin America, working in refugee camps & on development projects. For over ten years, he developed and coordinated policies for social justice with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.