by the Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network

The Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network (CWPJN) urges people in Canada to join us in the global mobilization (October 1st to 8th) for an end to the war in Ukraine. This conflict has caused loss of life and suffering for the Ukrainian people and their civilian infrastructure, going back to 2014 when the conflict began in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Since February 2022, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed and wounded, along with Ukrainian and Russian civilians. Now that the USA and UK have transferred prohibited cluster bombs and depleted uranium ordnance to Ukraine, NATO’s proxy war has become an illegal war which will adversely affect Ukrainians for generations to come. It’s past time for this war to end!

Negotiation Not Escalation!

We condemn the Trudeau government for not taking any action to achieve peace, including flatly refusing to talk to its Russian counterpart, and has instead continuously refuelled the rapidly-escalating conflict in Ukraine, which has the potential to expand into a wider European war or even a nuclear confrontation. The CWPJN calls for the Trudeau government to use all of its diplomatic resources to seek a political solution to the conflict and a return to peace and neutrality in Ukraine.

#NoToWar #NoToNato

For years, NATO has been provoking conflict with Russia. NATO’s expansion to Russia’s borders, its training and arming of Ukrainian military, and support for Ukraine’s war against its eastern Donbas region since 2014 have been the principal causes for the hostilities and the devastating war in Ukraine. The CWPJN is opposed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) because it is an aggressive, US-led, military alliance of 30 Euro-Atlantic countries that has launched deadly and destructive military interventions in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq and Syria. These NATO wars have caused profound misery and a massive refugee crisis, now swelled by millions more Ukrainian refugees.

Fund Peace Not War!

The war in Ukraine has prompted an explosion in military spending in Canada. The Trudeau government has so far delivered $8.5 billion in arms and funding to the Zelensky regime which will prevent Canada from investing adequately in social housing, public healthcare, education, job creation, and climate solutions. In 2021, Canada spent $33 billion on the military, which is 15 times more than on environment and climate change. In 2022, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced military spending will increase by another 70% over the next 5 years to buy new fighter jets, warships, and drones, all of which are designed to participate in offensive, US-led, military adventures abroad. NATO’s demand that members spend 2% of GDP to buy new inter-operable weapons is leading to a costly arms race.

Water Bombers Not Fighter Jets!

With wildfires tearing through Canada’s forests and floods inundating Canadian cities, it’s clear that successive Canadian governments have had the wrong priorities. The purchase of US F-35 fighter jets, new warships, and drones will not protect Canadians from wildfires and floods. In fact, these carbon-intensive weapons of war are the leading hidden cause of global warming. NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine is itself a climate catastrophe in that it resulted in the largest release of methane in human history (from the US sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline), the breaching of the Kherson dam, and an enormous release of depleted uranium dust as the result of the bombing of a warehouse in Khmelnitsky, western Ukraine. Let’s stop this war before it results in further catastrophes such as the possible failure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe!

#CanadaOutOfNATO!

Because of Canada’s NATO membership, we are losing our national sovereignty and are being dragged into every war of the US empire. It’s time to for Canada to withdraw from NATO and develop a non-nuclear, independent, peaceful foreign policy, free from arms exports to fuel wars and occupations, and without massive expenditures on weapons for future wars. With humanity facing existential global environmental and health crises, we need international cooperation, nonviolence, and common security for all countries, not war. Peace in Ukraine, and peace with Russia and China begins with negotiations, diplomacy, and an end to NATO.

Join our Canada-wide days of actions from October 1st to October 8th, 2023, in sending a message to the Trudeau government! Peace Now! Stop The War! Stop NATO!

In support of this campaign, Peace Alliance Winnipeg will hold an information picket at Noon – 1:00 pm on Sunday, Oct. 1st at River Avenue and Osborne Street. 

“Learn to do right; seek justice; defend the oppressed” (Isa 1:17).

