Cracks appear in Carney’s extreme support for Trump’s war

The Liberals are backing away from their extreme support for US/Israeli aggression on Iran, but they must be pressed to go far further and end their bid to isolate that country.

After a series of statements over the weekend strongly endorsing the aggression, foreign affairs minister Anita Anand toned down her belligerence on Monday. She stated, “Canada believes in a diplomatic and peaceful solution, and as soon as possible, we would like parties to get to the table.”

The slight change in tone is due to domestic backlash and the scope of US/Israeli violence and Iran’s counterattack. The two rogue states have launched several thousand airstrikes on Iran. At least 550 Iranians have been killed with the real number likely higher. Iran has counterattacked hard, targeting Israel, US assets and regional US allies. The violence could well spiral out of control.

It’s already driven up energy prices and will likely lead to a massive displacement. It’s not impossible for the conflict to draw in gulf states or even turn into WWIII with Russia and China entering the fray. For his part, Donald Trump’s bellicose rhetoric about destroying Iranian sites doesn’t help the Liberals sell the war.

In toning down her initial belligerence Anand is seeking to head off a budding controversy over Canadian participation in the aggression. On Sunday CBC reported “Canadian military members likely involved in planning U.S. strikes on Iran, retired general says” while La Presse reported that soldiers at a Canadian base in Kuwait were spared from the Iranian attack that killed three soldiers at an adjacent US facility. It’s hard to believe the Canadian base in Kuwait has not assisted US operations. Canada’s armed forces are also assisting the aggression through NORAD. The more the media looks at Canada’s military contribution the greater the disgust will be.

Carney and Anand’s initial statements were so aggressive they elicited substantial pushback from Liberal party luminaries. Former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy published a widely circulated commentary in the Toronto Star headlined “Canada once rejected America’s aggressive, unlawful foreign policy. Today Mark Carney embraced it.” Other outlets reported Axworthy’s column and the Hill Times published “Canada ‘abandoning’ international law with support for U.S. strikes on Iran, say former diplomats”.

On Saturday the NDP and its main leadership candidates criticized Carney’s position. So did the Green Party and in 48 hours over 5000 wrote the PM condemning his support for the attacks. On social media Carney was widely criticized for the contradiction between his statement at Davos and his toadying to Trump’s bizarre justification for breaking international law by going to war against Iran. He was also mocked for his “elbows up” rhetoric and actual subservience to Trump.

As the pushback grew some in the Liberal caucus expressed misgivings at the party’s position. In the Toronto Star Liberal MP Will Greaves criticized Carney’s belligerence saying he “cannot endorse the unilateral and illegal use of military force.”

We must drastically increase the pressure on the government to force Carney to unequivocally denounce the US/Israeli crimes. Still, shifting the rhetoric away from overt support for Israeli/US war crimes is but a small step. At minimum Canada must immediately withdraw all troops stationed at US bases in the region and make it clear that Canadian forces stationed at the small base in Kuwait won’t assist the aggression. Additionally, Canadians in NORAD and other US commands must be directed to desist from any assistance to the US war efforts.

Beyond these modest measures here are seven points (initially written during the June Israeli/US attack on Iran) to re-found bilateral relations:

1. Restart diplomatic relations with Tehran. Before winning office, the Liberals promised to reverse Stephen Harper’s policy but when Trudeau’s initial foreign minister, Stephane Dion, sought to renew relations, his plan was scuttled by the Israel lobby working through its allies in the Liberal caucus (Anthony Housefather and Michael Levitt).
2. Remove Iran from Canada’s state sponsors of terror list, which Harper created in 2012 to hamstring future governments’ efforts to restart relations. If the US and Israel aren’t on the terror list, why is Iran?
3. Remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from Canada’s terrorist list. This eighteen-month-old decision was a direct sop to Israel and should never have been made. If the Israeli military isn’t listed, why is part of Iran’s?
4. Repeal a host of sanctions imposed on Iranian individuals and entities.
5. Return Iranian assets that have been seized or commandeered in violation of international norms.
6. Stop politicizing the flight PS752 tragedy. The Iranians erred gravely in shooting down the flight from Tehran to Kyiv with many Canadians aboard, but it was the US assassination of general Qasem Soleimani that spurred the tragedy.
7. Apologize for contributing to the overthrow of Iran’s nascent democracy and initiate a full accounting of Ottawa’s role in the 1953 coup against Prime Minster Mohammad Mossadegh.

US and Israeli aggression are by far greater problems for the world, international law and Iranian people than the government in Tehran. Informed Canadians understand this.

 

Please email the defence minister and opposition critics to call for the withdrawal of all Canadian soldiers assisting the US/Israeli aggression on Iran.

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