NO NEW FIGHTER JETS!

On April 10 and 11, 2021, Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace and the Halifax Raging Grannies called on the Canadian government to cancel the proposed purchase of 88 new fighter jets.

Fighter Jets – Fast Facts

  • In July 2019: Canadian government launched a $19 billion competition for 88 new fighter jets
  • A fighter jet is flown by one pilot and carries many bombs or missiles
  • Canadian fighter jets have illegally bombed Serbia in 1999 and have bombed Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq and Syria in the past decade that have killed innocent people and destroyed civilian infrastructure
  • Former Deputy Minister of Defense Charles Nixon stated Canada does not need fighter jets as Canada does not face any credible threat and they are not necessary to protect our populace or sovereignty.
  • Fighter jets have severe environmental consequences
  • The excessive carbon emissions will cause carbon lock-in, preventing Canada from decarbonizing and meeting the Paris Agreement targets to prevent catastrophic climate change
  • We need to be investing in a Green New Deal, not new weapons that drive climate change
  • Fighter jets and COVID-19
    • Currently, 14.9 million Canadians are relying on financial assistance
    • Public funds should support a just recovery from the pandemic and strengthen the social safety net, not combat aircraft

    http://nsvow.org/

    https://nofighterjets.ca/

Engaging the Public in the Global Day of Action on Military Spending

It was a cold and windy April day, when NSVOW members and supporters engaged the public in an activity about public spending where people passing by in front of Halifax Central Library put four quarters (supplied by NSVOW) into jars labeled:

  • ARTS & CULTURE
  • ENVIRONMENT
  • HEALTH & EDUCATION
  • MILITARY
  • PEACE
  • WOMEN & CHILDREN

It was evident that people took the exercise very seriously as they contemplated how to distribute their quarters.

They were then invited to fill out a poster “If I had 1.75 trillion dollars (the approximate amount of world-wide annual military spending) I would #movemilitarythemoney to _____.”

Results:

  • Health and Education:  73
  • Environment: 64
  • Environment:  64
  • Women and Children:  52
  • Arts and Culture:  36
  • Peace:  36
  • Military:  2

One area that several people mentioned that was not covered by our jars was affordability of living (housing and food). We will take that into account when we design next year’s action for the Global Day of Action on Military Spending.

For more information check out https://demilitarize.org

GDAMS 2019

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Local to Global: Building Bridges for Peace

Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace Invites you to a free day of interactive workshops

Saturday, January 21st, 9:30-5:00 pm
Women’s Council House
989 Young AvenueHalifax NS

Vegan Lunch Provided –
Please RSVP for Lunch/ Snack purposes
to: peace@nsvow.org

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9:30 Doors Open for Coffee/Tea and Snacks

10:00 Opening Circle

10:15 Yvonne Atwell: Empowering Women through Non-Violent  Communication – Restorative approaches to building Relationships. This workshop will focus on using Circle process and other tools to develop and maintain restorative conversations.

11:30 – 12:15 – Connect to Women’s March on Washington – Halifax and enjoy Lunch provided by Food Not Bombs and Tarek’s

Note: anyone going to the March who would like to carry a Nova Scotia Voice of Women banner, pleases reply to peace@nsvow.org

12:15 Afternoon Opening Circle

12:30 Linda Christiansen-Ruffman, Dr. Nancy Covington and Sarah Morgan: Nuclear Basics and Nuclear Hazards:  Historic Local and Global Successes and Current Actions – Sarah Morgan will engage the audience in an interactive exercise on the importance of nuclear issues. Dr. Nancy Covington will present on Nuclear Basics and your Health. Linda Christiansen-Ruffman will discuss her history with nuclear  issues over time including some feminist successes. Presenters will engage with participants in a discussion around future challenges and actions.

2:00 – 2:30 Refreshment Break

2:30 Kate Everson with Dawn Penney & Candace Tattrie, PeacmakeHers

Goal-Setting Activity – We will look at our top priorities, how we are  spending most of our time, what our ideal life would look like and seeing how we can bring these aspects into alignment.  From there, we will create new goals for ourselves to help us  get to where we want to be in 5, 10 or even next year.
We are creating a space for you to brainstorm, share and expand on your ideas for a project you may have been thinking about your whole life, the past 6 months or even something you came up with during the goal setting activity. We are here to listen to your ideas and support you in any way  you need or want us to.