We, at the undersigned Palestinian Christian institutions and grassroots movements, grieve and lament the renewed cycle of violence in our land. As we were about to publish this open letter, some of us lost dear friends and family members in the atrocious Israeli bombardment of innocent civilians on October 19, 2023, Christians included, who were taking refuge in the historical Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza. Words fail to express our shock and horror with regard to the on-going war in our land. We deeply mourn the death and suffering of all people because it is our firm conviction that all humans are made in God’s image. We are also profoundly troubled when the name of God is invoked to promote violence and religious national ideologies.

Further, we watch with horror the way many western Christians are offering unwavering support to Israel’s war against the people of Palestine. While we recognize the numerous voices that have spoken and continue to speak for the cause of truth and justice in our land, we write to challenge western theologians and church leaders who have voiced uncritical support for Israel and to call them to repent and change. Sadly, the actions and double standards of some Christian leaders have gravely hurt their Christian witness and have severely distorted their moral judgment with regards to the situation in our land.

We come alongside fellow Christians in condemning all attacks on civilians, especially defenseless families and children. Yet, we are disturbed by the silence of many church leaders and theologians when it is Palestinian civilians who are killed. We are also horrified by the refusal of some western Christians to condemn the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, and, in some instances, their justification of and support for the occupation. Further, we are appalled by how some Christians have legitimized Israel’s ongoing indiscriminate attacks on Gaza, which have, so far, claimed the lives of more than 3,700 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children. These attacks have resulted in the wholesale destruction of entire neighborhoods and the forced displacement of over one million Palestinians. The Israeli military has utilized tactics that target civilians such as the use of white phosphorus, the cutting off of water, fuel, and electricity, and the bombardment of schools, hospitals, and places of worship—including the heinous massacre at Al-Ahli Anglican-Baptist Hospital and the bombardment of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius which wiped out entire Palestinian Christian families.

Moreover, we categorically reject the myopic and distorted Christian responses that ignore the wider context and the root causes of this war: Israel’s systemic oppression of the Palestinians over the last 75 years since the Nakba, the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and the oppressive and racist military occupation that constitutes the crime of apartheid. This is precisely the horrific context of oppression that many western Christian theologians and leaders have persistently ignored, and even worse, have occasionally legitimized using a wide range of Zionist theologies and interpretations. Moreover, Israel’s cruel blockade of Gaza for the last 17 years has turned the 365-square-kilometer Strip into an open-air prison for more than two million Palestinians—70% of whom belong to families displaced during the Nakba—who are denied their basic human rights. The brutal and hopeless living conditions in Gaza under Israel’s iron fist have regrettably emboldened extreme voices of some Palestinian groups to resort to militancy and violence as a response to oppression and despair. Sadly, Palestinian non-violent resistance, which we remain wholeheartedly committed to, is met with rejection, with some western Christian leaders even prohibiting the discussion of Israeli apartheid as reported by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and B’Tselem, and as long asserted by both Palestinians and South Africans.

Time and again, we are reminded that western attitudes towards Palestine-Israel suffer from a glaring double standard that humanizes Israeli Jews while insisting on dehumanizing Palestinians and whitewashing their suffering. This is evident in general attitudes towards the recent Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip that killed thousands of Palestinians, the apathy towards the murder of the Palestinian-American Christian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022, and the killing of more than 300 Palestinians including 38 children in the West Bank this year before this recent escalation.

It seems to us that this double standard reflects an entrenched colonial discourse that has weaponized the Bible to justify the ethnic cleansing of indigenous peoples in the Americas, Oceania, and elsewhere, the slavery of Africans and the transatlantic slave trade, and decades of apartheid in South Africa. Colonial theologies are not passé; they continue in wide-ranging Zionist theologies and interpretations that have legitimized the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the vilification and dehumanization of Palestinians—Christians included—living under systemic settler-colonial apartheid. Further, we are aware of the western Christian legacy of Just War Theory that was used to justify dropping atomic bombs over innocent civilians in Japan during World War II, the destruction of Iraq and the decimation of its Christian population during the latest American war on Iraq, as well as the unwavering and uncritical support for Israel against the Palestinians in the name of moral-supremacy and “self-defense.” Regrettably, many western Christians across wide denominational and theological spectra adopt Zionist theologies and interpretations that justify war, making them complicit in Israel’s violence and oppression. Some are also complicit in the rise of the anti-Palestinian hate speech, which we are witnessing in numerous western countries and media outlets today.

