The National Prayer Breakfast
Its
Purpose
The purpose of the National Prayer Breakfast is to invite leaders to meet in the spirit of Jesus Christ in order to pray together and build relationships. The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual Christian event and is historically offered under the auspices of the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House on behalf of the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast Group.
Its History
The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held under the combined authority of the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons and organized by a group of dedicated volunteers and staffers. Traditionally, men and women from differing backgrounds gather together with elected officials to pray in the spirit of Jesus Christ for Canada.
National Prayer Breakfast
Thursday, May 7, 2020
10:00am ET
A Digital Event -
No Registration REquired
The annual National Prayer Breakfast of Canada is a Christ-centred event held by the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast Group in our nation's capital. The purpose of this event is to come together collectively to honour and continue to hold to our Christian heritage. This allows our elected officials to gather together with men and women from different backgrounds to pray and connect through our shared faith.
Watch the 55th Annual National Prayer Breakfast:
Our Speakers:
Bill Adsit
Bill is a member of the Tahltan Band and was one of very few that was put into the Residential School at age 5 and never left until 15. His life has been a challenge.
Bill was completely alone during his stay at the residential and had lost all contact with family and the Tahltan Nation. At age 15 he was on his own and through circumstances he ended up in a Christian foster home.
Bill Adsit has a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Accounting) from the University of Alberta. In his career with the Federal Government he worked as a Communications Specialist with the Canadian Military, a Flight Service Specialist with Transport Canada, a Business Tax Auditor with Canada Revenue Agency and Aboriginal Business Canada (ABC) as a Business Development Officer and ended his career Regional Quality Assurance
Manager. After his time with the Federal Government he was the CEO/President of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation for ten years. He recently completed his term as a board member for BC Hydro. He currently is employed with Arrow Transport Systems and the Indigenous Advisory Monitoring Committee for the Federal Government on the TMX pipeline.
Bill says that he is extremely thankful for the intervention of God first, wife and family second and friends, who have contributed to his life.
Joy Smith, B.Ed, M.Ed, O.M.
Joy Smith holds a Bachelor (B.Ed) and Masters Degree (M.Ed) in education with a focus on mathematics and science. She was a teacher for 23 years in Winnipeg.
She is a former Member of Parliament for Kildonan – St. Paul for over 11 years. She has committed and dedicated her life, both professionally and personally, to ending human trafficking in Canada. She has worked on the issue from all perspectives, from real world rescue of victims to a policy and legislative view. She became an elected official after learning there were no laws in Canada to protect Canadian children and youth from traffickers, and no justice mechanisms in place for the perpetrators who committed this crime against Canadian children and youth.
Joy Smith, made Canadian history as the first MP to amend the Criminal Code twice by passing two bills. First, Bill C-268 that provides a mandatory minimum sentencing for the trafficking of children 18 years and younger, and Bill C-310, when Canadian citizens and permanent residents go abroad and exploit others in another country, the arm of the Canadian law is able bring justice to those who exploit abroad. The successful passage of a Private Members Bill is rare and it is the 15th time in the history of Canada that a Private Members Bill amended the Criminal Code.
During her time in Parliament she worked with stakeholders from all sectors of society, such as law enforcement, victim services, First Nations representatives, and non-governmental organizations. By working together with the efforts of Joy Smith and support across Canada, the Government of Canada launched the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking in 2012 with many of the proposals put forward by MP Joy Smith.
Joy Smith has worked on the issue of human trafficking for 25 years. Joy Smith is known as a leading advocate against human trafficking in Canada and globally. She has received the highest honour of the Order of the Manitoba, has been named an Honorary Chief by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in the province of Manitoba, and has received the Winnipeg Police Commendation Award. Other notable awards have been, the United Nations Recognition of Achievement Award, the Woman of Distinction Award, and the Wilberforce Award.
In 2011 she founded The Joy Smith Foundation to prevent human trafficking from happening to Canadians through educational tools and resources, and to support frontline organizations that rescue and rehabilitate Survivors’ of human trafficking. The Foundation focuses on educating Canadians about traffickers and how they lure our youth into the sex trade. Education is the greatest weapon to combat this horrid crime. The average age into the sex trade in Canada is 12-14 year of age. This is why The Joy Smith Foundation focuses on education as a preventative tool in Canadian schools.
The Hon. Graydon Nicholas, CM, ONB
Former Lt. Gov. of New Brunswick
The Honorable Graydon Nicholas was born in 1946 into a Catholic family in Maliseet, New Brunswick. He was brought up in his native Maliseet language until he started school in 1951. He failed first grade because; “I could not read English.” Ridiculed, as a young child in his community for that incident, his mother lovingly reassured him that he was not stupid.
Fast-forwarding to 1968, Graydon graduated from St. Francis Xavier with a BSc. The next year he started his law degree at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), becoming the first First Nations person in Atlantic Canada to obtain a law degree.
While completing his law studies at UNB Graydon met and married his beautiful wife Beth, they would later have two sons, Michael and Brian. After practicing law for a year, Graydon returned to his studies this time at Wilfrid Laurier University; he received his MSW in 1974.
He then worked in New Brunswick for the Union of New Brunswick Indians as a lawyer, chairman, and president until 1988. Next, he served as a Provincial and Youth Court Judge from 1991 to 2009 and as the Lieutenant Governor for New Brunswick from September 2009 to 2014.
It was in March of 1986, at a silent spiritual retreat in Guelph, that Graydon began his healing journey.
He shares:
The pain that was hidden deep inside of me surfaced in prayer. Jesus taught me to forgive those who hurt me by washing their feet.
Today as an active participant in Aboriginal Christian life, he has lectured in theology at the Vancouver School of Theology and the Native Ministries Consortium program. As well he helped in the creation of the National Day of Prayer for Aboriginal People for Canada, which began on December 12, 2005. Graydon is a trained Spiritual Director and Group Guide in Ignatian Spirituality. As well he is a member of the Knights of Columbus and currently the Supreme Warden. He is a firm believer in prayerful discernment to find out God’s plan in his life.
Our Music:
Rising Above Band
Howard Jolly, Rick Martin, Brenda and Terry Martin began singing together in 2001 at a Rising Above conference. Since then they have become known as the Rising Above Band, a ministry of Rising Above. Since their first time together, the band has seen God use their music to bring comfort, healing and encouragement to audiences of all age and race. They have released three CDs, a mix of country gospel songs, original recordings and contemporary worship. Their ministry is a testimony to the Gospel message of reconciliation and healing.
From left to right: Brenda & Terry Martin, Howard Jolly, Rick Martin.
Other Special Guests:
