Haligonians Organize Opposition to Cutlass Fury 2019

Cutlass Fury 2019 (CF19) is one of the largest naval exercises in Canadian history. CF19 began on Monday, September 9 and most of the NATO warships are currently positioned 50 to 100 miles off the coast of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. These include the USS New Hampshire, a Virginia class, fast attack nuclear-powered submarine.

Some warships are still coming and going from Halifax. The U.K.’s newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was expected in Halifax on September 12 as were HMS Dragon and RFA Tideforce. A fleet review is expected in the next few days as the last of these warships passes the Second World War corvette HMCS Sackville en route to the exercise offshore.

The Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace held a colourful peace vigil on the waterfront on September 9. They called for Canada to refuse to engage in aggressive military actions or training for such actions mandated by military alliances such as NATO.

CF19 says something about how the Canadian Armed Forces and other militaries view the current global situation. It is the revival of a level of training that was routine during the Cold War. Naval action is no longer just about anti-terrorism, humanitarian assistance/disaster response and the conduct of maritime intercept operations. This is a return to practicing what some may call classic naval warfare.

Regardless of this country’s actual defence needs, Canadian forces as an instrument first and foremost of NATO are eternally being prepared to join, backstop or even lead aggression against U.S.-selected targets anywhere on the planet. Exercises like Cutlass Fury 19 come at a time when more than one-half of the main U.S. Naval forces are at sea. Far from protecting Canadians from the danger of war, NATO exercises such as these further integrate our country into the U.S. war machine.

Halifax and its harbour hold strategic significance for the imperialists and their monopoly interests. It is one of the largest natural harbours in the world and is North America’s easternmost port of call with transcontinental rail connections.

The people of Halifax have long rejected the use of their city and harbour to embroil Canadians in imperialist adventures abroad. They have vigorously opposed the “visits” of U.S. and other foreign warships as well as the use of the Canadian Navy in U.S. and NATO led agressions against the world’s peoples. Consistent with this, Canada’s foreign policy and our withdrawal from NATO and NORAD must be made prominent issues in the federal election.

Canada must not participate in U.S. imperialist war preparations and must also defend its sovereignty in a meaningful way. This means not permitting the U.S. imperialists to exercise command and control over Canada’s air, land, water and government and military assets. We must withdraw from NATO as well as NORAD and work for an independent foreign policy.

It means to remove all Canadian soldiers, ships and equipment from foreign territory. Most importantly, it means that Canadians must prepare to establish an anti-war government.

No U.S. or Other Foreign Warships in Canadian Waters!
Get Canada Out of NATO and NORAD!
Work for an Anti-War Government!

(Photos: RU, Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace)

This article was published in:

Renewal Update No. 11, September 14, 2019

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Haligonians Organize Opposition to Cutlass Fury 2019