War is Not Essential demonstration challenges the illusion of Canada as a 'peace-loving' nation
Written by: Daniel Xie
Recently, the Canadian government has sought for Canada to be a part of the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 period. If successful, this would be the first time Canada has sat on the UN security council for 20 years. As a United Nations Security Council member, Canada claims to be seeking to:
explicitly link the work of the Security Council to the 2030 Agenda and include active and innovative consideration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Security Council’s work;
strongly encourage enhanced collaboration between the Security Council and the African Union and other regional organizations; and
continue to strengthen the focus on conflict prevention and peace-building.
In addition, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that Canada will use its position on the UNSC to help “rebuild” the world rebuild in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
In making the case for their UNSC bid, the Canadian government has highlighted various achievements Canada has supposedly achieved. They have attempted to have the international community focus on these achievements:
In June 2019, Canada hosted the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, the world’s largest conference on gender equality, health rights and well-being of girls and women, which brought together over 9,000 participants from 165 countries.
In 2018, Canada co-hosted the first global Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, with over 17,000 delegates present.
In 2018, Canada’s G7 Presidency produced tangible results: $3.8 billion to support quality education for women and girls, a Gender Equality Advisory Council, and a major initiative to rid oceans of global marine litter and plastic pollution. Additionally, this resulted in unprecedented outreach to small island developing states, the first-ever G7 finance and development ministers meetings and the Investor Leadership Network comprising leading global institutional investors.
In 2017, Canada hosted the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial, where delegates from over 80 countries and international organizations announced new pledges and discussed improvements to UN peacekeeping operations.
In 2016, Canada hosted the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment Conference in Montréal, where our leadership secured over US$12 billion from donors worldwide to continue fighting epidemics. This includes Canada’s own pledge of $804 million, a 23% increase from its previous pledge. Canada’s cumulative pledge to the Global Fund is over $2.9 billion.
Trudeau’s efforts to seek a position on the UN Security Council for Canada has drawn much criticism from various activists on the left. They believe that Canada’s actual foreign policy record, which Trudeau has relentlessly whitewashed to perpetuate the illusion of Canada as a peace-loving nation, leaves it undeserving of any seat on the Security Council. The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, in response to Trudeau’s efforts to seek a seat on the UNSC, have brought forth a petition to oppose Canada’s bid to sit on the security council once more after 20 years.
Leftists, in opposing Canada’s bid for UNSC membership for the 2021-2022 period, have called out Canada’s support for Israel, even as they seek to annex more and more Palestinian land. They also focus on Canada’s complicity in aiding US-backed coups in Venezuela and Bolivia, it’s history of, and continued imperialism in the Caribbean. It has consistently violated the UNDRIP at home, continuing this trend by brutally repressing Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders using RCMP forces. Canada has also continued arms trade to the ultra-reactionary monarchy of Saudi Arabia.
Opposition to Canada's continued arms trade to Saudi Arabia was the focus of the “War is not Essential” demonstrations held on June 11, 2020. They hosted the rally in protest of Canada’s arms trade with Saudi Arabia. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has lifted the moratorium on issuing arms exports for weapons destined for Saudi Arabia, and Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) continue to be manufactured in London, ON under the label of an essential service. These LAVs are used to suppress dissent brutally by the Saudi monarchy. There is a growing body of evidence that Canadian-made LAVs are being deployed in the brutal war against Yemen. According to the organizers, Canadian arms trade to the brutal Saudi regime undermines Canada’s legal commitment under the Arms Trade Treaty or a feminist foreign policy.
This day of action was jointly organized by: Labour Against the Arms Trade, People for Peace London, Council of Canadians London Chapter, Amnesty International Canada, Amnesty International Canada, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Canadian Voices of Women for Peace, Peace Brigades International Canada, Oxfam Canada, World Beyond War and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Ontario NDP MPP Matthew Green and eco-socialist Green Party leadership candidate Dimitri Lascaris spoke at the rally. The rally occurred on the video conferencing software Zoom, but various activists including Lascaris, are also rallying at various arms factories at London and speaking to the rest of the rally through Zoom.
