Canadian Author and Activist
An honest Remembrance Day came a day late this year, but at least it happened. A day that marks an armistice agreement and remembers the horrors of war ought to be an ideal moment to call for a ceasefire in a brutal military campaign. Unfortunately, most official Remembrance Day actions serve as celebrations of martial... Continue Reading →
If you believe the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Conservatives, the Chinese own a backbench Liberal MP, which has been front page news recently. But no one mentions Washington’s possession of our military. According to a leak reportedly from CSIS, the Chinese consulate in Toronto assisted Han Dong win the Liberal party nomination for... Continue Reading →
Over the past year Ottawa has given Ukraine over $2 billion in weapons. The size of the arms donation is unprecedented in Canadian history. According to a February 17 Le Devoir calculation, Canada has delivered $2.26 billion in weapons to Ukraine. The paper costed 17 different announcements, which include 4 heavy tanks, 4,200 single-use rocket... Continue Reading →
Militarists, warmongers and arms dealers are riding a wave of momentum and they’re organizing to profit as much as possible. Yesterday the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) hosted a conference titled “Putting Canadian Defence Procurement on a War Footing”. The military put up $50,000 for the conference and likely spent tens of thousands of dollars... Continue Reading →
I recently participated in a debate with Walter Dorn and others on Canadian peacekeeping. It was illuminating. After Black Alliance for Peace Haiti coordinator Jemima Pierre detailed the horrors of the international body’s mission in Haiti, Dorn was asked if he agreed with the UN mission in that country. The Rideau Institute fellow answered with... Continue Reading →
Ottawa is hellbent on supporting the US empire’s drive for global domination even if it increases the odds of war and undermines the cooperation required to overcome the climate crisis. Canada’s defence minister is boasting about the navy’s continued support for Washington’s bid to stoke tensions with China 8,000 kilometers from this country’s shores. On... Continue Reading →
Canada said their war in Libya was to defend human rights and enable democracy. But, NATO’s 2011 assault has unleashed a decade of instability and violence as well as deteriorating social and economic indicators. And they still haven’t held presidential elections. Since the start of the month there has been an uprising against living conditions... Continue Reading →
Irving Shipbuilding is currently seeking a $300 million government subsidy to upgrade its shipyard in order to build warships the company has already won a contract to build. One would have thought to win a huge contract to build ships, a company would need a shipyard capable of building them without needing further subsidy but... Continue Reading →
US military training has long been controversial. After years of protest over its training of brutal military leaders in the hemisphere, the US military’s School of the Americas in Georgia changed its name. Among the peace and anti-imperialist minded, it’s widely understood that military training is an important part of US global power projection. But... Continue Reading →
Last weekend I joined Green Party of Québec leader Alex Tyrrell on the 5th stop of his tour of Quebec war factories. We traveled to Pratt & Whitney Canada’s (PWC) large facility in Longueuil in a bid to raise awareness of the Greens’ campaign to shutter the arms industry. PWC has provided engines for US,... Continue Reading →
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a flood of calls to increase military spending. In effect, the militarists who helped precipitate the conflict are now using Moscow’s violence to demand more military spending. Recently, I debated Hugh Segal on whether ‘Canada should increase military spending and strengthen our defence in the face of Russia's aggression’.... Continue Reading →
Reports that members of Canada’s elite special forces are supporting the right-wing anti-vaccine mandate protests inOttawa are troubling. The federal government has invested heavily in training these individuals and they likely have experience in violent situations. On Sunday leading military reporter David Pugliese revealed that two Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) are under investigation for... Continue Reading →
Leftists should categorically reject the idea of deploying the military to disperse right-wing anti-vaccine mandate protesters. Talk of using the Canadian Forces (CF) to dislodge the truck convoy in Ottawa is dangerous and will inevitably come back to harm unions, First Nations and social movements. In a recent Globe and Mail column headlined “How Canadian... Continue Reading →
The Liberals plan to purchase 88 fighter jets lacks transparency. Even worse, new warplanes will empower a secretive branch of an institution not known for its democratic ethos. Canada’s second largest ever government procurement is set to be made without the public knowing the likely climate impacts or lifecycle cost of the jets. Additionally, the... Continue Reading →
“It’s never enough” said former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien about military spending. “They always want more.” Canada shouldn’t spend huge sums on 88 new fighter jets incapable of protecting the population against pressing security threats. The warplanes will simply strengthen Canada’s powerful, offensive air force. Amidst a pandemic and climate crisis the security... Continue Reading →
The military and arms industry sustain many ideological institutions, which goes a long way in explaining the strength of militarist ideology. Last week the Globe and Mail published “Canada must do its part to defend the Arctic. That requires F-35 purchases and NORAD modernization”. The commentary was written by Robert Huebert, a long-time associate and... Continue Reading →
Canadian admirals and generals often act as if this country’s armed forces are an appendage of the US military, but it’s a mistake to simply label them US lackeys. As I detailed recently, the Canadian Forces (CF) have assisted their US counterparts through naval missions, special forces deployments, peacekeeping missions, chemical weapons testing, wars and... Continue Reading →
Who are they “standing on guard” for, really? The Canadian military has deep ties to their US counterparts. From naval patrols to special forces deployments, research initiatives to wars, the Canadian Forces (CF) function largely as an appendage of their southern neighbour’s enormous killing machine. Recently HMCS Winnipeg joined with a US destroyer to... Continue Reading →
A startling about-face on fighter jets highlights the Liberals deference to Lockheed Martin’s influence. After aggressively criticizing the Harper government’s plan to buy 65 F-35s Trudeau’s Liberals have paved the way to buy 88 of the controversial stealth weapons of mass destruction. During the 2015 election campaign Justin Trudeau slagged the Conservatives as “unhealthily attached... Continue Reading →
The Trudeau government’s plan to buy 88 new fighter jets and 15 combat vessels will do little to protect Canadians from this country’s most serious threats. And some people are angry enough to take the streets to send this message to Ottawa. Two dozen rallies were held across the country last week to oppose a... Continue Reading →
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