3:30 – 3:45 Stretch Break

3:45 – 4:40 Project Planning – Clarify your Goal & Action Plan

4:45 – Closing Circle

PLEASE COME AND JOIN IN THIS EXCITING DAY!!!

 

Conference, Awards Dinner and AGM

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Women Taking Action for Peace: Personal, Political, Global

Co-sponsored by Saint Mary’s University,  Canadian Voice of Women for Peace and Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace. Please join us at  Saint Mary’s University, Halifax from  November 4 to 6 for the annual Conference, Awards Dinner and AGM.

REGISTER HERE.

Friday, November 4 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Free Public Panel on Military Sexualized Violence

Location: Saint Mary’s University, Atrium Room 101 (wheelchair accessible) To get to the Atrium take the walkway which is farthest to the right as you look at the campus from Inglis Street. Room 101 is immediately to your right as you enter.

Shelly Whitman

 

Dr. Shelly Whitman  took the post of Executive Director of the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative (Dallaire Initiative) in January 2010. read more click here

 

 

Dr. Maya Eichler

 

Dr. Maya Eichler is Canada Research Chair in Social Innovation and Community Engagement and assistant professor in the Department of Political and Canadian Studies and the Department of Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax). read more here

Tamara Lorincz

 

Tamara Lorincz  on the national board of the Canadian Voice of Women and on the international advisory committee of the Global Network Against Nuclear Power and Weapons in Space with Dr. Helen Caldicott. read more here

Speakers and Workshops on Peace Initiatives: Past Successes and Current Challenges

Thanks to a generous donation, Saturday and Sunday Conference events and the Awards Dinner at Saint Mary’s University are now FREE for students and low income and PAY WHAT YOU CAN for anyone else. A light breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided for Saturday and Sunday daytime events, and a buffet dinner will be provided for Saturday evening. RSVP for Saturday and Sunday events is appreciated but not required. Contact peace@nsvow.org. 902-455-8544.

Saturday, November 5 from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Light breakfast, lunch and snacks provided.

Location: Saint Mary’s University, Unilever Lounge, Sobey Building, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (wheelchair accessible)

**Schedule subject to change.

8:30 a.m. -9:00 a.m Registration, light breakfast

9:00 a.m – 9:30 a.m. Opening

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Tribute to Ursula Franklin

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m “Creating the Successful Grassroots Movement to Ban Uranium Mining in Nova Scotgillian-and-donnaia”. Gillian Thomas andDonna Smythe will present on the activism they organized which was instrumental in bringing about a Moratorium which has permanently banned Uranium Mining in N.S.

Donna Smyth is author of several works of fiction and plays. read more click here

Gillian Thomas was a Professor of English and Co-ordinator of the Women’s Studies Programme at Saint Mary’s University. read more click here

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m – 12:00 pm “Why Human and Legal Inequality Exists for Women and Girls Who Survive Non-State Torture”. Exploring the patriarchal human rights discrimination that has existed at the United Nations level and how this filtered into national political legal resistance and the invisibility of women so tortured.

Photo by Teckles Photography Inc. Photo by Teckles Photography Inc.

Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald are human rights activists, independent scholars, and grass root supporters of persons who have suffered non-State torture. read more click here

 

 

 

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Lunch provided

1:30 p.m.-  2:00 p.m. “Reframing the Halifax Explosion as an Act of War”. The hundredth anniversary of the Halifax Explosion will be marked in 2017 read more here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2:00 p.m- 3:00 p.m.  Break out Groups – Planning for Action

  • Janet Maybee -“Making it Real: Storytelling and Street Theatre”
  • El Jones -“Spoken Word”

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. – 3 Mini Presentations

3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Group sessions

bridget-brownlowSession A -Discussion on the development and implementation of local and international peace education programming. Presenter is Bridget Brownlow, B.A.,M.A., Con. Res. Cert. is the Conflict Resolution Advisor for Saint Mary’s University.bridget-brownlow-biography

nancy-covington-newSession B -Dr. Nancy Covington –“Nuclear basics in a nuclear age”

– What we all need to know to make informed decisions.