Although many Christians in the West do not have a problem with the theological legitimization of war, the vast majority of Palestinian Christians do not condone violence—not even by the powerless and occupied. Instead, Palestinian Christians are fully committed to the way of Jesus in creative nonviolent resistance (Kairos Palestine, §4.2.3), which uses “the logic of love and draw[s] on all energies to make peace” (§4.2.5). Crucially, we reject all theologies and interpretations that legitimize the wars of the powerful. We strongly urge western Christians to come alongside us in this. We also remind ourselves and fellow Christians that God is the God of the downtrodden and the oppressed, and that Jesus rebuked the powerful and lifted up the marginalized. This is at the heart of God’s conception of justice. Therefore, we are deeply troubled by the failure of some western Christian leaders and theologians to acknowledge the biblical tradition of justice and mercy, as first proclaimed by Moses (Deut 10:18; 16:18–20; 32:4) and the prophets (Isa 1:17; 61:8; Mic 2:1–3, 6:8; Amos 5:10–24), and as exemplified and embodied in Christ (Matt 25:34–46; Luke 1:51–53; 4:16–21).

Finally, and we say it with a broken heart, we hold western church leaders and theologians who rally behind Israel’s wars accountable for their theological and political complicity in the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, which have been committed over the last 75 years. We call upon them to reexamine their positions and to change their direction, remembering that God “will judge the world in justice” (Acts 17:31). We also remind ourselves and our Palestinian people that our sumud (“steadfastness”) is anchored in our just cause and our historical rootedness in this land. As Palestinian Christians, we also continue to find our courage and consolation in the God who dwells with those of a contrite and humble spirit (Isa 57:15). We find courage in the solidarity we receive from the crucified Christ, and we find hope in the empty tomb. We are also encouraged and empowered by the costly solidarity and support of many churches and grassroots faith movements around the world, challenging the dominance of ideologies of power and supremacy. We refuse to give in, even when our siblings abandon us. We are steadfast in our hope, resilient in our witness, and continue to be committed to the Gospel of faith, hope, and love, in the face of tyranny and darkness. “In the absence of all hope, we cry out our cry of hope. We believe in God, good and just. We believe that God’s goodness will finally triumph over the evil of hate and of death that still persist in our land. We will see here ‘a new land’ and ‘a new human being’, capable of rising up in the spirit to love each one of his or her brothers and sisters” (Kairos Palestine, §10).

Your Kingdom come!

To sign the letter, go here.

Oct. 18, 2023: Winnipeggers rally in solidarity with the people of Gaza at the Manitoba Legislature. Photo: Candice Bodnaruk

by Candice Bodnaruk

On Wednesday, October 18 a friend and I hosted a Rally and Vigil for Gaza at the Manitoba Legislature- it was beautiful evening and over 100 people joined us to call for an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza and to demand urgent aid be available to the 2 million people who live and exist in what experts on the issue have called “the world’s largest open air prison”- which is Gaza.

Prior to our event I had sent out press releases for local media to attend to cover the story- and they did. The rally was set to begin at 5:30pm and I had just completed two positive interviews where I was able to share the main points I wanted the public to be aware of when watching the war on Gaza unfold. First, that Israel attacked- and continues to this day to attack- an unarmed, civilian population in Gaza- in fact, around 40% of Gaza’s population is under the age of 14- these are children.

Second, I wanted to point out to reporters that unlike Israel- Palestinians in Gaza have no bomb shelters they can retreat to when an Israeli missile attack comes- and they also don’t have an Iron Dome Defence System- gifted to Israel by the U.S.- in order to deflect Hamas rocket attacks.

Third, I of course stated that our purpose on Wednesday was to oppose all violence- including the violence perpetrated by Hamas on the Israeli people on October 7.

