The Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation For World Peace

The Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace is to share, in a universal and cross-cultural way, knowledge of Mahatma Gandhi's beliefs and philosophies. The Foundation initiates, conducts and supports research, studies, wrtiings, teaching, education and scholarship in international understanding based on the teachings, philosophies, activities and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. The Foundation establishes, maintains and supports academic chairs, lectureships, professorships, exchanges and assistantships on its own account and in conjunction with other institutions.

Membership in the Foundation is open to all, and it is the hope of the founders that the objects and programs of the Foundation will be embraced by the entire Canadian community in recognition of the universality of Gandhi's beliefs and teachings. The Foundation is federally incorporated and has tax-exempt status as a charity under the Income Tax Act of Canada.

A little about the humble beginnings of fundation:

In 1988 the mayor of Edmonton, a city on Canada, proclaimed the week of Gandhi's birth anniversary (Mahatma Gandhi Peace Week). This has since become an annual event. That was the beginning of the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace

In the same year, some of the members of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Committee did the application for establishment of an annual observation of Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2nd, also prepared a program that included a banquet honored by the presence of the High Commissioner of India to Canada, a garlanding of the bust by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and a public lecture delivered at the University of Alberta by His Excellency Douglas Roche, Canada's Ambassador for Disarmament to the United Nations.

These suggestions were so well received by the community that the initiators launched plans to enlarge the annual observances, to memorialize Gandhi and to share his teachings through a national foundation to be known as the "Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace." The Foundation has now become the vehicle for conducting the annual observances and other projects. The foundation's dedicated volunteer Board of Directors works within Alberta and also within the Canadian community.