The opening speaker, Alex Neve, condemned the Canada-Saudi Arabia arms deal as going back many years with little to no effort taken by the government to cease the arms trade. He noted that sales have been the highest on record, and they are sold to Saudi Arabia without any consultation of human rights organizations on the matter. France-Isabelle Langlois called on Canada to follow in the footsteps of Italy and Switzerland in ceasing arms trades with Saudi Arabia.
During the demonstration, Canada’s role in selling arms to Saudi Arabia was condemned. Many of the demonstrators deconstructed the rationale that Canada gave to justify selling arms to Saudi Arabia. According to eco-socialist Green party leadership candidate Dimitri Lascaris, an excuse given by Trudeau was that these weapons were not deployed to the country of Yemen.
However, Lascaris noted, these weapons end up being used by Saudi security forces to crack down on dissent. Cesar Jaramillo, whose organization followed the arms trade closely, mentioned that whenever confronted with reports that the vehicles were used to carry out human rights abuses, Trudeau and Harper gave before him deny all complicity in enabling these abuses by claiming that because vehicles sold to Saudi Arabia were not sold for the purpose of lethal usage in the first place, Canada should not face any accountability. However, in selling arms and vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Canada allows for Saudi Arabia to escalate its war on Yemen and carry out repression on internal dissent.
In addition, the hypocrisy of Trudeau claiming to be a feminist defending human rights and women rights, yet providing military support to the reactionary Saudi regime was called out. According to speaker Allison Pytlak, Trudeau’s actions undermine any claims to a feminist foreign policy. To her, a feminist foreign policy would be one focused on up-lifting women’s rights globally. It would centre international affairs on the marginalized and the vulnerable, while pushing forward air solutions without excessive military force. In supporting the Saudi regime, they undermine the promise of a feminist foreign policy, due to Trudeau’s willingness to make deals with a regime with an abysmal record on women’s rights.
The environmental impact of the arms trade was also discussed. According to a speaker, the creation of LAVs contribute to the increase of climate emissions as the vehicles are heavy. They can cause ecological damage by rolling on woodlands or waterways and consuming diesel fuel that generate colossal amounts of emissions. The environmental toll of the arms trade is also framed in the context that the weapons and vehicles being sold to Saudi Arabia is being developed in a Canadian factory.
Simon Black stated that the money used in arms production to be sold to Saudi Arabia could create Green Jobs, green infrastructure and create more protective medical equipment to deal with COVID-19 at home. Dimitri Lascaris recommended that the workers currently working at arms production plants in London, Ontario be transferred to sustainable industries and shared Black’s sentiments.
Members of the Yemeni Canadian diaspora also attended this demonstration. One Yemeni Canadian speaker stated that the war deeply affects both Yemenis living abroad, and those still in Yemen. The speaker called for Canada to respect the global ceasefire by ceasing the arms transfer and commit to supporting de-mining operations and reconstruction efforts.
Looking Ahead
What demonstrations and actions such as “War is Not Essential” do, is expose the true nature of Canada. While Canada presents itself as a peace-loving nation, and an alternative to its racist and warmongering neighbour, Canada is guilty of its own brand of racism and imperialism. Trudeau talks a “good game” about needing to confront racism and push for peace, yet he represses Indigenous land defenders, maintains ties with Israel even as it escalates settlement construction, and helps reactionary regimes such as Saudi Arabia. This reality is one that the Canadian government seeks to brush aside in its quest to become a member of the Security Council: burying it in the hope that no one will seek the truth.
Faced with this massive obfuscation, movements such as War is Not Essential shine a light on the true face of Canadian foreign policy, represented by deals such as the arms trade with Saudi Arabia. As Canada makes the final push to secure its seat on the security council, mobilization seeking to expose Canada's bloodied foreign policy are needed more than ever to oppose Trudeau’s bid for UNSC membership for 2021-2022. They must ensure that Canada does not brush aside its imperialistic foreign policy and continue to perpetuate the illusion of the country, as a peace loving country worthy of lending its voice to the global community on the United Nations Security Council.
More Articles