The Marxist-Leninist Weekly

Demonstration in Quebec City, April 5, 2018, against upcoming G7 summit in La Malbaie.
Banner reads: "The G7 Does Not Represent Us."

All Out to Oppose the G7! No to the Neo-Liberal
Anti-Social Offensive, Retrogression and War!

The 44th G7 Summit is hosted by Canada. It will take place June 8 and 9 in the luxury hotel Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Quebec. It is preceded by ministerial meetings.

La Malbaie is a small town of 8,000 people about 150 kilometres north-east of Quebec City. The Summit area has been secured behind a $3.8 million, three-metre high, 3.7-kilometre long fence anchored in cement posts sunk half a metre into the ground. A temporary prison will be set up near the arena in Clermont, a neighbouring municipality, at a cost of $1 million, according to local radio station CIHO. The budget for the G7 events will be more than $600 million with $259 million to be allocated to the RCMP alone for security, over $35 million to National Defence, $99 million to Public Safety Canada, $2 million to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and $1 million to the Canada Border Services Agency.

In this way, at this G7 Summit, as at the 2010 G8 Summit in Huntsville Ontario and G20 Summit in Toronto that followed, the media and police are attempting to create fear and uncertainty about protests so as to demobilize the people and justify suppression of rights in the name of increased security. This is despite the fact that it is the anti-social, anti-national neo-liberal policies of the G7 countries that wreak destruction on the world through economic and military aggression.

Bell's cellular network has been enhanced in the region to meet the needs of the organization of the Summit. Fibre optics has appeared in La Malbaie, providing a faster internet connection.

The RCMP has confirmed that a so-called free speech area will be located in "a vacant lot" beside the Museum of Charlevoix, almost two kilometres from the hotel where the G7 will be meeting. Meanwhile, to divert attention from what the G7 stands for and Canadians' opposition to the neo-liberal anti-social offensive these summits promote, media accounts are raising the spectre of violent confrontations. The organizations involved in the opposition action emphasize their intent to speak out against the G7 and to provide information about alternatives to its agenda.[1]

The exclusion of the people from decision-making permeates the official G7 agenda. The reality belies the words of Prime Minister Trudeau who says the Summit is all about "finding real, concrete solutions to promote gender equality, women's empowerment, clean energy, and economic growth that works for everyone." According to Trudeau, "As G7 partners, we share a responsibility to ensure that all citizens benefit from our global economy, and that we leave a healthier, more peaceful, and more secure world for our children and grandchildren."[2] What it shows is that as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer as a result of supranational neo-liberal pay-the-rich schemes, Canada and other G7 countries attempt to divert attention from this with talk of a predicted "economic upswing" and the like. Moreover, the antics of U.S. President Donald Trump on the eve of the Summit, imposing tariffs "on national security grounds" on steel and aluminum imported to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, puts his agenda at centre stage, not that of Trudeau.

"The trade wars are hijacking a summit that was initially seen as an opportunity to tout the successes of the global economic upswing, and severely testing the resiliency of the Western economic alliance represented by the G7. The IMF projects the world economy will grow this year and next at its fastest pace since 2011," Bloomberg News writes. Now Trump's agenda diverts from the diversion to favour the oligopolies in the U.S. imperialist sphere of influence.

Whichever agenda sets the tone for the G7 meeting does not change the fact that it is unacceptable that the few nations that comprise the G7 decide the fate of the world's peoples. Even a cursory review of the Summit website underscores the retrogressive modus operandi of such international summits to disempower the world's peoples and ensure their agendas and demands are blocked, starting with the fact the meetings will be held behind the backs of the people. The anti-social and anti-national decisions made to the detriment of the peoples will be vigorously condemned and the peoples of the world will continue striving to turn things around in their favour.

All Out to Oppose the G7!
No to the Neo-Liberal Anti-Social Offensive, Retrogression and War!

Notes

1. The Council of Canadians argues that "all of Canada should be considered a 'free speech zone' and that it's a violation of democratic rights for people who want to protest on key issues of our day to be kept out of sight of leaders making decisions about their lives (notably, G7 decisions about climate change that affects us all)."

The Council informs that as of May 9, 23,097 people had signed its petition against the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada to attend the G7 Summit.

Several civil society groups are calling on organizations and the public to mobilize to oppose the policies of the leaders of the seven richest countries on the planet. The activities initiated include rallies and people's education activities in Charlevoix; a march against the G7 and for the opening of all borders at Parc des Braves in Quebec City on Thursday, June 7 at 6 pm; more actions on Friday, June 8 starting at 7:30 am and on Saturday, June 9 a march, an alternative forum and a show, all in the Quebec City area. The forum is taking place from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm on Saturday, June 9, in the park of the Fountaine de Tourny in front of the National Assembly. The demonstration is scheduled to start at 3:00 pm from this location.

"We are calling on everyone to participate in this mobilization with the aim of expressing a vision of economic and social development that respects people and the planet. We want to present the people with an alternative to the system advocated by the representatives of the richest countries," said Christian Page, representative of the Coalition for an Alternative Forum to the G7.

"The G7 is part of the problem in fostering the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of an increasingly small economic elite. While the leaders strut in front of the cameras, the real problems that the states should address are put aside and it is the people who suffer," said Marie-Ève Duchesne, spokesperson for several Quebec City groups mobilizing against the G7.

The coalition is highlighting the negative impacts of neo-liberal policies which they say have been accentuated with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. "What Trump is proposing is to establish a new phase of the neo-liberal offensive. Its policy is based on more exploitation of fossil fuels, more commercial warfare and less regulation for business. And the Trudeau government's positions are not a valid alternative to Trump's on this front," says Page.

"Our demands are clear. We must tackle the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, fight against the hoarding of wealth and achieve social justice, ban tax havens and prosecute businesses and individuals who use them, fight against exclusion of racialized populations and for the eradication of racist and extreme-right trends, in addition to recognizing the right to self-determination of Indigenous peoples," says Duchesne.

