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