Finally, I pointed out that everyone attending the rally that evening was very disappointed in Prime Minister Trudeau and his refusal to condemn Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza- and his insistence on standing with the Israel in their attacks on over 2 million civilians. I also encouraged people to write/email or call Trudeau as well as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to express their outrage and Canada’s unwavering support for Israel.

The first two reporters I spoke to were gracious, professional and very eager in telling this story. They were interested in why we were there, what we hoped to accomplish, and what impact we thought our rally might have. We also tried to provide context in our answer- with the goal to make the public aware that Gaza has been under a 16 year Israeli occupation- and that meant for the Palestinians living in Gaza- no reliable electricity or water, being sealed in and not able to travel or leave the area and that Israel opens and closes Gaza’s borders are open at Israel’s whim.

I also pointed out that Israel’s ongoing stranglehold on Gaza meant any essential goods- like agricultural products for example- could be held at the border if Israel chose. This has often meant that much needed food waiting to get into Gaza rots at the border- and vice versa, Gaza’s farmers looking to export are often prevented from doing so. I also wanted people to be aware that although Palestinians elected Hamas in 2007- it was Israel that still polices Gaza- including controlling their waterways (greatly impacting Gaza’s fishers), their air space and of course the land borders- it is in these ways that Israel has been able to control the livelihoods of Palestinians in Gaza as well as their access to a reliable food supply.

There was one reporter though who was not empathetic to our presence. He repeatedly challenged me on Israel’s purpose- to target Hamas leaders in Gaza and wipe them out. I repeated that of course we oppose Hamas- that was not in question- but Israel’s constant bombing of Gaza- now having left over 1,000 children dead- was not the answer. I repeated that we believed Israel’s behaviour was a war crime and genocide. I added that the IDF attacks had also killed journalists and aid workers. Yet the reporter was clearly leading me down a rabbit hole and wanted to prevent me from talking about what Israel was doing to Palestinians

He wouldn’t let it go- and I was getting impatient trying to get my point across. My question is- why- when we stand with and for Palestinians- do we always have to defend our position and actions? Why is it wrong to support Palestinians- when they are the people under attack and Israel is the aggressor? These were just some of the questions that went through my mind as I tried to compose myself. I did insist to the reporter that Israel’s behaviour was wrong- and of course illegal and collective punishment against the people in Gaza- but he wanted me to acknowledge that Israel had a legitimate purpose- which was to target Hamas- and that they were not willingly targeting civilians.

I know going forward how I will address this- I will tell the reporter that we are here for Palestine and that’s what we want to discuss. Of course we condemn Hamas- and all violence- but Israel’s response to the Hamas attack on Israelis and the hostage taking- does not warrant all out destruction, ethnic cleansing and a genocide now being perpetrated on the Palestinian people by the State of Israel.

It doesn’t now and it never will.

Community Solidarity Manitoba Statement On the Violence in Israel-Palestine and the Need for Local Governments and Communities to Promote Peace

(November 1st, 2023) Community Solidarity Manitoba was created to overcome the politics of division and build solidarity on crucial issues of social justice. Our local community includes people affected and in pain in the Jewish, Palestinian, and Muslim communities, and many others affected by colonialism, occupation, and war.

We unequivocally condemn all violence perpetrated against civilians.

We call for an immediate ceasefire of all hostilities in Israel-Palestine.
We call for an end to the blockade of Gaza and for the restoration of humanitarian aid and access to the basic necessities of life.
We call for the safe and immediate return of all hostages and civilians being held in detention without charge.
We call on all levels of Canadian governments and society to work towards a just peace, ensure the safety and security of communities here in Canada, and actively work against Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, and hate.

As international observers, including the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, continue to sound the alarm regarding the risk of a genocide against the Palestinian people, we reject the portrayal of Israel and Palestine as equal participants in this catastrophe, which is the product of one of the longest military occupations in modern history. Canada’s military support for Israel creates an additional responsibility to the current situation, and we call for an end to Canada’s arms sales to Israel.  The precondition for peace is for Israel to end the occupation and respect international law.