- investing in growth that works;
- preparing for jobs for the future;
- advancing gender equality and women's empowerment;
- working together on climate change, oceans and clean energy; and
- building a more peaceful and secure world.

To see the reactionary and hypocritical positions on these and related matters on the Summit website: click here.

No Consent! No Bailout! No Pipeline!
Stop Paying the Rich!

Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr announced on May 29 that the federal government has reached an agreement with Kinder Morgan to purchase the Trans Mountain Expansion Project and related pipeline and terminal assets for $4.5 billion. The transaction is expected to be finalized in August 2018. The agreement will provide federal loan guarantees to ensure that construction continues through the 2018 season, the announcement states.

The government says the purchase includes some of the infrastructure and associated agreements and contracts to build the disputed second pipeline called TMX for which Kinder Morgan says it has invested $1.1 billion. The purchase does not include Kinder Morgan's storage tanks and related facilities in Alberta. For the government to build TMX using private construction companies would require an additional $7.4 billion.

The government further says it does not intend to maintain ownership over Trans Mountain in the long term and will continue to look for a buyer. "The Government will extend federal indemnity to protect any prospective new owner from costs associated with politically motivated delays. The province of Alberta will also contribute to get the project built. Alberta's contribution would act as an emergency fund and would only come into play if required due to unforeseen circumstances. In return, Alberta will receive value commensurate to their contribution, through equity or profit-sharing," the statement said. Alberta Premier Notley later confirmed that her government could contribute up to $2 billion.

The state and its public treasury will assume all the risks and guarantee the investments and profits of Kinder Morgan and other global energy monopolies, especially those with contracts associated with the construction of Trans Mountain's expansion pipeline.

Both Trudeau and Notley claim they are taking this action to "protect jobs." The federal government says the agreement will eliminate "the uncertainty for families whose financial security relies on this project going ahead this year." Alberta Premier Notley responded to the announcement by telling workers to "pick up your tools, we have a pipeline to build." In a wry reply, a commentator said Notley was really telling Kinder Morgan to "pick up your cheque, you have government money to cash!"

No Consent, No Pipeline!

The Trudeau government decision to buy the pipeline was not met with applause in all quarters and does nothing to eliminate the "uncertainty" about this project. A thousand strong demonstration denouncing the pay-the-rich scheme was immediately held in Vancouver. The Indigenous peoples remain steadfast in their stand No Consent, No Pipeline! Union of BC Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said, "We are absolutely shocked and appalled that Canada is willingly investing taxpayers' money in such a highly controversial fossil fuel expansion project. No Means No -- the project does not have the consent it requires, and we will not stand down no matter who buys this ill-fated and exorbitantly priced pipeline."

The opposition of the people of BC and concerns about protection of the coastal waters remain. BC Premier John Horgan says his stand has not changed, although the tenor of negotiations may have. Many in Alberta continue to oppose shipping raw bitumen and are expressing their opposition in various ways. They highlight the pro-social and nation-building investments that could be made with the combined sum of $11.5 billion, such as investing in diversifying the Alberta economy instead of paying the rich to further entrench the export of raw resources.

The purchase of Trans Mountain by the federal government has not provided a solution to a single problem facing the working class and people. It has provided Kinder Morgan with a sweet deal to enrich its shareholders, especially Richard Kinder and other former Enron executives. It has extricated the energy monopolies from a deal that required them to keep on paying for the TMX through increased tolls on the existing pipeline whether or not the expansion was ever built. The pay-the-rich scheme reveals once again the necessity for a new pro-social direction for the economy in opposition to the control of the oligarchs of the global cartels.

Powerful U.S. private interests, the U.S. military and their political representatives view the TMX as necessary to guarantee energy security for Fortress North America and U.S. preparations for war, especially on their west coast. They will tolerate no opposition to gaining access and control over Alberta's oil sands' production and making it even more available to U.S. west coast refineries. They have directed the Trudeau government to comply by using its prerogative powers to challenge and overwhelm any opposition from the people and any other level of government. By bailing out Kinder Morgan and its investors and making the TMX pipeline construction project a Crown corporation, Canadians face the challenge of a Trudeau government that has positioned itself to further unleash its police powers and criminalize any opposition so as to satisfy the demands of the powerful U.S. private interests and military it serves.

Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project configuration map. Click to enlarge.
(Natural Resources Canada)

Fraudulent Claims of Benefits from the
Trans Mountain Expansion Project

The federal government's purchase of the Trans Mountain Pipeline system was accompanied by extravagant claims about the benefits of the expansion project. The government statement speaks of the "long term economic benefits to Canadians -- protecting jobs, ensuring that Canada's resources can get to world markets safely and efficiently, and preserving Canada's reputation as a good place to do business." These claims do not hold water.

In a call with Alberta Premier Notley, Prime Minister Trudeau "confirmed that the agreement will guarantee the resumption of work for the summer construction season and protect thousands of jobs." A jubilant Notley told workers to "pick up your tools, we have a pipeline to build."

The claim that work must start this summer to protect the jobs of pipeline workers is a curious one indeed, given that thousands of experienced pipeline workers will be working this summer on Enbridge's Line 3 replacement project, which the company describes as the biggest in its history. The Canadian section is 1,070 km long, from Hardisty, Alberta to Gretna, Manitoba. About 418 km was completed last summer and work will begin this summer to finish construction of the remaining 662 km and related sites with completion in 2019.

Enbridge provides information to communities along the line so that businesses and residents can prepare for the crews in their communities. The company has an interest to furnish accurate information as it does not prepare work camps. Workers must be accommodated in camp grounds, private homes and hotels/motels. According to this information, each "spread" of 100 km has about 800 workers. This means 1,000 km of pipeline on an existing right of way involves two season's work for about 4,000 workers. This is a far cry from the inflated claims of 15,000 jobs for two years to build the TMX, which is basically the same length as Line 3.

