In the News June 3

Make Canada a Zone for Peace!

Ottawa Action Opposes CANSEC Weapons Trade Show

A very successful expression of unity in action against the CANSEC arms trade show took place in Ottawa on Wednesday June 1. People began setting up their banners at 7:00 am, preparing to “greet,” amongst others, the Canadian Minister of Defence, Anita Anand, who gave her keynote address to the top weapons manufacturers at 8:30 am.

The youth were definitely well represented at the action, as were people of older generations who have long been active in opposing such trade shows and against U.S. imperialist wars of aggression, such as the Raging Grannies. There was a strong contingent of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). Pierre Soublière spoke on behalf of the Party. Before speaking, he said that Louis Lang, a dear comrade and friend, had always been with us in these actions, and he pronounced his name, to which those present responded: Presente!

The text of the presentation, delivered partly in French, partly in English, follows:

CANSEC is being held this year in a warmongering atmosphere verging on full-blown war hysteria. Canadians and Quebeckers have 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.

With the pandemic and all, people are 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 in 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.

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 takes place 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 concerned about 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 no one.

Today, we are speaking out in our own name as we refuse to allow this warmongering to 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. To this, we say No! Not In Our Name!

TML Daily, posted June 3, 2022