Oct 27, 2021
Tim Brodhead, Roy Culpeper, Richard Harmston, and Peter Meincke are all long-time members of a progressive Ottawa organization, The Group of 78. Now celebrating the group's 40th anniversary, they reminisce about its founding: a period during Pierre Trudeau's second term when domestic concerns loomed so large that other matters were hardly considered. King Gordon and the parliamentarian Andrew Brewin wrote an open letter to the prime minister complaining that the threat of nuclear war needed a more vigorous action by Canada. They collected endorsements from a diversity of prominent Canadians, received a good response from Trudeau, and formed an organization that continues today. There is an annual two-day meeting, plus frequent luncheons with guest lecturers, mainly on international issues. However, there is less response from the present government than preceding ones. Though the Group of 78 partners with other like-minded organizations in addressing certain important progressive issues, there are also controversies within the group. Among these are the desirability of nuclear power, Middle Eastern politics, and whether economic growth is compatible with sustainability. Yet the Group has successfully held amiable conferences dealing with these Issues. The next annual conference in 2022 will deal with the question of economic growth. For the video, audio podcast, transcript, or comments, https://tosavetheworld.ca/362-what-has-the-group-of-78-done-for-you/