The claim of access to world markets has never been substantiated, and all the evidence points to markets on the U.S. West Coast as the target. The refineries in Washington and California are all able to refine heavy oil, including bitumen. Further, the assertion of higher prices in Asian markets was made before the U.S. lifted its export ban on oil and began building facilities to accommodate VLCCs (very large crude carriers) on the Gulf Coast. The Trans Mountain Westridge Terminal in Burnaby can only accommodate the much smaller Aframax. This further disadvantages bitumen shipped from the BC coast compared to cheap fracked shale oil or heavy oil refined in the U.S. Midwest or Gulf Coast states.

As for the claims of $15.6 billion lost annually due to the "discounts" on bitumen exported to the U.S., this has been shown to be bogus as well. In February, the Fraser Institute said that if the price of bitumen stayed the same, this would add up to a loss to the Canadian economy of $15.6 billion a year. Of course, the price did not stay the same, as the low price was due to a backlog of excess bitumen stored in Alberta after the closure and reduced flow through the Keystone pipeline after a spill. The price of blended bitumen heading to the U.S. has since risen more than 50 per cent, yet the Trudeau and Notley governments keep repeating the $15.6 billion loss as dogma.

Regarding a solid return on investment for Canada, the facts do not bear that out either. Kinder Morgan will receive $4.5 billion for its assets associated with the Trans Mountain pipeline. The Trudeau government will assume the necessary investments in TMX, unless it can find a buyer. The TMX price of production is now pegged at $7.4 billion but expected to be significantly higher.

The Kinder Morgan estimated gross income from TMX is $900 million annually once fully operational. This will come from the committed shippers, which represent 80 per cent of capacity. The remaining 20 per cent is required by the National Energy Board to be reserved for spot shippers and could add an additional $200 million a year. The National Energy Board approved an increase in the tolls on both the new and existing lines, more than doubling the cost to ship product from Alberta to BC. The toll plus the price to transport the bitumen on to the final destination is paid out of the final market price for the commodity.

News media report that Kinder Morgan's contracts with confirmed shippers specify that the increase in tolls will remain on the existing Trans Mountain line even if the expansion is never built as a result of "regulatory problems." This means the higher tolls would go to Kinder Morgan from the existing pipeline to cover whatever had been spent on preparing for TMX before its cancellation, if that happened.

The NEB approved a deal where Kinder Morgan was protected from losses if the pipeline was not built. The May 31 deadline to cancel the project unless Kinder Morgan received certainty of the construction going ahead was made with the understanding a cancellation would not greatly hurt Kinder Morgan financially. The federal government intervened not only to pay all of Kinder Morgan's investment to date, but to pay a premium for an old pipeline in need of repair and possible replacement.

Reuters reports that Kinder Morgan also negotiated with 26 lenders led by the Royal Bank of Canada and TD Bank for a clause exempting the firm from paying a 2 per cent penalty on funds drawn from up to $5 billion in construction loans if it halted the project because of political problems.

Kinder Morgan was well aware of the opposition to the TMX from the Indigenous peoples and others in BC, and had already indemnified itself to the hilt, so long as the existing line continued to operate. Pipelines are mostly immune to the wild fluctuations in the price of oil because their gross income comes mainly from fixed tolls. So long as the pipeline has committed shippers with long-term contracts, the only real risk is failure of the pipeline.

This raises a question about what Kinder Morgan knows about the existing line. The Trans Mountain pipeline is over 65 years old. Modern technology allows companies to determine quite precisely the extent of corrosion of a pipeline. Kinder Morgan will be well aware of the remaining life of the existing Trans Mountain line. By comparison, Enbridge is currently replacing Line 3 from Hardisty, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin citing its age as the reason. That line is 50 years old, 15 years younger than the Trans Mountain. Enbridge has been running Line 3 at reduced pressure and half capacity for some time because of its age. Is Trans Mountain ready to be decommissioned while Kinder Morgan walks away with $4.5 billion in government money minus the $1.1 billion it says it has already spent on the TMX?

What will come next in this deal? Certainly the shippers will want to extract concessions from the federal government now that it owns the pipeline. Analysts are suggesting that the next move will be a renegotiation of the toll structure, particularly the increase on tolls for the existing pipeline.

Fraudulent claims and a pay-the-rich scheme rest on the peculiar logic that to reduce carbon emissions more pipelines are needed to lock Canada into exporting raw bitumen instead of building a diversified self-reliant economy that humanizes the natural and social environment.

(With files from Reuters, National Observer, Globe and Mail, CBC. Photo: E. Jackson.)

Spirited Rally Against Federal Government
Buy Out of Trans Mountain Pipeline

Upwards of 2,000 people participated in a spirited rally on the Vancouver waterfront in the late afternoon of May 29. They gathered to express their opposition to the federal government bailout of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline and to reassert their stand that the expansion pipeline must not be built.

The rally was called and organized by regional Indigenous peoples. Speakers included two members of the executive of the BC Union of Indian Chiefs and an activist from the tar sands area of Alberta. Many participants were workers who came directly from their jobs. Numerous signs and banners were held aloft with slogans such as Hell No, Stop Trudeau Pipeline; No Pipeline, No Bailout; Trudeau Liar; Crude Oil Pipeline Will Not Be Built, No Consent, No Pipeline; and Invest In Clean Energy.

The speakers' remarks regarding the bailout were frequently greeted with shouts of "Shame" and one speaker led the shouting of "No Consent, No Pipeline!" over and over. The vast majority of those present joined in a mass repetition of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs' pledge "to do what it takes" to stop construction of the pipeline.

A speaker urged people to tell Justin Trudeau, "This pipeline is not happening." Another stated, "We're the government, not Trudeau." An elected leader of the Squamish Nation bluntly said, "The Squamish people do not want this pipeline." Another told the rally, "We have a sacred duty to protect the coast for the next generation."

