Latin American Mission Group
Organization profile published 1982
Year Published: 1982
Resource Type: Organization
Cx Number: CX2503
Abstract:
The Latin American Mission Program (LAMP) was established in the late sixties by the Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown. Its basic mandate is two fold: 1) to send missionaries to its mission in the Dominican Republic to learn of the life of the Dominican people, their struggles and the causes of their oppression and poverty; and 2) to bring this Third World awareness home to the P.E.I. public and to local groups involved in social change. LAMP is presently involved in a mission education program throughout the diocese.
LAMP has produced briefs dealing with local issues. One of these was presented to the Inquiry on the Fishery in 1980. The brief draws parallels between the struggles in Atlantic Canada and in the Dominican Republic. In both cases, the renewable resources are controlled by transnationals. "Our experience in Third World countries and here in Canada has shown us that people who work in the primary industries must be able to control their product right through to the market-place and into the hands of the consumers." Otherwise, those who control the industry are always pwerful corporations whose only end is profit. "The voicelessness of the fishermen is comparable to the voicelessness of the struggling poor in Latin America. Fishermen here are at the mercy of the corporations." The brief goes on to recommend that the P.E.I. government provide legislation which will enable fishermen to use collective bargaining as a means of exerting at least minimum control on the industry. LAMP also presented a brief to the National Farm Products Marketing Council; it deals with the Eastern Canada Potato Producers Council Proposal for a Potato Marketing Agency for Eastern Canada.
LAMP, in the past year, has sponsored a number of educational workshops throughout the Island. Many of these have taken place in parishes. In its educational thrust, LAMP points to the parallels in terms of socio-economic structures that have directly contributed to the oppression of people in both the Maritimes and Latin America. In addition to challenging people to get involved in local solidarity efforts, LAMP is very concerned that Islanders become more involved with local struggling groups/ minorities: e.g., farmers, fisherperson, and the unemployed.
This organization no longer exists.
This abstract was published in the Connexions Digest in 1982.
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