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NS Voice of Women for Peace

11 hours ago

Please contact your MP! ... MoreLess

Ask your MP to support Bill C-230, Canada’s first environmental racism law

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Too often, pollution and environmental degradation disproportionately harm racialized communities. If passed, Bill C-230 will require the federal environment minister to develop a strategy on environm...

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NS Voice of Women for Peace

15 hours ago

Race and Party Platforms in the Coming Nova Scotia Elections

www.dal.ca

Panel discussion on racial politics in Nova Scotia

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NS Voice of Women for Peace

2 days ago

NSVOW is one of the signatories to the following letter to Prime Minister Trudeau urging him to end Canada's weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, some of which are being used in the Saudi-led war on Yemen.The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.Prime Minister of Canada80 Wellington StreetOttawa, Ontario K1A 0A2March 1, 2021Re: End Canada’s support of the war on Yemen and ongoing weapons exports to SaudiArabiaDear Prime Minister Trudeau,The undersigned, representing a cross-section of Canadian labour, arms control, human rights,international security, peace, and other civil society organizations, are writing to reiterate ourcontinued opposition to the Canadian government’s issuance of arms export permits to SaudiArabia.Now entering its sixth year, the war on Yemen has killed almost a quarter of a million people,and Yemen today remains the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 4 million people havebeen displaced because of the war, and 80% of the population, including 12.2 million children,are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.On February 4, 2021 President Joe Biden announced the US would be freezing all Americanarms sales to Saudi Arabia and ending all US support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen. A weekearlier, on January 25, 2021, a Global Day of Action to End the War on Yemen was held, whichincluded the participation of civil society, labour and anti-war groups from across Canada, withprotests, car caravans, events and arms-blockades in Vancouver, London, Hamilton, Montrealand Halifax.Germany and Italy have also recently banned or halted arms exports to Saudi Arabia, while theEU Parliament urged its members to halt arms sales to UAE and Saudi Arabia on February 11,2021.Canadian civil society has spoken out against the multi-billion-dollar arms deal with SaudiArabia since it was first signed, and has frequently highlighted the risks associated with the useof LAVs within Saudi Arabia in the context of broader human rights concerns, as well as in theYemen conflict, including the risk of weapons proliferation to Houthi forces.In March 2019, August 2019, April 2020 and September 2020 you received letters in whichdozens of organizations representing millions of people across Canada repeatedly raisedconcerns about the serious ethical, legal, human rights and humanitarian implications ofCanada’s ongoing arms exports to Saudi Arabia. We regret that, to date, no response to theseconcerns has been received from you or relevant Cabinet ministers. Two Canada-wide days ofaction were held on June 11, 2020 and September 21, 2020. These demanded that thegovernment end arms sales to Saudi Arabia and included demonstrations outside MP officesacross the country, the GDLS-C factory in London, Ontario, where LAVs sold to Saudi Arabiaare made, and GDLS-C’s headquarters in Ottawa.On September 28, 2020, the UN Human Rights Council named Canada as one of the partiesfuelling the ongoing war in Yemen by continuing arms sales to Saudi Arabia. It is unacceptable1that Canada is involved in this trade and disgraceful that Canada is the second-largest supplierof arms to the entire Middle East region. According to the Export of Military Goods report for2019, Canada exported approximately $3.8 billion to countries other than the U.S. $2.7 billion ofthis was to Saudi Arabia.In Human Rights Watch’s scathing 2021 World Report on Yemen, Canada is noted as one of thecountries that continues to supply arms to Saudi Arabia despite documented evidence ofcontinuing violations of laws of war by the coalition, and documentation of the use of Canadianweapons in the war.UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly documented that there is nomilitary solution possible in the current conflict in Yemen. The constant supply of arms to SaudiArabia only prolongs hostilities, and increases the suffering and numbers of the dead.Many Canadian companies are profiting from arming the worst humanitarian situation on theplanet. Some key companies involved in the arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other MiddleEastern countries that are part of the coalition involved in the war in Yemen are:❏ General Dynamics Land Systems❏ Streit Group❏ PGW Defense Technologies❏ Terradyne❏ IAG Guardian❏ Wescam❏ CAE❏ Bombardier❏ Pratt-Whitney Canada❏ Provincial Aerospace❏ Bell Helicopters Textron❏ Aeryon Labs❏ CMC Electronics❏ Newcon Optik❏ Robotics Centre❏ Viking AirSome of the GDLS sub-contractors in the LAV supply chain include:❏ Armatec (Dorchester, ON)❏ Attica Manufacturing inc. (London, ON)❏ Battlefield International (Cayuga, ON)❏ DEW Engineering (Miramichi, NB & Ottawa)❏ FPH Group (London, ON)❏ General Kinetics (Brampton, ON)❏ PRO Metal Industries (SK)❏ SED Systems (SK)Some companies in Canada involved in the transport of arms en route to Saudi Arabia are:❏ Port of Saint John, New Brunswick (port of call of Saudi national shipping company)❏ Port of Montreal (entry point for LAV cannons and turrets imported from Belgium byGeneral Dynamics Land Systems-Canada)❏ CN Rail (transports LAVs on rail)❏ Paddock Transport International (truck transportation of LAVs)Canada acceded to the international Arms Trade Treaty in September 2019. We ask theCanadian government to now ensure compliance with all the articles and principles of theTreaty.2Canada must end all arms exports to Saudi Arabia immediately and expand humanitarianaid for the people of Yemen.We recognize that the end