Long-time Merville resident Sally Gellard boarded a train in November with the goal of bringing a message of peace to Ottawa.

Gellard was one of 40 West Coast activists who embarked on the train to Ottawa. The idea began in Port Alberni last spring, when a group of letter-writing peace activists found letter-writing to their MPs was not enough. The escalation of violent conflicts, wars and human rights violations occurring internationally had reached a level where this group felt they must do something to convince Canada鈥檚 decision-makers to take a stand and reinvest in peacekeeping.

The group reached out to Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns, who encouraged them and committed to helping the cause.

"Months of preparation involved talking with advisors, people with backgrounds in diplomacy and international peacekeeping," a release from the group says. "The advice from all sides was to take a specific 'ask' to Ottawa."

That culminated in a 1,000 signature petition that Johns presented to the House of Commons on Nov. 19. The petition reads: "We ... call upon the House of Commons in Parliament to establish and fund a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy and peace operations for Canadian civilians, police, military personnel and the international community.鈥�

The idea calls on Canada's history with peacekeeping. In the 1980s, there were over 3,000 Canadian UN Peacekeepers. In March, 2024, that number was 59. Also in March, Canada had over 3,000 military personnel deployed in non-UN missions around the world.

"With the closing of The Pearson Peace Centre in 2011, Canada lost an important institution that supported peace operations and gave us a highly regarded reputation of being a peacekeeping country," the release says.

In that context, the Peace Train Canada group left Vancouver on Nov. 15, and travelled across the country via Via Rail. Along the way, other activists came out to cheer on the travellers and their idea.

Johns met the group in Ottawa, and hosted an all-party MP and Senator reception when the train arrived on Nov. 20.

"The support at the reception was impressive, with a showing from each federal political party. In attendance were 11 MPs and 2 Senators, who each gave strong messages of encouragement," the release says.