By Mary Groh

Resolution: Be it resolved that Canada would be more secure if funding were re-allocated from the military to development at home and abroad.

Speaker for the Resolution: Professor Constance Candida
Speaker against the Resolution: Retired General Warren Shuter
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Report on Conscience Canada Annual General Meeting, March 31, 2012, 2:00 pm at Friend’s House, 60 Lowther Street, Toronto

Ten members attended this year’s AGM with 18 additional proxies. Mary Groh, of Toronto, President of the board, presided over the meeting. Persons willing to remain as board members and be accepted were: Mary Groh of Toronto ON, Anna Kirkpatrick of Nelson B.C., Murray Lumley of Toronto ON, Jan Slakov of Salt Spring Island B.C. and Don Woodside of Hamilton ON. Benno Barg, of Kitchener-Waterloo ON resigned from the board, effective March 31, 2012 and Bryan Eelhart of Toronto ON also resigned from the board, effective March 12, 2012. Newly elected to the board were Dave Bechtel of Kitchener-Waterloo ON, Dwyer Sullivan of Kitchener-Waterloo ON and Eric Unger of Winnipeg MB.
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Last week we saw with our eyes money being scooped up and removed from the highway (Brinks truck accident on its way from the Mint). That bizarre TV image helps us visualize what we are hearing this week–Canadian tax money being scooped up. But instead of being rescued and put into useful circulation, it is being shovelled straight into a black hole (Lockheed Martin and other arms producers).

People who have been elected to operate and build up a country of peace-loving people by the intelligent distribution of our wealth have chosen instead to divert our money from what Canadians need and to shovel it by the billions into jet fighter planes. If the F-35′s ever function at all it will not be for constructive purposes.

Are our ministers in fact still free moral agents, or are they caught in the military-industrial web? If so, they must start right now to try to extricate themselves, because get out of it we must, for the health of our country and the peace of the world.

Mary Groh, president
Conscience Canada

This letter was sent to the Victoria Times-Colonist. It was inspired by Dominique Boisvert & Bruna Nota; see the post below.

Dear Editor,

“This is the most distorted hijacking of a procurement process you could ever make.” So says Alan Williams, former DND assistant deputy minister for materiel about the path leading to the proposed replacement of CF-18s with F-35 fighter jets.

The military industrial complex which former General and US President Dwight Eisenhower warned us of, is notorious for wasteful public-private partnerships that can bankrupt nations and lead to dangerous levels of power and wealth for war profiteers. Jeff Davis’ March 26 article on Lockheed-Martin’s F-35 underlines the validity of this view.

There are real threats to future well-being and security, arising from the totally unsustainable way our economy operates. Our government tells us that industrial projects which jeopardize our future are in the “national interest”. Wasting billions of dollars on fighter jets that would be virtually useless for protecting Canada’s territory or for peace-keeping is supposedly also good for Canada.

Another world, another Canada, are possible. Elizabeth May got out her “Green scissors” to propose alternate ways to cut the deficit and meet real needs.

Sincerely, Jan Slakov

(250) 537-5251

Hello friends,

This is a letter (inspired from my good friend Dominique Boisvert) I sent this morning to:

Stephen Harper <pm@pm.gc.ca> , Peter MacKay <dnd_mdn@forces.gc.ca> , Thomas Mulcair <thomas.mulcair@parl.gc.ca>,

Bob Rae <RaeB@parl.gc.ca> , Elizabeth May <Elilzabeth.May@parl.gc.ca>

and cc. to: thecurrent@cbc.ca, CBC As It Happens <aih@cbc.ca>, Globe and Mail Mail <letters@globeandmail.ca>, Star Toronto <lettertoed@thestar.ca>, Letters Now <letters@nowtoronoto.com>

I think this issue has ‘legs’ and we can do some real work with it.

Peace,

Bruna

MINISTRY OF THE DEFENSE OR OF WAR?

The scandal of the F-35 has lasted long enough!

Ministerial irresponsibility is not excused by the influence the military establishment or the military industrial complex exert. Nor is it acceptable for the government to lie repeatedly to Parliament and to Canadians. It was known to all (except maybe to the Government?) that the costs quoted were widely under estimated.

This is administrative improvisation. For a government that boasts its fiscal expertise, this is a resounding fiasco!

But beyond this political disaster, it is high time to ask ourselves: “Do we really need F-35?” And the response is a resounding NO. Without ambiguity. First because even these “Cadillac” hunting planes will never be able to defend the Canadian territory: it is militarily indefensible. The only potential enemies Canada is facing are the United States and Russia. The F-35 would be insufficient to deter them. And to top it up, the F-35 are not suitable for our northern climate.

More fundamentally, the F-35 are essentially fighter jets, conceived for offensive missions. Canada has always rejected these before the present Conservative government. Canada has a venerable, fruitful and solid history of building peace via diplomacy and peacekeeping with the United Nations. The Canadian electorate has not given a mandate of bellicosity to its government.

Yes, the F-18 will soon have to be replaced and this should give us pause to evaluate the role of the Canadian army. If the army is to ensure our territorial defense, the F-35 are useless. If the army is meant to ensure Canada’s fair share of the international responsibility in security matters and of peace in the world, the money is misallocated. For upward of $25 billions the money would be better used to finance prevention, development assistance and multilateral diplomacy: all things that the present government is scuttling to the advantage of partisan and belligerent positions.

Bruna Nota

901-70 Mill St.

Toronto ON M5A 4R1

April 4 2012

On February 22, Conscience Canada members in Nelson BC held a Peace Cafe. The evening began with a delicious meal prepared by Soups in Season.

We were fortunate to have MP Alex Atamanenko join us and he spoke about Bill C-363. Next we watched two informative and inspiring documentaries: “Work For Peace Stop Paying for War” and “Contempt of Conscience”. At the end of the evening we had a chance for questions and discussion.

Are you interested in holding a similar event in your community? Please get in touch! Conscience Canada can provide support and various resources including DVDs and other publicity material.

Dear Conscience Canada members and supporters,
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The 2011 Peace Tax Return is now online here, along with our most recent newsletter, available here. (more…)

Amid the various commemorations of the War of 1812 that have been underway, those who wish to remember the peace church pioneers are also engaged in the bicentennial of the war. (more…)

This Year Wear a White Poppy…

to commemorate all victims of war
to mourn the environmental devastation it causes
to reject war as a tool for social change
to call for dialog and peaceful conflict resolution
to show your commitment to building a better future

…because remembering is important, but it isn’t enough
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