ABOUT US – Lebanese Friends of Canada

WHO ARE WE?

Mission Statement

The Lebanese Friends of Canada (LFC) is an independent, non-racial, non-religious, and non-profit organization, representing the Lebanese communities in Canada through many chapters, concerned with promoting the six thousand year old Lebanese culture, and strengthening the ties between the Lebanese immigrant communities and their adopted country Canada. It is committed to providing historical resources as well as updated and accurate information for individuals and institutions seeking to learn about Lebanon and its people.

The LFC furthers its goals by sponsoring, promoting, and organizing cultural, social, and educational events highlighting Lebanese heritage, and by being a vibrant, committed and caring member of the community; supporting local charities, involving its members in community service, and meaningfully participating in the cultural life of its host cities.
The establishment of LFC was inspired by the need to inform various Canadian institutions about the plight of Lebanese people and to effectively rally support for a free, democratic and sovereign Lebanon. It seeks to promote peace and aims at eliminating injustice and Human Rights abuses committed against all Lebanese equally.

What We Do?

To realize its mission, the LFC, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, established chapters nationwide with several hundred members, mostly volunteers and a large support base. The LFC carries its mission through departments that function within their capacities as:

Research and Media Center – gathers data and publishes reports on matters relating to Lebanon. It serves as a reliable source of information to media and political institutions and deals with emerging questions concerning political movements in Lebanon.
Human Rights Watch group – records accounts of Human Rights abuses in Lebanon and monitors the judicial practices in Lebanon to ensure proper legal procedures.
Advocacy group – aims at rallying and coordinating the efforts of the Lebanese-Canadian community to effectively advocate for a free, democratic and sovereign Lebanon. The group seeks to act as a bridge between the Canadian establishments and Lebanon as well as to provide an impartial perspective on the Lebanese people’s struggle for freedom and independence.
Social Services institute – provides legal assistance and guidance to Lebanese emigrants and functions as a grassroots network connecting Lebanese-Canadians through periodic publications, local and regional events, and active participation in the activities of the Lebanese-Canadian community.

Presiding over the LIC is a council that consists of a group of professionals dedicated to ensuring the success of the mission stated above.
The LFC subscribes to the following views on Lebanon:

A sovereign and independent nation, free from all non-Lebanese forces, armed militias and foreign influence.
A consensual democratic political system based on the respect of Lebanon’s ethnical and religious diversity.
Equitable governance and impartial judicial system through which the rights of individuals and groups are protected and guaranteed.
An international status for Lebanon as a promoter of peace and an ally of Canada and the West in the war against terrorism and in the quest to promote world peace.
A free economy that promotes and sustains economic growth.