We are firmly opposed to any retribution against Palestinians, anti-war activists, workers, students, politicians, and others who voice their support of the Palestinian people at this time. Canada is a country that should support, without fear of retribution, the free expression of diverse views that do not contravene our hate speech legislation.

We call on the Government of Manitoba to recognize these calls and for the Government of Canada to uphold international law.

—
​
The following members of Community Solidarity Manitoba have signed on to this statement to date.

Canadian Federation of Students Manitoba
Communities Not Cuts
CUPE Local 2348
Independent Jewish Voices Winnipeg
Peace Alliance Winnipeg
Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba
Migrante Manitoba
MB Northern Ontario Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
Winnipeg Police Cause Harm
Women’s March Winnipeg

Group Aims to Raise Awareness About Palestine in the Labour Movement

by Candice Bodnaruk

I recently started attending Labour 4 Palestine meetings at the Union Centre in Winnipeg.

Labour for Palestine (L4P) is a part of a growing international solidarity movement guided by the just demands of Palestinian labour, civil society and political organizations.

Essentially, L4P is intended to be a place for doing work in labour and within the community. The organization consists of both unionized and non-unionized workers.

L4P is made up of a network for labour activists from across Canada and has chapters in cities across the country.  Labour 4 Palestine  stands in solidarity with Palestinian workers and people. Moreover, the organization understands the essential role unions can play in support Justice for Palestinians, as they did in the struggle for justice in South Africa. L4P also recognizes the important role unions have played in supporting Justice for Palestine.

The organization’s goals include to raise awareness with the labour movement about the plight of the Palestinian people and workers as well as to support Palestinian labour unions and workers. The Labour for Palestine movement also strives to expose Canada’s complicity with Israel’s violations of international law and to educate union members about the history of the Palestinian liberation struggle.

Labour for Palestine also supports BDS and members are encouraged to work together on a variety of campaigns to advocate for Palestine Solidarity. Other work the organization is doing includes networking with labour unions, outreach and education, for example, on talking to employers in workplaces about allowing workers to advocate for Palestine. L4P recently ran a webinar on about how workers can address push back to Palestinian solidarity activism in their workplaces.

In Winnipeg L4P is working on a number of major issues, including Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS),  lobbying government around Palestine, and encouraging all Canadian unions to support Palestinian Solidarity. The group also strives to educate union members about the history of the Palestinian Liberation struggle.

Contact Labour for Palestine Winnipeg by email at labourforpalestinewinnipeg@gmail.com.

A  Winnipeg-based group, the Filipinos for Palestine in Treaty 1 territory, Turtle Island is raising funds for Palestinian refugees seeking shelter and a new life in the Philippines. You can read more about their campaign on their gofundme page.

People will gather on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024 at 5:30pm at the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and Portage Avenue (the old Hudson’s Bay Company building) for an Emergency Rally for Rafah.

Rallies have been held in Winnipeg every week since October 7 to protest Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Organizers are now calling on the local community to take to the streets to defend to Rafah, Gaza and all of Palestine against Israel’s genocidal assault.

Organizer Candice Bodnaruk pointed out that Israel’s attacks on Gaza have been ongoing now for well over 100 days and almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7. More than half of Gaza’s population, or 1.4 million people, are now crowded into Rafah and have no way to escape Israeli bombardment. Bodnaruk also called out federal leaders.

“Canadian politicians have been primarily silent, and business as usual has continued with Israel,” she said, in reference to Canadian weapon sales to Israel.

Rally Organizer Damon Nasser noted that yesterday Médecins Sans Frontières warned that “Israel’s declared ground offensive on Rafah would be catastrophic and must not proceed,”.

“The purpose of today’s rally is stand in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, as well as to draw attention to the Canadian government’s complicity in Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza,” he said, adding that made-in Canada components are part of Boeing’s F35 Strike Fighter jet that is being used in Israel’s assaults on Palestinians in Gaza.

Bodnaruk added that such Canadian complicity in Israel’s genocide must be called out- and Canadian leaders must be held to account for their unwavering support of Israel.

