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Stop the War, Stop NATO

Stop the Weapons, Stop the War, Stop NATO
Days of Action June 24-30, 2022

We urge people across Canada to join us to protest the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and demand an end to the war in Ukraine between June 24 to June 30. We will be holding “Stop the Weapons, Stop the War, Stop NATO” rallies across Canada to coincide with NATO’s Summit in Madrid, Spain.

We will be standing in solidarity with the European activists who are organizing a major demonstration against NATO outside the summit and dock workers who are blocking weapons shipments to Ukraine.

We are opposed to NATO because it is an aggressive, US-led, military alliance of 30 Euro-Atlantic countries that has launched deadly and destructive interventions in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Libya. These NATO wars have caused profound misery and a massive refugee crisis.

For years, NATO has been provoking conflict with Russia and China. NATO’s expansion to Russia’s border and its training and arming of Ukrainian security forces have instigated the devastating war in Ukraine. We call for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations with all parties for a democratic peace and neutrality in Ukraine.

We are opposed to NATO’s demand that allies increase military spending to meet the 2% GDP target. At $1.1 trillion, NATO accounts for 60% of global military spending. Since 2014, Canadian military spending has increased by 70%. Last year, Canada spent $33 billion on the military, which is 15 times more than on environment and climate change. Defence Minister Anand announced it will increase by another 70% over the next 5 years.

NATO’s demand that allies buy new interoperable weapons is leading to a costly arms race. Carbon-intensive weapons systems like fighter jets, tanks and warships are exacerbating the climate crisis.

This military spending prevents Canada from investing adequately in public health care, education, housing and climate action.

NATO’s reliance on a dangerous nuclear deterrence and first strike policy puts us all at risk and is the reason that Canada is refusing to join the United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

NATO’s provocative war exercises and extension into the Asia Pacific are raising tensions with China and destabilizing the region. 

The NATO military alliance is undermining global peace and human security. It is time to for Canada to withdraw from NATO and develop an independent foreign policy. Canada must end arms exports and economic sanctions. Canada needs to show leadership for diplomacy and disarmament.

We need international cooperation, nonviolence and common security for all countries. It begins with ending the sanctions, peace in Ukraine and peace with Russia and China.

Stop the weapons. Stop the war. Stop NATO.

Join a Stop the War, Stop NATO Action Near You

Are we missing an event? Can we help you organize one near you? Get in touch with us at canadapeaceandjustice@gmail.com

Send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Ministers Joly and Anand

Write to Prime Minister Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Joly, and Defense Minister Anand to express your opposition to Canada’s actions that are serving to prolong the tragic war in Ukraine and to Canada’s membership in NATO.

The NATO military alliance is undermining global peace and human security. It is time to for Canada to withdraw from NATO and develop an independent foreign policy while showing leadership for diplomacy and disarmament.

Once you click START WRITING you will have the opportunity to edit the letter that is sent on your behalf. 

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Join the webinar – June 30, 7:30PM

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is seeking a massive expansion. Yesterday it announced a plan to bolster its “high readiness” force from 40,000 troops to 300,000.

Canada is increasingly bound to NATO. The New York Times reported that Canadian special forces are part of a NATO mission in Ukraine.

Join Djibo Sobukwe, Janine Solanki, Danny Haiphong and Tamara Lorincz for a discussion on resisting global NATO.

Find out about NATO’s role across the globe from North America and Europe to Africa to China and its relationship to wars, colonial violence and structural white supremacy.

Speakers will also share information about protests happening across Canada.

Register here.

Join the 24 Hour Peace Wave: No to Militarization – Yes to Cooperation

peacewave

June 25-26 2022  —  24peacewave.org

We’re a global movement and a global community with brilliant voices at every longitude and latitude of the Earth. Let’s show it!

 

The G7 will be meeting near Munich June 26-28. NATO will be meeting in Madrid on June 28-30.

 

Our goal is to speak up for peace and cooperation, the scaling back and dismantling of military alliances, the disarmament of governments, and the democratization and strengthening of international institutions of nonviolent cooperation and the rule of law.

 

Our plan is to hold a non-stop 24-hour rolling rally live streaming on a Zoom channel moving west around the Earth from 2 p.m. in Ireland on June 25 to 4 p.m. in Ukraine on June 26. There will be video from protests, demonstrations, vigils, teach-ins, and speakers at their desks. There will be music and art.

Learn more and sign up here.

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Advocating for Peace in Ukraine

Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network members have been actively advocating for Peace in Ukraine for many months and are continuing to do so. We as a collective have pushed for deescalation and an end to this war and once more are raising the alarm to the threat of nuclear deployment facing humanity. In addition to organizing a rally in your community, we encourage you to write or meet with your local MP, write a letter to the editor, donate or sign any petition calling for peace.

