Concern has been raised in Cranbrook and elsewhere about a federal government funding cut to KAIROS, a church based, non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been working on social justice issues around the world for more than 30 years.

But Kootenay-Columbia MP Jim Abbott is playing down the concerns, saying it's a case of “shifting priorities” on the part of the government.

KAIROS in ancient Greek means time or the right time and was used as an acronym by the seven mainstream churches that belong to it to signify that it's always the “right time” to improve the lives of the downtrodden.

For some 35 years, the Canadian International Development Agency CIDA) provided matching funding for KAIROS up to a three-to-one basis. But on Nov. 30, CIDA informed KIROS Executive Director Mary Corkery that the funding would cease despite the 35-year collaboration between the two organizations.

After media reports and questions in Parliament, International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda faxed Corkery a letter saying the government took the move because it was focusing its efforts on food security, children and youth and economic growth.

In a prepared release, Corkery said: “We cannot understand why our widely respected human rights program would be ended when the Minister herself has affirmed a continued commitment to human rights in Canadian Official Development Assistance.”

But Abbott, who is Parliamentary Secretary to Oda, says the Minister is “100 per cent right” on the issue. “The Minister has made it very clear that this has everything to do with shifting priorities and nothing else.”

Abbott says the churches that belong to KAIROS continue to receive funding from Ottawa, but based on programs that match the government's priorities.

“What we're trying to do is to get the focus on each individual part as opposed to looking at it as a complete unit as KAIROS is. That's it, plain and simple. There's nothing more to it than that.”

Asked about the criticism the government has been receiving over the issue, Abbott some things should be understood. “I think it's important for them to realize that these are taxpayers' dollars that our government, or any Canadian government is responsible for and we have to set priorities and that's what we've done.”

But Yme Woensdregt, Pastor at Christ Church Anglican in Cranbrook, says he's not so sure about the official explanations for the funding cut. “I don't accept the shifting priority explanation because they don't tell us what they're shifting their priorities to. There's a scarcity of information about what they're doing and we're not likely to find out any more now that Parliament has been prorogued.”

Woensdregt says the record of KAIROS in helping people often overlooked by other aid organizations speaks for itself. “They have a stellar record of helping others and being advocates for peace and justice in the world.”

KAIROS was advocating for AIDS victims long before other groups joined them and was in the forefront of removing the stigma associated with the disease, Woensdregt says.

“They advocate generally for people at the bottom of society's pecking order and they do a good job of it.”

Gerry Barr, President and CEO of the Canadian Council of International Cooperation, says the international NGO community is “deeply troubled” by the funding cuts to KAIROS.

“KAIROS' reputation as a human rights champion committed to advancing the voice of the poor . . . embodies the priorities set out in the Official Development Accountability Act,” he says.