National Prayer Breakfast calls for bridge over troubled waters

“Nothing is more damning than indifference in the face of violence,” Anu George Canjanathoppil told today’s 59^th annual National Prayer Breakfast.

In an electrifying speech that led to several rounds of applause and a prolonged standing ovation, the keynote speaker and CEO of International Justice Mission made an impassioned plea before 1,300 gathered for protection and justice for the victims of human trafficking in a world where war and conflict are rampant.

“Far too many people in the world fall outside the protection of any judicial system” she said, adding that Canadians are inadvertently complicit in the exploitation of those already ruined by war and poverty, because millions of dollars’ worth of goods and services we consume are produced by forced labour.

Her message, however, was not all gloom and doom and finger-pointing. It was a call to inspired leadership and a message of hope because, as she said, an ordinary person like herself who stood out as a child for being “weird” or “peculiar” was called by God to lead a mission which has rescued millions of trafficked women and children and set them on a new path of hope and dignity.

“IJM is an organization that’s full of heroes,” she said, remarkable people embodying the very essence of goodness and grace.

Citing her own personal story of being hunted and having to run for her life, she chose to dedicate her life to the mission of saving human lives. 

Canjanathoppil turned tragedy into triumph and “weirdness” into heroism. As a result of her leadership more than 10,000 individuals have been rescued from forced labour slavery.

“By 2030, we will have protection in place for half a billion people,” she said, issuing a call for all people to step up and fight injustice. “You are all chosen to lead the good fight,” she said, quoting a verse from the Bible: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter: 2:9).

Liberal MP John McKay emphasized that miracles do happen in a tumultuous world. He narrated the story of how he went with IJM to an unnamed South American country which suddenly erupted in a revolution while the Canadian visitors were there. 

“But a miracle happened. I met Senator Julie Miville-Dechene, and we worked together on Bill S-211 to fight forced labour and child labour in supply chains. The bill received royal assent in 2023, and the first reporting period is at the end of this month.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, referring to the theme of the event this year, “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” called on leaders to be the bridge by being humble. 

“Humility is what takes us over troubled waters, and leaders must be humble because God has given free will to people, and leaders must allow that right. They must give up control and give free will to the people.”