Union of BC Indian Chiefs Vice President Bob Chamberlain hailed the large turnout on such short notice stating, "This is what reconciliation looks like." He added that the federal government made a clear decision to disregard Indigenous peoples but the international community is paying attention to what is going on here. In conclusion Chamberlain shouted, "No Buyout!"

After the rally many people, including most speakers, stayed to discuss where the opposition has to go from this point. Pessimism was not evident. The prevailing mood is that the pipeline will not be built because the people are firmly opposed and want Canada to advance in another direction.

Militant Opposition in Quebec to Kinder Morgan
and Trudeau Government Dictate

Several hundred people gathered in downtown Montreal on May 27 to oppose the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. They expressed their staunch support for the struggle being waged in British Columbia to block the U.S. monopoly Kinder Morgan from expanding its Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to its terminal in Burnaby.

Participants included many students and families, along with activists involved in the defence of the environment, such as the Coule pas chez nous (Don't Spill on Our Land) campaign from the Greater Montreal, Montérégie and Lower St-Lawrence areas. The demonstrators saluted the struggle of the Indigenous peoples to decide themselves what takes place on their lands. They also denounced the Kinder Morgan and Trudeau government dictate and the massive injection of funds by the Trudeau government into the project. The main slogan on the environmental front was "Separate Oil and State."

The call to demonstrate was launched by the Common Front for Energy Transition, comprised of citizens, environmental organizations, Indigenous and civil society groups. A number of artists, including director Dominic Champagne, who organized the 2012 Earth Day Action that rallied tens of thousands of persons, also joined forces with them to organize the event.

People from all walks of life, including many youth, gathered in the city's entertainment district to affirm their right to decide and to declare that the fight for the protection of resources and the environment is a struggle that belongs to all inhabitants of Canada and Quebec.

The demonstration's master of ceremonies, actor Emmanuel Bilodeau, opened by addressing himself to Trudeau in both English and French: "We are here to support the citizens of BC in stopping that Kinder 'surprise' ... Listen to me Justin, last election you promised to act as a good father for everyone and for the planet.... Prove it or live with the shame of being a[n even] worse prime minister than Stephen Harper.... Justin Trudeau, in the name of all Canadians and of all our brothers and sisters in British Columbia, stand straight and stand up to the big oil companies or be ready to face our wrath...."

The question of building a diversified and self-reliant economy in opposition to subservience to the most powerful private interests was raised again and again. Dominic Champagne stressed that our epoch dictates that what is reasonable is to listen to the voice of science, not the "oil lobby" as the Trudeau government is doing.

The Indigenous peoples were given pride of place. Six of their representatives were amongst the eleven speakers heard that day, in addition to artistic renderings honouring the defence of Mother Earth. Serge Otsi Simon, Grand Chief of Kanesatake, highlighted amongst other things the hypocrisy of the Trudeau government. Although Trudeau brags about reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples and claims that he seeks their consent, Simon said, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that their consent must be obtained. He does not have that consent.

Jean-Charles Piétacho, Chief of the Ekuanitshit Innu Council related his experience in the struggle of the Indigenous peoples to stop the takeover of the exploitation of resources by private interests, and of police powers, sometimes armed, that protestors confront when they refuse to submit.

Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations for Quebec and Labrador spoke of the many battles waged by Indigenous peoples and their allies over the recent period, who, through the protection of the land, serve the cause of the entire people. "Today," he said, "we say NO to Kinder Morgan!"

Melissa Mollen Dupuis, the founder of the Idle No More movement in Quebec and Vivian Michel, President of Quebec Native Women, also addressed the crowd. They focussed attention on the attacks of the Trudeau government and its claim to be carrying out reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples, which is nothing other than a form of blackmail. "Reconciliation, particularly within the framework of the Kinder Morgan project, rhymes with condition," Melissa said. "On the condition that, if we want social justice for our children and seniors, for our lands, we must accept projects that are unacceptable." She noted that no government in Canada can speak of reconciliation as long as the voices of the Indigenous peoples do not have precedence over everything having to do with their land. She concluded that it is not true what we are being told, that this is not our concern because it has to do with another province. This is about the future of the land from one ocean to the other.

Vivian Michel reiterated that Indigenous women are firmly saying No to Kinder Morgan. She reminded the Trudeau government that its commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples requires that he protect their right to control "developments affecting them and their lands, territories and resources." She also cited part of Section 29 of the Declaration: "States shall take effective measures to ensure that no storage or disposal of hazardous materials shall take place in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent." She added that if Trudeau wants to talk about reconciliation, he should, along with the Indigenous peoples, look at how to put that declaration into practice.

The final speakers were Serge Cadieux, of the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ) and Pierre Patry of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN), as well as Laure Waridel, a well-known environmental activist. They denounced the fact that vast sums of public funds are being handed over to extremely rich private interests by the Trudeau government. They noted that the money should instead be placed in the service of communities and workers. They declared that Trudeau should respect the voice of opposition in British Columbia, the Indigenous peoples and all those who refuse to give their consent to the Kinder Morgan project. They highlighted their solidarity with the citizens of Alberta who must deal with an economy developed in total subordination to the private interests of the oil monopolies.

The attacks by the Trudeau government on the rights of the Indigenous peoples and the criminalization of those who oppose the project were also denounced, as was the Canadian economy's dependence on fossil fuels. Canada's national interest does not lie with that project, they said. They pointed out that the issue is not just about the environment; it is a social struggle belonging to us all.

Halifax Residents Oppose Foreign Warships and Stepped-up U.S. Military Presence in Atlantic Ocean

Halifax residents with the anti-war organization No Harbour for War held an action on May 28 to oppose the visit of the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Toledo. The Los Angeles-class sub was moored at 12 Wing Shearwater.

The visit of the U.S. warship is ostensibly to mark the U.S. Memorial Day holiday, and a ceremony was held on Dead Man's Island to commemorate 195 U.S. prisoners of war who died during the War of 1812.

