Statement made on 07 October 2009 by Senator James Cowan
Hon. James S. Cowan (Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, today I am delighted to pay tribute to an extraordinary institution, the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
The Coady Institute is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. The institute grew out of what became known worldwide as the Antigonish Movement, a pioneer movement spearheaded by two men, Rev. Jimmy Tompkins and his cousin, Rev. Moses Coady, over 80 years ago.
It began as "people's schools" that opened the doors of the university to men and women from impoverished fishing, farming and mining communities in the region to help them change their lives and their futures.
After World War II, the scope expanded as men and women began to arrive from poor, newly established nations around the world, eager to learn ways to help their communities back home. Over 100 international students registered at St. FX in the 1950s to learn the grassroots methods used and taught there.
In 1959, St. FX established the Coady International Institute to respond to this increasing demand. The institute was named in honour of Rev. Coady, whose work had laid the foundation for the institute, although he himself sadly did not live to see his dream realized.
Today, 50 years later, the institute has more than 5,000 graduates and partners working in more than 130 countries. Its goal is to build a better world, one community at a time. Rev. Coady once said, "When you stop pioneering, you die." The institute has taken that to heart and, for 50 years, has not stopped pushing the boundaries, finding new ways to help people all across the world.
The Coady International Institute works to create effective, practical and sustainable solutions to reduce global poverty and injustice through education, research and capacity building for development organizations. Honourable senators, let me give you just a few examples of the work of the institute.
In 2006 the institute joined forces with the Self Employed Women's Association and the Friends of Women's World Banking, India to develop the first-of-its-kind Indian School of Microfinance for Women. This is designed to help millions of people, mostly women, gain access to basic financial services to help them earn a living, build financial assets, take control of their lives and weather crises.
The Xtending Hope Partnership is an initiative based at the Coady International Institute that works to help, develop and support the people, governments and NGOs in Rwanda and Botswana as they deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Coady partnered with First Nations communities for the First Nations At-Sea Mentoring Initiative, working to develop the technical skills of Aboriginal fishers working in the commercial inshore fishery.
There are thousands of international graduates of the institute who return home and work directly to improve the lives of their fellow citizens, applying the many lessons learned at Coady to help build a more just, secure and prosperous future.
The institute also provides opportunities for young Canadians, helping recent university graduates work overseas on internships with development organizations. These young Canadians — 169 so far — return home as more engaged global citizens, with new skills and experiences.
Honourable senators, this important anniversary for the Coady International Institute signals 50 years of igniting leadership — leadership that is taking action to improve our world. All Canadians can be proud of this home-grown institute that represents Canada so well, in so many places around the world.