“Canada continues to do business with Israel- and through our arms sales to them we are directly contributing to killing Palestinians in Gaza. As people of conscience who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, this is unacceptable to us. It must end now.” Bodnaruk concluded.

Today, Canadian peace groups sent the following letter to Canadian Parliamentarians.

February 24, 2024

BRIEFING:    On the Second Anniversary of War in Ukraine, the Urgent Need is for a Ceasefire, Negotiations, and Peace

FROM:           Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, Victoria Peace Coalition, Regina Peace Council, Fire This Time, Mobilization Against War and Occupation, Nova Scotia Voice of Women, People for Peace (London, ON), Pivot 2 Peace (South Georgian Bay Chapter WBW), Montreal for World Beyond War (WBW), Canadian Peace Congress, Just Peace Advocates, Canadian BDS Coalition, Pax Christi Toronto, Canada Voice of Women for Peace (VOW), Women’s International League for Peace and Justice, Peace Alliance Winnipeg

TO:                  All Members of the House of Commons and the Senate

On February 19, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced that Canada would give Ukraine more than 800 unmanned aerial systems (drones)  at a cost of more than $95 million. The $95 million is part of the $500 million in military assistance promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in June 2023 when he visited Kyiv. The $95 million is in addition to the $60 million promised by Blair at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to support F-16 fighter aircraft capability that can carry the B62-12 tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. This escalation of more weapons to Ukraine to prolong the war will lead to more casualties and risks a nuclear exchange.

Since February 2022, Canada has committed over $2.4 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and approximately $10 billion in total aid. Canada is one of the top 10 countries in terms of providing military aid to Ukraine and together they have given $90.4 billion to keep this war going, the main benefactor of which is the US military-industrial complex.

Canadians demand an honest assessment of the war in Ukraine
Canada, other western nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the mainstream media all present the same narrative to justify the war and its continuation. The comments of Yvan Baker, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre, speaking at the announcement of Canada’s $95 million for drones, said what has been repeated so often:

“Ukraine’s victory is vital to Canada’s security, so a Ukrainian victory is the only option for Canada. Ukrainians needs (sic) our help to fight against Russia’s brutal invasion and to achieve that victory. The military aid we are announcing today is going to help them do exactly that. We must stand with the Ukrainian people until they win – until we all win.”

This belies the real cause of the war: the continued and illegal push by NATO to expand eastward. This occurred even though the Cold War threat of the Soviet Union had collapsed, and the former Warsaw Pact countries became aligned with the European Union (EU), and NATO’s expansion to Russia’s borders, designed to extend US hegemony over Russia (and then China), brought numerous warnings from both Western and Russian officials. There needs to be an honest assessment of the origins of the current war in Ukraine. The red line for Russia became Ukraine, where the US staged a coup in 2014, and put into power an illegitimate and unconstitutional regime that included neo-Nazis and extreme-right wing nationalists, which, in turn, launched bloody attacks on the Russian-speaking regions of Eastern Ukraine between 2014-2022.

The war in Ukraine has lasted ten years, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. February 24, 2024, marks the second anniversary of y the war between NATO and Russia (as Dr. Jeffrey  Sachs has explained). As we reach the second-year mark, an end to the violence which we, the undersigned, seek, is nowhere in sight. The second anniversary will be marked in predictable fashion by those who orchestrated the war and have worked to prolong it despite the enormous costs to Ukraine and its people.

Though recent public opinion polls show a dramatic decrease in support for the war in Ukraine among ordinary Canadians, the Trudeau government continues to recklessly push Ukraine to join NATO. Since 2015, the Canadian government has spent $700 million for Operation UNIFIER by which the Canadian Armed Forces has been training and integrating the Armed Forces of Ukraine with NATO and turning Ukraine into a de facto NATO state.