The USS Toledo is classified as an attack submarine. Besides torpedoes and mines for marine warfare, the Toledo is capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles. Among other missions, it was deployed to the Mediterranean in late 2001 to early 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name of the U.S.-led "war on terror."

Allan Bezanson of No Harbour for War explained to the Chronicle Herald that Halifax should be "a factor for peace in the world, not for war and war preparations." He added that No Harbour for War thinks the visit of the Toledo following the U.S. government's decision to reinstitute its Second Fleet in the Atlantic is not a coincidence and that the organization is preparing for more such visits in the future. "[N]ow, under the present U.S. administration, they're really beating the war drums on the issue [that] Russia is the enemy. [U.S. President Donald Trump] is basically re-instituting the whole Cold War mentality," he said.

Bezanson reiterated that the mandate of No Harbour for War "is not only to oppose warships but all manifestations of imperialist wars of aggression and preparations for that. And to oppose the Canadian government's role in that, and to try to activate Haligonians to take up this issue, that this city should be a factor for peace, not war."

It bears remembering that Halifax has long been coveted by the U.S. military as a strategic harbour to defend U.S. interests, never mind that it is not part of U.S. territory. This is the same logic by which U.S. ruling circles have imposed the Halifax International Security Forum on the city, where all those in the orbit of U.S.-led NATO aggression can converge, with servile assistance from the Canadian state.

A reasonable question that comes to mind is that if the Canadian government wishes to express friendship with the U.S. and commemorate the U.S. war dead from 1812, does it require the presence of such firepower as carried by the Toledo? An attack submarine and other warships by their very name imply the threat of force and are a projection of U.S. military power. Why should Canada receive such guests, who come to Halifax, Montreal, Vancouver or anywhere else festooned with all manner of arms, who claim to be here for friendly purposes? Why should Canada's own navy and military be similarly armed and have as one of its main objectives "interoperability" with the U.S. military?

Visits such as these are presented as innocuous spectacles by the Canadian state, but have long been opposed by Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Like the massive troop movement in Ontario in early May, such activities are part of the militarization of life, to undermine working people's opposition to war and aggression, so that they simply accept the presence of the military during times of peace as ordinary and normal. People are supposed to forget about the interference by these arms and troops in the sovereign affairs of the peoples of the world; they are supposed to accept the use of force to settle conflicts between peoples; and they are supposed to forget that the building of arms to destroy the homes and lives of other working people is an unacceptable and illegitimate way to create jobs and industry.

Canadians should remain vigilant to these attempts to insinuate the military into civilian life and affairs and, like those in No Harbour for War, organize to raise the alarm about such activities. People should discuss with their peers what these activities represent for purposes of steadily staking out all of Canada as a Zone for Peace and to make Canada a factor for peace in the world.

For working people to rise to the occasion and discuss and organize on these important matters of war and peace is especially important at this time. The Canadian government is more and more integrating the country into the U.S. war machine and economy and championing foreign intervention in Venezuela and elsewhere at the behest of the U.S., while the U.S. itself is preparing to unleash untold aggression on the peoples of the world.

CANSEC Weapons Fair Opposed in Ottawa

Residents of Ottawa were in action on May 30 to oppose the annual CANSEC weapons fair. The demonstration began in front of the National Gallery and marched down Sussex Drive to the Canadian Mint then on to the Embassy of Saudi Arabia to highlight Canada's sale of light armoured vehicles to that country. The action concluded at the U.S. Embassy, denouncing weapons sales to the U.S. and Canada's participation in U.S. and NATO-led war and aggression. It was pointed out that the Canadian government now spends more than $20 billion on the military and the Liberal government has announced that it intends to increase this significantly in the next decade.

The first CANSEC weapons trade show was imposed on Ottawa in 1998 and has been actively opposed since then. It is organized by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) which represents 900 Canadian military, police and surveillance companies. The two-day fair receives Canadian government funding.

The weapons fair is attended by thousands of participants from over 60 countries as well as various Canadian government ministries such as Global Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence, Defence Research and Development Canada and Public Works and Government Services Canada. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan delivered the keynote speech at the CANSEC breakfast on May 30.

One of the main sponsors is the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC). The CCC is the lead government agency in the sale of Canadian military hardware and software around the world, including to the U.S., where the vast majority of Canadian military products are sold. About 80 per cent of Canada's annual, multi-billion dollar military exports go to the U.S. where they are assembled into major U.S. weapons systems (such as warplanes) that are then used in U.S. predatory wars or re-exported.

The Canadian government also invests in war production through the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The CPP is now investing $1.3 billion in 36 of the world's top-100 war industries. This includes over $500 million in 30 weapons manufacturers that have subsidiaries exhibiting at CANSEC. The CPP has investments as well of $400 million in 14 companies that are complicit in nuclear weapons production and maintenance, including six top global war industries exhibiting at CANSEC.

(Photos: K. Tarasoff)

Colombia Becomes Official NATO "Global Partner"

Parliamentarians protest NATO interference in Latin America and the Caribbean as Colombian
President Juan Manuel Santos addresses European Parliament,
Strasbourg, France, May 31, 2018.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced on May 25 that his country has formally become a "global partner" of NATO. Colombia joins Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Pakistan, which are also listed as "global partners." The "areas for cooperation" include "improvements to the combat capabilities of the Colombian military, good governance, military education and training, the security of sea lanes, cyber security, and ways to combat terrorism and organized crime."

Cooperation between Colombia and NATO has been ongoing. A 2009 bilateral deal allows the U.S. to maintain military bases on Colombian territory and, in 2016, Colombia signed a military cooperation agreement with NATO. A partnership agreement with NATO was then reached in May 2017 after the Colombian government concluded the peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), now a political party. The Colombian president's statement came on the same day that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that Colombia would be officially invited to join that organization.

