LAWG HAY CAMINO
HISTORY PROJECT
LAWG'S STORY
The Latin American Working Group
The Latin American Working Group, or “LAWG” as it came to be familiarly known, had its inception during the momentous years of political, ideological and cultural ferment sweeping North America in the mid-‘60s. Having its roots among progressive Canadian Christian youth and the student peace movement, LAWG, based in Toronto, drew-in a kaleidoscope of individuals from Christian, student and youth, feminist, sovereignty, anti-Vietnam war and labour backgrounds. The diversity of its members enabled LAWG to network and partner with organizations and individuals working in many sectors in the broader social movement across Canada, Quebec, and Latin America.
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Despite being a small Canadian non-governmental organization with limited resources, LAWG became a powerhouse of analysis of events up and down the Americas, of social movements, corporate impacts, foreign aid, political initiatives and Canadian foreign policy, as well as a focus of solidarity linkages with many struggles in Latin America.
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LAWG became a prominent player in helping to mobilize Canadian public opinion for social justice in Latin America. In tandem with its cutting-edge primary research and publications which critically examined Canadian corporate and government policy in the region, LAWG initiated a wide range of educational and advocacy initiatives with labour, churches and NGOs in Canada and Latin America. It also facilitated a large number of tours both to and from Latin America as a way of deepening Canadians’ understanding of others living on this continent.
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Over its 30 year history LAWG earned a reputation for its effectiveness in protesting human rights abuses, analyzing Canadian corporate investment in Latin America, and lobbying the Canadian government to adopt an independent foreign policy towards Latin America. It did this through its visioning and support of a number of policy advocacy vehicles, including the Central American Policy Alternative (CAPA), the Roundtable for Peace, Mission for Peace, Canada-Chile Solidarity, LOCALS, Tools for Peace, Common Frontiers and other initiatives aimed at changing Canadian foreign policy.
LAWG’s unique advantage of having individuals on the ground in Latin America who could provide first-hand information and analysis, at a time when neither the government nor mainstream media had the capacity or the access to do this – gave LAWG a special role vis a vis the solidarity movement as a whole, and policy makers at several levels of sectoral organizations and government.
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LAWG regularly published the LAWG Newsletter, the Central America Update, the LAWG Labour Report, as well as books focusing on Canadian aid and the involvement of Canadian corporations such as Chile vs the Corporations, Falconbridge: Portrait of a Canadian Mining Multinational, as well as INCO and BRASCAN, as well as issues relating to women in Latin American. Individuals in the Latin American Working Group made significant contributions to wider forums and coalitions, notably the creation of the Taskforce on Churches and Corporate Responsibility, the Inter-Church Committees on Human Rights in Latin America and others.
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While never more than a small, Toronto-based collective, LAWG’s achievements were remarkable, especially considering the challenges it faced in the pre-internet, Cold War era. And, it laid the groundwork for a variety of organizations which today continue to carry out work related to worker solidarity and fair trade, as well as advocacy related to government. What it did, how it worked, the strategies it developed, how it built trust – remain relevant issues today. While the historical context and tools have changed, much can be learned from its experiences and from LAWG’s blended strategy of activism, research and advocacy.