Canadians demand an end to this war
For two years, Canadian peace, faith and social justice organizations have called for a ceasefire to end the war and start negotiations. This call has resonated among Canadians, about a quarter of whom now agree with us, according to recent polls. Despite the united front of Western governments and mainstream media to silence the truth about this war, it is now clearer than ever that NATO has cynically used Ukraine as the proxy in its attack on Russia. The economy of Ukraine is in ruins and the number of soldiers killed or injured is numbered in the hundreds of thousands. An entire generation of young Ukrainian men has been wiped out in NATO’s attempt to “vanquish Russia.” (words of Deputy-PM Chrystia Freeland). There are over 12 million refugees that have fled worldwide from this war.

There have been significant peace initiatives offered by many countries including South Africa and China. Shamefully, none of these efforts have been supported by Canada or other NATO nations. The people of Ukraine are now looking for an end to the war. Canada must turn from fuelling this conflict towards using its diplomatic resources to bring about negotiations to end it, before it expands into a wider regional war or even a nuclear confrontation between the superpowers.

This war, which has been recklessly driven by NATO, leads to our demand that Canada withdraw from NATO. It is irresponsible for Canada to increase military spending to NATO’s 2% GDP target when millions of Canadians need affordable housing, accessible healthcare and education, and adaptation to climate change. Withdrawing from NATO would give Canada independence over its foreign affairs and defence and would allow Canada to ratify the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. It would also allow Canada to work cooperatively with all countries to seek a global response to the planet’s impending environmental and climate crises and sustainable development.

Finally, we, the undersigned organizations, call for:

• An honest, public assessment of the war in Ukraine;
• A ceasefire to end the fighting and to start negotiations;
• The cancellation of all weapons to Ukraine (including the drones);
• The termination of Operation UNIFIER;
• The cancellation of the F-16 fighter jet program that risks a nuclear escalation;
• A public review of the $10 billion Canada has given to Ukraine;
• A commission of inquiry into Canada’s role in the violent protests in the Maidan, the coup in 2014, and the escalation of the civil conflict between Kiev and Donbas since 2014;
• A new security architecture for Europe and Russia to ensure a lasting peace.

Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, Victoria Peace Coalition, Regina Peace Council, Fire This Time, Mobilization Against War and Occupation, Nova Scotia Voice of Women, People for Peace (London, ON), Pivot 2 Peace (South Georgian Bay Chapter WBW), Montreal for World Beyond War (WBW), Canadian Peace Congress, Just Peace Advocates, Canadian BDS Coalition, Pax Christi Toronto, Canada Voice of Women for Peace (VOW), Women’s International League for Peace and Justice, Peace Alliance Winnipeg

SOURCES:

George Beebe and Anatol Lieven, “The Diplomatic Path to a Secure Ukraine” (Feb. 2024): https://quincyinst.org/research/the-diplomatic-path-to-a-secure-ukraine/

Congressional Research, “U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine” (Dec. 2023): https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12040

Dr. Ivan Katchanovski, “Buried trial verdict confirms false-flag Maidan massacre in Ukraine” (Feb. 2024): https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/buried-trial-verdict-confirms-false-flag-maidan-massacre-in-ukraine-2024

Jack F. Matlock “The Christmas Gift that Keeps Giving”, American Diplomacy (Feb. 2024):
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2024/02/the-christmas-gift-that-keeps-giving/

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, “The Biden-Schumer Plan to Kill More Ukrainians,” (Feb. 2024): https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper-articles/4xn8bew8gh25ygbt5d8d2a5s5tplex

Winnipeg, March 24, 2024: Members of the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee rallied to show support for the Cuban people in their six-decade struggle to end the United States economic blockade of their country.

____________

Following is the text of a statement the Committee distributed at the rally.

BIDEN, END THE CRIMINAL U.S. BLOCKADE OF CUBA!!
TAKE CUBA OFF THE STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM LIST!!
LET CUBA LIVE!!

Statement of Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee for the Rally Against the Blockade, March 24, 2024

Protests in Santiago de Cuba last Sunday – people worried about the serious shortages of food, electricity and other basic necessities – have been used by the U.S. and enemies of Cuba to stir up calls once again for regime change in Cuba. The international media has called them ‘anti-government’ protests. A U.S. Department of State official posted “The United States stands with the Cuban people as they exercise their rights to assemble peacefully. The Cuban government will not be able to meet the needs of its people until it embraces democracy and the rule of law and respects the rights of Cuban citizens.”