The partnership confirms that NATO is now expanding further beyond the North Atlantic into Latin America and the Caribbean. It comes as the U.S. is also re-establishing its Second Fleet which played a crucial role in the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis and the 1983 invasion of Grenada. It makes all the more urgent the implementation of the resolution to make Latin America and the Caribbean a Zone for Peace adopted in January 2014 by all the nations, without exception, of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

The U.S. already has many special operations forces deployed in Colombia under the pretext of fighting drug traffickers. British forces are also deployed in the Malvina islands which Britain refuses to turn over to Argentinian jurisdiction. The western Atlantic Ocean is bordered by the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia and Panama. The report NATO 2020: Assured Security, Dynamic Engagement mentions the possibility of military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Colombia has coasts on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Status in NATO paves the way for the bloc's bases on Colombian soil to be added to the U.S. facilities already in place.

Analysts point out that the target of the partnership between Colombia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance is the 12-member South American Defense Council (SADC) created in 2009 by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). SADC currently defines the continent's defence policy and it does not include the United States, even as an observer, and operates outside its influence. Argentina is to host the 2018 SADC in August and it is evident that the main targets of attack will be Venezuela and Bolivia.

In April, six members of UNASUR, including Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia, suspended their memberships, claiming dissatisfaction with Bolivia's leadership because Bolivia refuses to join U.S. attacks on Venezuela at the Organization of American States.

The six countries that left UNASUR are also members of the "Lima Group," set up in August 2017 by the U.S. and Canada. This group is a mafia-style cartel whose aim is to smash Latin American and Caribbean unity and overthrow the democratically elected governments of Venezuela and Bolivia as they have already achieved in Argentina and Brazil and are engineering in Nicaragua and other countries.

Proclamation of Latin America and
Caribbean as a Zone of Peace

The following proclamation was issued by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) at the Havana Summit in January 2014.

***

The Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) gathered in Havana, Cuba on January 28 and 29, 2014 at the Second Summit, on behalf of their peoples and faithfully interpreting their hopes and aspirations,

Reaffirming the commitment of member countries with the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and International Law, and aware of the fact that prosperity and stability in the region contribute to international peace and security,

Mindful that peace is a supreme asset and a legitimate aspiration of all peoples and that preserving peace is a substantial element of Latin America and Caribbean integration and a principle and common value of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC),

Reaffirming that integration consolidates the vision of a fair International order based on the right to peace and a culture of peace, which excludes the use of force and non-legitimate means of defence, such as weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in particular,

Highlighting the relevance of the Tlatelolco Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean establishing the first nuclear weapon free zone in a densely populated area, this being a contribution to peace and to regional and international security,

Reiterating the urgent need of General and Complete Nuclear Disarmament, as well as the commitment with the Strategic Agenda of the Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL), adopted by the 33 Member States of the Organization in the General Conference held in Buenos Aires in August 2013.

Recalling the principles of peace, democracy, development and freedom underlying the actions of countries members of SICA [Central American Integration System],

Recalling the decision of UNASUR [Union of South American Nations] Heads of State of consolidating South America as a Zone of Peace and Cooperation,

Recalling the establishment, in 1986, of the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic,

Recalling also our commitment, agreed in the Declaration of the Summit of Unity of Latin America and the Caribbean, on February 23, 2010, to promote the implementation of our own mechanisms for peaceful conflict resolution,

Reiterating our commitment to consolidate Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, in which differences between nations are peacefully settled through dialogue and negotiations or other means, fully consistent with International Law,

Cognizant also of the catastrophic global and long-term humanitarian impact of the use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, and the ongoing discussions on this issue,

1. Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace based on respect for the principles and rules of International Law, including the international instruments to which Member States are a party, the Principles and Purposes of the United Nations Charter;

2. Our permanent commitment to solve disputes through peaceful means with the aim of uprooting forever the threat or use of force in our region;

3. The commitment of the States of the region with their strict obligation not to intervene, directly or indirectly, in the internal affairs of any other State and observe the principles of national sovereignty, equal rights and self-determination of peoples;

4. The commitment of the peoples of Latin American and Caribbean to foster cooperation and friendly relations among themselves and with other nations irrespective of differences in their political, economic, and social systems or development levels; to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours;

5. The commitment of the Latin America and the Caribbean States to fully respect the inalienable right of every State to choose its political, economic, social, and cultural system, as an essential condition to ensure peaceful coexistence among nations;

6. The promotion in the region of a culture of peace based, inter alia, on the principles of the United Nations Declaration on a Culture of Peace;

7. The commitment of the States in the region to guide themselves by this Declaration in their International behaviour;

8. The commitment of the States of the region to continue promoting nuclear disarmament as a priority objective and to contribute with general and complete disarmament, to foster the strengthening of confidence among nations;

We urge all Member States of the International Community to fully respect this Declaration in their relations with CELAC Member States.

In witness of the undersigned having duly signed this Proclamation in Havana, on the 29th day of the month of January of 2014, in a copy written in the Spanish, English, French and Portuguese languages.

Cuba's Elections and Foreign Intervention in the
Democratic Order in Latin America and the Caribbean

Ottawa Meeting with New Cuban
Ambassador to Canada

A lively discussion took place on May 25 in Ottawa on "Election Results in Cuba and Attacks on Democracy in Latin America" with keynote speaker Josefina Vidal, Cuban Ambassador to Canada. Organized by ALBA Social Movements Canada - Ottawa Chapter and co-sponsored by Ottawa Cuba Connections and L'Association d'amitié Outaouais - Cuba, the meeting began with a minute of silence to honour the victims of the tragic airline accident on May 18 near José Martí International Airport in Havana. A representative of the ALBA Social Movements - Ottawa expressed condolences to Ambassador Vidal on behalf of all those present for the lives lost.

Ambassador Vidal began by discussing the recently concluded election for the National Assembly of People's Power in Cuba, and the Assembly's subsequent election of the leadership of the country -- its President, Vice-Presidents and 31-member Council of State. A central feature of Cuba's democratic process is that it enables the people to participate in nominating and electing candidates from among their ranks, making the elections which proceed from the municipal to the provincial and national levels very representative of Cuban society, she said. The Communist Party of Cuba does not nominate any candidates and one is not required to be a party member to be a candidate, she noted.