of Canadian arms exports to Saudi Arabia will impact workers in thearms industry. We therefore urge the government to work with trade unions representingworkers in the arms industry to develop a plan that secures the livelihoods of those who wouldbe impacted by the suspension of arms exports to Saudi Arabia. Such a plan would includeproviding government support for the conversion of arms manufacturing facilities from armsproduction to peaceful, green production. This can be done in a phased manner so jobs are notlost, but the transformation must start now. We envision Canada taking on a role as a peacefulnation that promotes positive peace and human rights and that does not arm other countries,least of all those involved in war crimes and ongoing human rights abuses.Sincerely,Canada-Wide Peace and Justice NetworkSignatories:Canadian Coalition for Nuclear ResponsibilityCanadian Foreign Policy InstituteCanadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)Canadian Muslim Peace AllianceCanadian Peace CongressCanadian Peace InitiativeCanadian Voice of Women for PeaceCanadian Council of Muslim Women Niagara HaltonCanadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)Conscience CanadaCouncil of Canadians - Le Conseil des CanadiensDenman Island Peace GroupDigileak - NEWS Not NoiseEdmonton Raging GranniesFederation of Medical Women of Canada, Women's Peace and Security CommitteeFire This Time Movement for Social JusticeFriends for Peacebuilding and Conflict PreventionGlobal Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in SpaceThe Global Sunrise ProjectGroup of 78Hamilton Coalition To Stop The WarHiroshima Nagasaki Day CoalitionIndigene-CommunityInternational Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War CanadaJust Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix JusteKitchener Waterloo Chapter Council of CanadiansLabour Against the Arms TradeLeadnowMigrant Workers Alliance for ChangeMigrante CanadaMobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO)Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel (NMJPI)Nobel Women's Initiative3Nonviolence International CanadaNova Scotia Voice of Women for PeaceOPIRG BrockOttawa Peace and Environment Resource CentreOttawa QuakersOttawa Raging GranniesOur Lady's MissionariesPacifi (Canadians Organizing for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament)Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)Pax Christi TorontoPeace Alliance WinnipegPeace and Justice AlliancePeace Brigades International-CanadaPeace Magazine and Project Save the WorldPeople for Peace, LondonPivot2PeaceProtecting Canadian ChildrenRegina Peace CouncilReligions for Peace CanadaReligions pour la Paix - QuébecRights ActionSamidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity NetworkScience for PeaceServas CanadaSocialist Action / Ligue pour l’Action socialisteSustainable Development AssociationVancouver Peace PoppiesVictoria Peace CoalitionVictoria Raging GranniesWomen's International League for Peace and Freedom, CanadaWomen's International League for Peace and Freedom, Nanaimo BranchWorld BEYOND WarWorld BEYOND War VancouverWorld Beyond War VictoriaYemeni Community in CanadaCC: Hon. Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign AffairsHon. Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International TradeHon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of FinanceHon. Harjit Singh Sajjan, Minister of National DefenseHon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of the Official OppositionYves-François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc QuébécoisJagmeet Singh, Leader of the New Democratic Party of CanadaElizabeth May, Parliamentary Leader of the Green Party of CanadaAnnamie Paul, Leader of the Green Party of CanadaMichael Chong, Conservative Party of Canada Foreign Affairs CriticStéphane Bergeron, Bloc Québécois Foreign Affairs CriticJack Harris, New Democratic Party of Canada Foreign Affairs CriticPaul Manly, Green Party Foreign Affairs CriticJacqueline O’Neill, Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security4Additional ReferencesAmnesty International Canada, September 2020, letter to the Right Honourable Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau Re: Ongoing Weapons Exportsto Saudi ArabiaARIJ, February 2019, The End User: How did western weapons end up in the hands of ISIS andAQAP in Yemen?CAE, March 2017, CAE expands to new facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesCBC, February 2016, Canadian rifles may have fallen into Yemen rebel hands, likely via SaudiArabiaCeasefire.ca, May 2020, War, famine, and pandemic in Yemen but business as usual forCanadian arms exportsDefense World, May 2017, CAE to provide drone training to UAE Air ForceGlobe and Mail, April 2020, Opinion: In the midst of our COVID-19 crisis, Canada lifted itsmoratorium on arms exports to Saudi ArabiaGovernment of Canada, November 2019, MEMORANDUM FOR INFORMATION: Update onexport permits to Saudi ArabiaJournal de Montréal, January 2019, Des armes fabriquées au Québec pour la guerre au YémenThe Leveller, October 2020, Canada & the Arms Trade: Fuelling war in Yemen & beyondNational Observer, November 2018, Is Saudi Arabia deploying Canadian-made weapons inYemen?Project Ploughshares, May 2020, Open letter re: Ottawa's decision to lift moratorium on Saudiarms exportsProject Ploughshares, September 2020, Analyzing Canada's 2019 Exports of Military GoodsreportProject Ploughshares, Top 5 Arms Exporters to Saudi Arabia 2014-2018Radio Canada International, October 2019, ... 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NS Voice of Women for Peace

1 week ago

Join NSVOW for "Knot Bombs - stitching Peace Together" .... ... MoreLess

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NS Voice of Women for Peace

4 weeks ago

...and there is this. A great lunch time opportunity!We're just four days away from the inaugural Del & Wanita Smyth Lecture!Join us for this FREE virtual event featuring prominent thinkers K'eguro Macharia, Zakiyyah Iman Jackson, Rinaldo Walcott and Christina Sharpe: https://bit.ly/3sddXNr ... MoreLess

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NS Voice of Women for Peace

4 weeks ago

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