A new book on Canada’s role in the destruction of Libya should embarrass the NDP and prompt members to ask tough questions of leadership candidates. Would Avi Lewis, Rob Ashton or Heather McPherson have promoted the destruction of the North African nation?
Targeting Libya: Canadian Dams, Canadian Bombs is the definitive account of Canada’s significant role in NATO’s destruction of Libya. In it, Owen Schalk exposes a flagrant imperial aggression, which 100 NDP MPs endorsed. In 2011 the party supported two House of Commons votes endorsing the bombing of Libya, which was overseen by a Canadian general.
“It’s appropriate for Canada to be a part of this effort to try to stop [Muammar] Gadhafi from attacking his citizens as he has been threatening to do,’’ said then leader Jack Layton. “It’s “important that we get [this mission] right.”
But the NATO bombing campaign was justified based on exaggerations and outright lies about Gaddafi’s human rights violations. Canadian military intelligence warned it would likely bolster jihadist forces and the war was strongly opposed by the African Union. Additionally, Canada/NATO explicitly contravened the UN resolutions sanctioning a no-fly zone by dispatching troops and expanding the bombing far beyond protecting civilians. Canada also defied UN resolutions 1970 and 1973 by selling drones to the rebels.
After Gaddafi was savagely killed, NDP interim leader Nycole Turmel released a statement noting: “The future of Libya now belongs to all Libyans. The announcement of the death of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi may mean the end of a long oppressive regime and decades of brutal fighting for democracy… Our troops have done a wonderful job in Libya over the past few months. I want to salute the efforts and courage of our troops. … New Democrats are proud to have supported Libyans in their quest for democracy and will continue to work with the Libyan people to establish a democratic society.”
Fourteen years later Libya is still divided into various warring factions and hundreds of militias operate in the country of seven million. Nearly 20% of the country remains internally displaced and its living standard has collapsed. As Schalk noted in a recent article, “before NATO’s 2011 war, Libya was an upper-middle-income country, meaning its standard of living was comparable to Southern Europe, China, and many Latin American countries. It was debt-free and politically sovereign. Since 2011, the more apt comparison would be Somalia or Sudan. One struggles to envisage a solution to the spiral of poverty and instability that has consumed Libya since NATO’s attack.”
Not only did they promote the war, the NDP brass suppressed party members’ efforts to discuss it. “To forestall debate on Libya, Gaza and NATO,” wrote NDP Socialist Caucus leader Barry Weisleder about the party’s convention three months into the violence, “the foreign policy panel moved up two resolutions on military and RCMP veterans’ affairs, plus ‘motherhood’ motions on accessible medicines and conflict minerals. To the dismay of many, party icon Stephen Lewis gave a rhapsodic introduction to the foreign policy selections, during which he bestowed his blessing on the murderous NATO bombing of Libya, purportedly as an antidote to alleged mass rapes attributed to forces of the Ghadaffi regime.” (Amnesty and Human Rights Watch couldn’t find evidence of the alleged mass rape. Amnesty senior crisis response adviser Donatella Rovera, who was in Libya for three months after the start of the uprising, said: “Wehave not found any evidence or a single victim of rape or a doctor who knew about somebody being raped.”)
I immediately criticized Stephen Harper’s war drive and can say with confidence that if I’d been leader of the NDP I would have whipped the caucus to vote against destroying Libya. How about the other main NDP leadership candidates?
While she’s taken better positions on Gaza due to activist pressure, Heather McPherson has generally backed the US empire during her three years as the party’s foreign affairs critic. For his part, Rob Ashton seems uninterested in international affairs, as demonstrated by his response to a question about Gaza. Avi Lewis could be more willing to buck the NDP’s imperialist history, but he’s repeatedly praised his liberal imperialist father and former party leader Jack Layton. He’s also been silent on Donald Trump’s recent bombing of Venezuela and has largely ignored Mark Carney’s radical militarist turn.
A discussion of the NDP’s contribution to the destruction of Libya should part of the leadership race. Internationalist and anti-racist minded members should ask candidates their opinion about the destruction of Libya.
To assist, donate or learn more about my bid to lead the NDP check out yvesforndpleader.ca
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