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#CanadaStopArmingSaudi Day of Action to End the War in Yemen

Information on the issues
Online Actions to Take Now
Join the Online Rally on March 31
Join an action near you

#CanadaStopArmingSaudi Day of Action
End the War in Yemen

Canada has blood on its hands.

March 26 2022 marks seven years of the brutal war in Yemen. A war that has killed over a quarter of a million people. Over 4 million people have been displaced because of the war, and 70% of the population, including 11.3 million children, are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

The Saudi-led coalition has bombed Yemeni markets, hospitals, and civilians, and yet Canada has exported over $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia since 2015, the year the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen began. It’s despicable for Canada to be profiting from selling billions in arms to Saudi Arabia.

After months of escalating organizing across the country — from arms blockades and banner drops, to car caravans and dozens of protests, to media exposés and damning reports — we know the Trudeau government is feeling the pressure.

The war in Yemen must stop! Antiwar and peace activists and organizations are marking 7 years of the war on Yemen with a day of action on March 26 & 27.

Online Actions to Take Right Now

Send an email to your MP now

Use this online tool to send a letter to your MP calling on the Canadian government to stop sending weapons to Saudi Arabia and stop arming the horrific war in Yemen.

Email your MP here

Sign the Parliamentary Petition

Call on Canada to stop fueling the 7-year-long war in Yemen. When submitted, this petition will obligate the Trudeau Government to submit an official response.

Sign here

Online rally

We held an online rally on March 31st to learn about the war in Yemen, Canada’s role in the violence, and take collective action to make #CanadaStopArmingSaudi. Watch the recording by clicking the play button below, or access on Youtube here.

Join the Day of Action to End the War in Yemen and Demand #CanadaStopArmingSaudi

Thank you to everyone who came out to an action on March 26-27  in 7 cities across Canada to call for an end to the war in Yemen and to demand #CanadaStopArmingSaudi. More photos, videos, and news coverage here.

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Don’t forget to use the hashtags #CanadaStopArmingSaudi and #YemenCantWait
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Email your MP – No more weapons to Saudi Arabia

Canada has blood on its hands.

Now approaching its seventh year, the war in Yemen has killed over a quarter of a million people. Over 4 million people have been displaced because of the war, and 70% of the population, including 11.3 million children, are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

The Saudi-led coalition has bombed Yemeni markets, hospitals, and civilians, and yet Canada has exported over $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia since 2015, the year the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen began. It’s despicable for Canada to be profiting from selling arms to Saudi Arabia.

The UN Human Rights Council has twice named Canada as one of the states fueling the ongoing war in Yemen by continuing arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

After months of escalating organizing across the country — from arms blockades and banner drops, to car caravans and dozens of protests, to media exposés and damning reports — we know the Trudeau government is feeling the pressure.

Send a letter now calling on the Canadian government to stop sending weapons to Saudi Arabia and stop arming the horrific war in Yemen. Canada must immediately end all arms exports to Saudi Arabia, expand humanitarian aid for the people of Yemen, and work with trade unions to develop a plan for a just transition for arms industry workers who would be impacted by the cessation of arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

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2021 Election

Our Platform

An anti-war platform for the 2021 federal election from the Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network

It’s time to make Canadian militarism an election issue. Click on each of the four sections below to learn more about our demands.

  • Cancel Canada’s planned purchase of 88 new fighter jets. #NoNewFighterJets
  • Scrap plans to purchase Canada’s first unmanned armed drones
  • Reverse the 73% increase in military spending promised in Canada’s 2017 defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged and redirect funds towards true security needs including housing, education, healthcare, clean water and climate resilience.
  • Stop arming Saudi Arabia and the UAE and thereby fueling the war in Yemen. #CanadaStopArmingSaudi
  • Suspend all arms sales to Israel until illegal occupations and violence against Palestinians ends
  •  Suspend all military exports and police training initiatives with Colombia
  • Join 97 countries around the world in signing the United Nations Nuclear Ban Treaty
  • Update Canadian arms exports regulations, bring Canada into compliance with the Arms Trade Treaty
  • Cancel the drone contract with Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems
  • Immediately cease all programs providing military-grade equipment and training to police
  • Expedite the clean up of all former Canadian military bases, concretize plans to return land to Indigenous communities
  • End all domestic military surveillance
  • Put a moratorium on all military propaganda initiatives until an independent and impartial investigation is carried out into their legality
  • Fully implement the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Calls to Justice in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry report, and ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
  • Commit to reparations for Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan, with immediate support for civilians in Afghanistan and immediate and continuing welcome for Afghan refugees.
  • Full and permanent immigration status for all migrants and refugees in Canada. #StatusForAll
  • End aggressive “New Cold War” posturing with China and Russia
  • Release Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, detained under an illegal extradition request from President Trump
  • Withdraw troops immediately from Ukraine, Latvia, and Iraq
  • End generalized economic sanctions including in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and North Korea
  • Begin a formal inquiry into the possibility of withdrawing from NATO and NORAD

An anti-war platform for the 2021 federal election from the Canada-Wide Peace and Justice NetworkThis platform is also available as a printable pdf and as a series of 5 graphics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Election platforms, toolkits and resources from our members

Members of the Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network have put out the following election resources.