Half of the National Assembly is made up of deputies representing constituencies across the country and the other half are from collectives like trade unions, youth and student organizations, women's organizations, religious organizations, etc. In this year's election Cuba has further advanced in the representation of its population in government. Women now make up more than 50 per cent of the deputies. More than 40 per cent of the deputies are black and the average age now stands at 49 years. Also notable is that 56 per cent of the deputies were elected to office for the first time.

The Ambassador pointed out that some are speculating that drastic changes may now take place in Cuban society. She said there was no basis for this because the new government will continue on the path of the revolution and continue to implement the important decisions taken in 2011 and in 2015. Cuba's internationalism will also continue on its revolutionary path and Cuba will continue to be a force for peace and stability in the world, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, said Ambassador Vidal.

Attacks on Democracy in Latin America

Turning to the second theme of the evening, the Ambassador acknowledged that the region is under siege by reactionary forces assisted by the U.S. which has revived its interventionist Monroe Doctrine to assert its hegemony. These forces are using every means at their disposal to provoke instability and bring about regime change where there are progressive governments.

The U.S. has never accepted coexistence, only subservience to its dictate, and uses every means to achieve its goal of dominating the region, she pointed out. While in the past military coups were the preferred method for overthrowing governments, today it is parliamentary and judicial coups along with fabrications and fraudulent accusations that are used to remove those the U.S. does not approve of from the political arena. This is what is being done to former President Lula Da Silva of Brazil.

The Ambassador recounted Cuba's experience at this year's Summit of the Americas held in Lima, Peru, particularly the fact that Venezuela was barred from attending on the basis that the U.S. has declared it to no longer be a democratic country. Similar activity in the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has been directed at Bolivia, it was noted. Ambassador Vidal said that one aspect of the counter-offensive against progressive governments has been to undermine the processes of integration and cooperation established in the region such as through the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). In this regard, she highlighted the role of Bolivia and various Caribbean nations at the U.S.-based Organization of American States (OAS) to ensure that a common front against Venezuela cannot be established in that body.

While Cuba will never go back to the OAS, it has recently participated in the Summit of the Americas, organized by the OAS every three years. Cuba was formally invited to the 2015 Summit and was again invited to this year's event by host nation Peru. The friendly atmosphere in 2015 was a stark contrast with 2018, she said, because of what has happened in the region and changes in various governments in the past three years. Cuba agreed to attend this year to defend its principles and ideas. Moreover, she said, Cuba decided it had to be in Lima to defend Venezuela, to defend itself against actions planned for the Summit being organized from within the U.S., and to defend the region in general.

In fact the active participation at the Lima Summit and parallel events by the Cuban delegation made up of state officials as well as a large civil society contingent, many of them youth and students, played a big role in ensuring that every attempt of the U.S. and its lackeys in the OAS to use the Summit to attack Venezuela and Cuba was met with energetic resistance, delivering a blow to the self-serving agenda of the U.S. and its servile Lima Group.

Cuban youth send a message to U.S-funded anti-Cuba "democracy group" invited to be part of a Summit of the Americas civil society forum: "Don't mess with Cuba." (R. Suarez)

The Ambassador elaborated what it means to Cuba to defend the region, pointing out that in 2014 at the CELAC meeting in Havana, all countries of the region adopted a document declaring Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace. It affirms that every country of the region has the right to have the economic, political and cultural system of its choosing. It says that everyone must act on the basis of cooperation and good-neighbourliness, and that no country has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of any other. This agreement has to be the basis of relations between countries in the region and it must be defended, she affirmed.

U.S. attempts to mobilize countries to delegitimize Venezuela's election results were a sign of desperation, the Ambassador said, because the U.S. and reactionaries in Venezuela continue to be defeated in all their attempts to undermine the Bolivarian government of Venezuela. Cuba has had the same experience of never being left alone by the U.S., but Cuba nonetheless has been able to prevail. Even during the process of normalization of relations that began in 2014, Cuba was fully aware that the counterrevolutionary aim of the U.S. remained, that it had only changed tactics, but Cuba was able to handle the new situation. Since then, things have gone backwards.

A question and answer session followed which dealt extensively with Canada-Cuba relations and also the changes to Cuba-U.S. relations under President Donald Trump. Amongst other things, Ambassador Vidal explained that a feature of Canada's relations with Cuba is that they have been remarkably consistent and stable, going back to the time of the Diefenbaker Conservative government which would not submit to U.S. pressure to isolate Cuba during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. She went on to relate the numerous intergovernmental visits between the two countries to develop work and cooperation on various fronts that are all proceeding normally.

Venezuelan People Defy Imperialist Threats and Blackmail, Re-elect Nicolás Maduro as President

On May 20, Venezuelans re-elected Nicolás Maduro as president in an election held under huge pressure from the U.S. and Canada that it should not take place. When their threats of dire consequences, including the intensification of their blockade of Venezuela, did not lead to the election being cancelled they declared the election "illegitimate" and said they would not recognize its results. In sync with this imperial decision, a faction of the Venezuelan opposition that take their direction from Washington refused to participate in the election and called for people to abstain from voting.

While the pressure and blackmail no doubt had an effect, it was resisted by 46 per cent of the electorate who exercised their right to vote. This resulted in Nicolás Maduro being re-elected by a large majority with greater support from the electorate (31%) than either U.S. President Donald Trump or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could claim in the elections that put them in office (27% in both cases). The same goes for most of the U.S.'s closest allies in the region and those hollering the loudest against Venezuela's democracy -- the neo-liberal Santos of Colombia, Peña Nieto of Mexico, Macri of Argentina and Piñera of Chile.

Election Results

Of the over 9 million valid votes cast, 67.8 per cent went to Maduro who was the candidate for the Broad Front for the Homeland (Frente Amplio de la Patria) consisting of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, We are Venezuela (Somos Venezuela), the Communist Party of Venezuela, Homeland for All (Patria Para Todos) and six other parties.

Henri Falcón of the Progressive Advance Alliance (Avanzada Progresista) came second with 20.9 per cent of the vote. He was followed by Javier Bertucci of Hope for Change (Esperanza para el Cambio) with 10.8 per cent, and Reynaldo Quijada of Popular Political Unity 89 (Unidad Política Popular 89) with 0.4 per cent.

International observers from several countries, among them a delegation from Canada, reported favourably on the running of the election. A mission from the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America (CEELA) declared the election to have been cleanly run and said they had observed nothing that could disqualify it and that the results should be recognized as reflecting the will of the Venezuelan people.

International observer mission led by the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America presents their report declaring the elections to have been cleanly run.

Canada's Response

Canada on its own and as part of the "Lima Group" declared the election illegitimate and said it would not recognize the results -- a position it took the day the election was called. Using its role as Chair of the G7 this year, Canada made sure that body did the same, having already made known it was putting Venezuela on the agenda for the upcoming G7 summit in Quebec.

In a statement on May 21, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland falsely accused the Venezuelan government of "restricting Venezuelans' rights and liberty" and "preventing the free participation of opposition parties." Exposing the hypocrisy of the Canadian government on a matter that goes to the heart of its own credibility crisis and the crisis of Canadian democracy, Freeland denounced the Bolivarian government for not allowing its people to have a voice in their own governance.

The Trudeau government's bailout of the TMX pipeline this week and its dictate that the pipeline will be built, now as a Crown project, despite the vehement opposition of Indigenous peoples and many Canadians, shows what it means when it says it is giving the people a voice. By the people is meant the monopolies who are given the right to do as they please. Meanwhile those who say No! are called extremists, fringe elements and threats to national security and singled out for attack in the same way Canada is going after Venezuela.

What's more, Freeland's lament that the people of Venezuela have allegedly been denied a voice came the day after her government denied over 5,000 registered Venezuelan electors resident in Canada their democratic right to vote in the presidential election by prohibiting Venezuela's embassy and consulates from setting up polling stations inside their premises. The reason given for this gross interference was that Canada had decided the election was "illegitimate"!

Canada has initiated other punitive actions against Venezuela as well. The day after the election it announced it was downgrading its diplomatic relations and limiting its interactions with Venezuela to interfering in its affairs, which it called "advancing key Canadian objectives in this country, such as promoting democracy and respect for human rights."

Other measures include:
- the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela is to be headed by a chargé d'affaires rather than an ambassador;
- a ban on Canada's support for Venezuelan candidacies to multilateral and international organizations is to be maintained;
- formal bilateral military cooperation is banned;
- no Canadian government officials are to attend international or bilateral meetings and events hosted by or in Venezuela; and
- the issuance of invitations to senior Venezuelan government and military officials to attend events in or hosted by Canada is to be restricted, except where directly relevant to Canadian policy priorities.

More recently the government applied sanctions against fourteen more Venezuelans -- many of them elected representatives -- and Canadians are prohibited from having any financial dealings with or providing services for them. Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced this move as reflecting "the humiliating subordination of [the Canadian government's] foreign policy to the racist and supremacist administration of Donald Trump."

U.S. Response

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, representing the Trump administration, called the election fraudulent and "an attack on constitutional order and an affront to Venezuela's tradition of democracy." He threatened Venezuela with "isolation from the international community" if it does not give up its own independent path for what is understood to mean U.S.-style democracy.

Pompeo signalled a tightening of the U.S. economic and financial blockade that Trump ordered a few hours later, and its plan to try once more to kick Venezuela out of the Organization of American States at its 48th General Assembly June 4 to 5 in Washington, despite Venezuela already leaving of its own accord. Pompeo threatened "swift economic and diplomatic actions" to "restore democracy" in Venezuela.

All the U.S. and Canada have proved once again is that they are enemies of people's power and will go to any lengths to protect the property rights and privileges that the oligarchs in Venezuela and elsewhere claim for themselves at the people's expense.

The U.S. did the same to Cuba in 1960 when it launched the embargo that turned into a full-blown economic, financial and commercial blockade because it sought to destroy Cuba rather than recognize the right of the Cuban people to live a life of dignity and as sovereign masters of their destiny rather than slaves of a corrupt empire. Under all conditions and circumstances Cuba stands up for its rights and no matter how much the imperialists repeat their high-sounding ideals, that by attacking Cuba they are defending the human rights of Cubans, it is clear to the entire world, and especially to the Cuban people, that it is they who are the targets and suffer the effects of this perverse form of warfare. And where has it got the U.S. after 63 years? Former U.S. President Obama answered that question himself when he announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 2014.

Government of Canada Prohibits Entry of
Venezuelan National Armed Forces' Volleyball Team

The government of Canada has prevented the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's National Armed Forces (FANB) volleyball team from entering the country, Venezuela's Chancellor Jorge Arreaza said on Friday, May 25.

"In less than a week, the government of Canada has denied the right to vote to Venezuelans residing on its territory and now, prevents the FANB volleyball team from participating (in the World Military Volleyball Championships). These are uncivilized, obsessive and hostile attitudes, consequences of subordination to the empire," said the diplomat on his Twitter account.

Venezuela's Minister of People's Power for Defense Vladimir Padrino López tweeted: "We condemn the unfriendly action of the government of Canada which prevents the FANB team from participating in the World Military Volleyball Championship. This violates UNESCO's International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport."

All Out to Oppose the G7! No to the Neo-Liberal Anti-Social Offensive, Retrogression and War!

Notes

No Consent! No Bailout! No Pipeline! Stop Paying the Rich!

No Consent, No Pipeline!

Fraudulent Claims of Benefits from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project

Spirited Rally Against Federal Government Buy Out of Trans Mountain Pipeline

Militant Opposition in Quebec to Kinder Morgan and Trudeau Government Dictate