This statement is a blatant threat and the height of hypocrisy! It is the U. S. blockade of Cuba, now in its 62nd year, and Trump’s addition of Cuba to the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in 2021, one week before his term as President ended, that have caused and exacerbated the economic crisis in Cuba which has led to the serious shortages of necessities around the country.

An infamous U.S. declassified 1960 document (one year after the victory of the Cuban Revolution) written by Lester Mallory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs concludes that “the only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship.” It adds . . . “every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life of Cuba”. The ‘every possible means’ over the years have included bombings, military interventions, sabotage, assassination attempts in addition to the provisions of the Blockade. The financial damage to the Cuban economy has added up to more than 1 trillion U.S. dollars. Had Cuba not been subjected to the Blockade for 62 years, its ability to develop the economy and meet ALL the needs of the Cuban people would have led the way in the world to showing what a socialist economy could accomplish.

In spite of all the efforts, the Cuban people are strong and determined. They will survive this latest attempt as they have overcome all the attempts from the U.S. over the past decades to bring Cuba back into its fold, to become once again a playground for the rich, a colony with materials and labour to exploit.

Cuba will defend socialism and its right to independence, sovereignty and self-determination.

Cuba has so many friends all around the world! The solidarity movement in Canada and in the heartland of imperialism is strong and will not falter. It is our role to continue supporting Cuba in its defense of humanity, on its path to determining its own society and future.

President Biden, you have just over 7 months left in this term. Do something positive and . . .

TAKE CUBA OFF THE SSOT LIST!
END THE BLOCKADE OF CUBA!
LET CUBA LIVE!

by Candice Bodnaruk

On March 25, 2024 at 2pm, about 20 people gathered outside Carr’s office with placards and noisemakers to call out Carr for his recent vote in parliament against an NDP motion that demanded an end to Canadian weapons sales to Israel, an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Members of Peace Alliance Winnipeg, Sing for Humanity and other groups handed out leaflets to passerby and chanted “Not Another Nickel, Not Another Dime, No More Money for Israel’s Crimes”, “Stop Killing Kids” and “Ben Carr You Can’t Hide, We Charge You with Genocide!”. All the while Carr’s office building remained locked and no one came out to engage with the crowd. Last fall Carr also spoke against a ceasefire in Gaza

Earlier in the week Carr was one of only 3 Liberal MPs to vote against a non-binding NDP motion. The motion originally called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, suspending trade of all military goods with Israel, advocating for an end to the occupation of Palestine, and to ban on extremist settlers from Canada.

All Bloc Quebcois and Green MPs supported the motion while Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives voted against it. Before it was passed, the motion was altered somewhat to appease critics, including requiring Hamas to lay down arms and omitting recognizing Palestinian statehood.

Along with Canada, the United States, Germany, France, the UK and Japan do not recognize Palestine as a state.

In their protest against Carr, people carried signs with messages like “Winnipeg Stands Forever with Gaza” and “Carr End Support for Israeli Genocide”.

Also on Monday the UN Security Council also passed a ceasefire motion, all member countries voted in favour with the United States abstaining.

Since October 7, at least 32,414 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while 74,787 have been wounded.

Although Carr was in Winnipeg the day of the protest, his office was completely closed to the public and his constituents. Protesters eventually did gain entry to the building and left postcards outside Carr’s door- asking him to support a ceasefire call in Gaza. People also postered in the area calling on Carr’s constituents to write, call or email him demanding that he support an immediate end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

In Winnipeg people have been engaging in protests against MPs since October, calling on them to support an immediate ceasefire as well as to end Canadian weapons sales to Israel. Previous rallies have been held at Liberal MPs Dan Vandal’s and Terry Duguid’s offices as well as Conservative MP Marty Morantz’s Winnipeg office.