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

A detailed guide on Canadian federal parties’ positions on the Middle East

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VOW Peace

Vote for Disarmament #ElectPeace fact sheet

Elections Kit 2021

Canadian Friends Service Committee Election Kit

Informed questions for candidates

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Justice for All Canada

Party Report Cards: Top Global Minority Human Rights Concerns

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Canadian Foreign Policy Institute (CFPI)

A proposal for reimagining Canadian foreign policy

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Vote Palestine

A non-partisan campaign galvanizing Canadian voters to raise Palestinian human rights in the federal election.

Logo_Resized_Vote_Kashmir

Vote Kashmir

Campaign calling for a human rights based approach on Canada’s policies on self-determination for Kashmir

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#IVotePalestine

Federal Leaders asked where they stand in support of human rights and international law for Palestinians.

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Join the Global Day of Action to End the War on Yemen

March 25/26 2021

March 25/26 marks 6 years of a brutal U.S.-backed, Canada-armed, Saudi-led war on Yemen. Alongside an indiscriminate and ongoing bombing campaign, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, backed by the United States, have imposed an air, land and sea blockade on Yemen. The blockade has caused critical fuel and food shortages, resulting in 400,000 children at risk of dying right now in Yemen, as reported by CNN. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations had declared  Yemen the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Now Yemen is facing famine along with the Covid-19 pandemic, with an overwhelmed medical system devastated by war and blockade.

Alongside the U.S. and U.K., Canada also has blood on its hands as it also continues to profit from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the military coalition. On September 28, 2020, the UN Human Rights Council named Canada as one of the parties fueling the ongoing war in Yemen by continuing arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Canada exported nearly $2.9-billion worth of military equipment to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

The war on Yemen must stop! Antiwar and peace activists and organizations are marking 6 years of the war on Yemen with days of action on March 25 and 26. As fellow activists across Canada, we encourage you to hold actions in your towns and cities on these days. Actions can include street actions, car caravans, webinars, letter writing, and social media campaigns, considering your local situation.

 Action Ideas & Resources

A sample of the images available to share on and in the lead up t March 25 and 26. More here.
  • Deliver a letter: 68 organizations across Canada have signed a letter to demand that Canada Stop Arming Saudi and to highlight 28 companies in Canada complicit in this arms deal. The letter has been delivered in person to Justin Trudeau’s office, as well as a number of other MPs and companies listed in it. We encourage others to also deliver the letter to government officials and named companies in your area. If you take this action remember to take a photo of the delivery and post on social media using the hashtags #CanadaStopArmingSaudi and #YemenCantWait. Photos of letter deliveries are being collected and posted here.
  • Residents of Canada are invited to sign these two parliamentary petitions:

Whatever action you decide to take, remember to reflect your action on social media with the hashtag #CanadaStopArmingSaudi and #YemenCantWait so activists and organizations across Canada can amplify each others actions!

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News

Taking action to get Canada to #StopArmingSaudi

On March 1st, the Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network publicly launched a letter signed by 68 organizations, representing one million people, calling on the Canadian government and Canadian companies to stop sending weapons to Saudi Arabia and stop arming the horrific war in Yemen. For the first time, it publicly named 28 companies in Canada implicated in this arms trade.

Since the letter was launched on March 1st it’s been hand-delivered to government officials and MPs across the country, and protests and banner drops have been held at the locations of the companies listed who are arming Saudi Arabia and profiting off of the war in Yemen.

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News

End Canada’s Support of the War on Yemen and Ongoing Weapons Exports to Saudi Arabia

The Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network wrote the following letter condemning the Canadian government and Canadian companies’ ongoing profiteering off of arming Saudi Arabia and sending weapons to the worst humanitarian situation on the planet in Yemen.

We’re pleased to announce that 68 organizations across Canada, representing nearly one million people, have signed on to demand that Canada #StopArmingSaudi and to highlight 28 companies in Canada complicit in this arms deal.

On March 1st, the letter was delivered to Prime Minister Trudeau’s office. Throughout the week it will be delivered to the companies and government officials named across Canada.

The full letter is available for download here.

Act now:

Help spread the word on social media! Sample messaging here and shareable graphics here.

Residents of Canada are invited to sign these two parliamentary petitions: