In the News May 26
Do Not Let Warmongers Speak in Our Name!
Oppose CANSEC Weapons Fair and All It Represents!
Canada’s Global Defence and Security Trade Show (CANSEC), organized by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) is the biggest weapons fair held annually in all of North America. It is being held this year on June 1 in Ottawa in an already warmongering atmosphere verging on full-blown war hysteria. The principled foreign policy espoused by Canadians has always opposed the use of force to settle conflicts between countries. Such a foreign policy is not being followed by the Canadian government whose membership in the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) means that billions are being spent on weapons and the only option considered to end the war in Ukraine is the military defeat of Russia.
The U.S. and NATO have taken using diplomacy and reaching a negotiated peace settlement off the table. Within this context, the holding of CANSEC is an even more blatant “in your face” expression than ever of how the U.S. merchants of death and the subservient Canadian government go about their business of catering to the war profiteers. No matter the consequences to the peoples at home and abroad, it is a statement which implies that preparing for war, increasing military spending, and spreading hatred, jingoism and revanchism trumps nation-building in a manner which guarantees peace, freedom and democracy to favour the interests of the peoples of the world.
The promo to exhibit at CANSEC reads: “Showcase your tech to DND, CAF, CSE, CSIS, PSPC, SSC, RCMP, CBSA, GAC, ISED and more.[1] Secure your turnkey kiosk in the CANSEC Labs for only $6,500. One-Stop Shop. Cutting-Edge Technologies. 300 Exhibitors.”
The people have come out of the pandemic realizing more than ever that there is an urgent need to modernize and humanize the social and natural environment and secure peace all over the world. They are calling for investments into the health care system which will ensure a public system which meets the needs of the people and the health care professionals and staff including ending the privatization in the form of profit-driven long-term care homes and seniors’ residences. What does the ruling elite propose? Fund the war industry! Modernize Canada’s “security” and intelligence agencies whose specialty has become cyberwarfare, so that they are on par with the “Five Eyes” of the big powers.
Those who prioritize such “modernizations” are more often than not the military officers and former members of various Senate and parliamentary committees who join the Board of Directors of the very merchants of death who are part of CANSEC and their “lobbying” or “consulting” groups. For example, for CADSI alone, the chairman of the board, Kevin Ford, and board member Peter Devlin both served in the Canadian Armed Forces, as did CADSI’s President/CEO Christyn Cianfarani. Vice President of Policy, Communications and Government Relations, Nicolas Todd was a senior political staffer at the federal and provincial levels. Board member B. Christopher A. Brown currently holds the rank of Colonel and has been an active member of the Canadian Army Reserve for 35 years.
To give another example, John Manley, Chair of the Board of CAE (formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics), served as Minister of Industry, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister with special responsibility for security in response to 9/11, and Minister of Finance under Jean Chrétien. The CAE website states, “CAE’s Defence & Security business unit focuses on helping prepare its customers to develop and maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. CAE is a world-class training systems integrator offering a comprehensive portfolio of training centres, training services and simulation products across the air, land, naval and public safety market segments.”
A number of people in Quebec and Ontario are still suffering the consequences of a harrowing storm which caused extensive damage, loss of life and left many without electricity. The damage to hydro poles was so extensive that, in some cases, power has yet to be restored, forcing hardship for many and even the closure of some schools.
The experience of the Canadian, Quebec and Indigenous peoples is that the security which the government of Canada defends is that of narrow private interests, not the security of the people. It is done at the expense of the human and natural environments. Besides participating in U.S.-led war preparations in Europe and abroad, at home also, in the name of securing what are called “national interests,” these narrow private interests mandate governments to target land and water defenders, people preoccupied by climate change, workers who stand up every day precisely to limit the power of these same private interests, as “extremists.” Talk about “defence and security” fools nobody.
It is important that people speak out in their own name on these matters, and not let this warmongering overwhelm the discussion as to what we think is needed in terms of making Canada and Quebec Zones for Peace, such as demilitarizing the economy, dismantling NATO and NORAD and establishing anti-war governments. The U.S. and Canadian war governments have reduced Canada to what they call a “strategic geographic location” which must serve the U.S. war economy and machine. Say No! Not In Our Name!
Join in Opposing CANSEC!
Join the Demonstration!:
Ottawa
Wednesday, June 1, 2022 — 7:00 am
EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Drive, by the airport
Note
1. Department of National Defence (DND), Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Shared Services Canada (SSC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
TML Daily, posted May 26, 2022.
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