Dr Nancy Covington is a retired family physician, graduate of Queen’s University and lives in Halifax, NS. read more click

 

Session C- TBA

4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.  Report back from group sessions

4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closing

Thanks to a generous donation, Saturday and Sunday Conference events and the Awards Dinner at Saint Mary’s University are now FREE for students and low income and PAY WHAT YOU CAN for anyone else. A light breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided for Saturday and Sunday daytime events, and a buffet dinner will be provided for Saturday evening. RSVP for Saturday and Sunday events is appreciated but not required. Contact peace@nsvow.org. 902-455-8544.                           

“Outstanding Women for Peace” Awards Dinner

Saturday, November 5 doors open at 5:30 p.m. Cash Bar, 6 p.m. Dinner. Program starts at 7 p.m.

Location: Saint Mary’s University, Unilever Lounge, Sobey Building, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (wheelchair accessible)

Awards:

  • Muriel Duckworth Award for Peace Activism
  • Shirley Farlinger Award for Peace Writings
  • Anne Goodman Award for Peace Education
  • Kim Phuc Youth Award

Entertainment by Sandy Greenberg,  El Jones and Erika Kulnys

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el-jones

erika-kulnys

 

 

 

 

 

Sandy Greenberg is a singer/songwriter/interpreter of songs, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar.  She sings about peace, women’s lives and more in her feisty, quirky and energetic style.read more click here.

El Jones is a spoken word activist and teacher. She was the two-time captain of the back-to-back national championship Halifax slam team in 2007 and 2008. read more here

Erika Kulnys “By possessing the ingenious intellect and activist zeal of Ani DiFranco combined with the poetic skepticism of Leonard Cohen read more here

Please email peace@nsvow.org with any dietary requirements.

 7:30 – 9:30 pm Awards and Entertainment

The Friday and Saturday events are all open to the public.  The Sunday AGM is for VOW members.  Women can join on Sunday if they wish to attend the AGM or renew your membership via http://www.nsvow.org/join-us/ or by mail to NSVOW, P.O. Box 33015, Quinpool Centre, Halifax, N.S. B3L 4T6

Future Challenges and VOW AGM

Sunday, November 6 from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm

Discussion of future VOW peace priorities and challenges and plans for the coming year.

National, Financial, Chapter and Camp Reports from across the country.

Election of Board of Director.

Reports from three VOW members on activities of the past year:

  • Tamara Lorincz will report on the submission she did on behalf of VOW for the Canadian Defence Review, entitled, “  From Preventive Diplomacy to Sustainable Peace”,
  •  Yusur Al Bahrani will report on her stay in Jordan, where she researched and wrote about women activists there
  • Lyn Adamson will report on her recent trip where joined 150 women activists from India and around the world gathered for a four day conference on peace and nonviolence.

Sunday, November 6 from  3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Reception at Black Cultural Centre in Cherry Brook

REGISTER HEREIf you would like to register under our “Pay What You Can” option, please email peace@nsvow.org, with the events you would like to attend.

PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

Wednesday, November 2, 5:00 – 9:00 pm Potluck

VOW members and friends are invited to a potluck supper to meet VOW National Coordinator, Sandra Ruch, and VOW Toronto member Linda Feldy, who will be in Halifax in preparation for the national VOW Conference, Awards Dinner and AGM. Contact peace@nsvow.org for location and details.

Thursday, November 3, Tamara Lorincz

Peace activist Tamara Lorincz will present a free lunch hour public talk, co-sponsored by NSVOW and the Dalhousie Centre for Foreign Policy Studies.  Entitled “A Climate for War? A Critical and Comparative Examination of Western Militaries’ Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Defence Expenditures” The talk will be held at Lord Dal Room, Henry Hicks Building, Dalhousie University from noon to 1 pm. The Henry Hicks building is in the middle of campus with the quadrangle in front of it.

Partners for Peace Documentary film and moderated discussion at Paul O’Regan Hall in the Halifax Central Library from 6-8:30 pm about a delegation from the Nobel Women’s Peace Initiative that went to Israel and Palestine to speak with women there. Facebook event

Friday, November 4 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm

 White poppy vigil in front of the Halifax Central Library .