In this interview, André Choquet (WCCM National Coordinator for Canada) sits down with Paola to discuss the urgent themes of the upcoming conference: “Transforming Together in Peace: Reconnecting Humanity and the Living Earth.”
André will be the host and moderator at the biennial CCMC National Conference July 24-26, 2026 at Victoria College, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He lives in Toronto with his wife and 2 children.
How does the specific combination of voices in this conference—a conservation biologist (Tom Mustill), an Indigenous leader and poet (Chief Stacey LaForme), and a Benedictine monk (Fr. Laurence)—help us move past a purely “intellectual” understanding of ecology toward a more soulful, integrated way of inhabiting the world?
André: Our conference is happening exactly at the right time. If we look at the world in 2026, there are several alarming clouds on the horizon. Parts of our world are dangerously reverting to isolationism. There is also the deeply held belief that our economy does not depend on nature. Even worse, the belief that humans are separate from nature and that consumption and growth human output can continue without regards to planetary boundaries.
I think a more soulful, integrated way of inhabiting the world must start with our relationship with the divine. Humans have had that relationship since the beginning of times. My son is reading the Odyssey by Homer, considered the first novel ever written. In that book, normal people rely on insights from supernatural beings like faries to guide them through life decisions.
I believe that the purpose of every human being on this planet is a greater awareness of the connection we have with the divine, call it God, spiritual, the higher intelligence, whatever you want to call it.
In the same way the living earth is yearning for connections with humans and humans are yearning for connections with each other. But ignorance of our need for connection coupled with the attachment to the ego and the material world make us react in aggressive ways to these pleas for greater connections.
Our keynote speaker Tom Mustill is a conservation biologist turned filmmaker and writer, specializing in stories where people and nature meet. He literally dove into the science of studying the language of whales. Technological improvements have helped him finetune his methods to learn more about how they communicate with each other and what we can learn from them. He will share his fascinating discoveries with us and will lead us into a meditation with the sound of whales.
Our second notable speaker is Chief R. Stacey Laforme, former chief of the Mississaugas’ of the credit First Nations in Ontario. He is a respected storyteller poet and advocate for leadership, reconciliation, and environmental stewardship. I once heard a famous author Michel Tremblay from Quebec say that creative writing is not born out of plentifulness, abundance and luxury. It is born out of pain, scarcity and struggle. Chief Laforme has certainly lived through his share of struggle and his poems and short stories are extremely touching and soulful.
And in addition to these two world class speakers, we will also have our own Father Laurence Freeman expand on the theme transforming together in peace. He has demonstrated with his travels, sharing the seeds of meditation, that meditation crosses countries, cultures, traditions and ethnicities. It is really a universal practice aimed at seeking a more soulful, integrated way of inhabiting the world through the proper alignment of the ego.
How do we practically begin to “quiet the ego” so that we can encounter the “more-than-human” world with the reverence and clarity needed for true peace?
André: Without meaning to sound facetious, I think the “how” is simple. I tell people I can teach them meditation in 5 minutes but as Fr. Laurence says, it is the experience of meditation day in and day out that is the teacher. And the teacher will eventually quiet the ego.
People start adopting meditation as a way of life once they realize that it is not separate from their everyday life. There is a direct link between your 20-30 min of practice and your everyday life.
So how do we quiet the ego during meditation? John Main left us with a simple practice of repeating a word throughout the meditation from beginning to end while adopting a proper posture and remaining still.
That is helpful but what happens when meditation is over? What happens when we must interact with our spouse, children, coworkers, parishioners, strangers in the subway? How do we quiet the ego during those times?
It has to do with adopting an attitude of humility, developing listening skills, accepting that we do not know the answers, accepting that God’s ways are higher than our ways, respecting our enemy as a creation of God.
But everything that I am telling you now does not happen overnight. Nothing really happens in one meditation session. Nothing. Things start happening over time whether it is one year 2 years, five years or 20 years. But an important attitude to adopt is that of fidelity. Fidelity to your self, your loved ones and fidelity in the presence of God. We must accept that there is more to life than just the physical and the seen.
The upcoming WCCM Canadian Conference ‘Transforming in Peace’ will focus on the idea that “contemplative awareness becomes the ground for ethical action.”
How do you think can the constructive collaboration between Indigenous storytelling, biological wonder, and Christian contemplation provide a stable foundation for reconciliation and environmental responsibility?
André: Thank you for this question, it is certainly not a question unique to Canada. There are other countries that are dealing with relationships between indigenous and nonindigenous people, but it is a question that we take at heart here in Canada.
I spoke earlier about how creative writing is not born out of plentifulness, abundance and luxury. I’m certain Chief Laforme will speak to the salvation aspect of suffering because it shows in his writing. I’m not saying this to belittle or somewhat romanticize our history of colonial oppression in Canada towards indigenous people. But it is salvatory for both nations to learn from each others’ pains and suffering, in order to transcend them and “free ourselves from mental slavery” (thanks Bob Marley). This can only happen through conscious and respectful dialogues starting at the ground level between members of our meditation communities and members of indigenous communities.
We have more than one hundred meditation groups meeting across Canada every week with an average of ten people per group. It is not a far fetched idea to have some of these groups getting together with indigenous groups in their area sharing about their way of life, spiritual traditions, contemplative practices, their relationship with the Creator and their shared dreams about a better life for their children. These conversations could expand into practical conversations amongst decision makers about biodiversity conservation, protection of the environment and development of renewable energy.
And the aim of all this I believe is to realize that at the end of the day, there is not that much difference between our two communities. The dualistic view of our nation eventually disappears just like in meditation eventually the ego disappears.
‘Transforming Together in Peace – Reconnecting humanity and the living earth’ will be held from July 24th to 26th, at Victoria College at the University of Toronto and online. You can find out more from the WCCM-Canada.ca website here.
Top image by Connor Olson on Unsplash
