An article originally published in Haaretz by award-wining journalist Netta Ahituv, resonates deeply with members of the board of Conscience Canada & friends. A couple of us even subscribed to Haaretz; we want to support this kind of journalism! 

Dr. Hasan & his wife invite people to contribute to efforts like this to provide relief in Gaza.

“When everyone who was able to flee from Gaza was doing so, Dr. David Hasan made the reverse journey. His story is a must-read for every Israeli.” The article continues, describing conditions in Gaza, and transforming statistics into people, loving and loved, people we can learn to love too. Dr. Hasan, a Palestinian born in Kuwait, has a deep connection to the place, the people. When he moved to the US, he “connected mainly with Jews and Israelis” who helped him acclimate. He changed his name from Emad to David. 

He went to Gaza to help not just Palestinians, but Israelis as well. Continue reading →

Let’s stop wasting the earth’s wealth on war!

A Montreal professor wrote the letter below, which we want to share as a great example of how to reach out to MPs about respecting the right to conscientious objection.
Thanks for sharing; our letters can inspire more and better 🙂

Dear Minister Freeland,

I am a part-time Teacher [in a university faculty], a dedicated citizen and community member who is deeply concerned about Canada’s investment in militarism and warfare. Myself, friends, family and colleagues are working and dedicated to life-giving practices and community building to support people who are disproportionately excluded from access to basic resources, including affordable housing, food, healthcare, and education.

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Mattan Helman, executive director of Refuser Solidarity Network, has a petition we hope you’ll sign, and share. Find it here: https://support.refuser.org/ .

Addressed to Israeli COs, it reads:

We, citizens of countries around the world, support your brave decision to refuse to take part in the Gaza genocide despite the persecution you face. 

Not only is refusal to participate in war crimes a moral imperative, it is crucial to ending the horrors of the war. By withdrawing your cooperation and disobeying, you are undermining Israel’s ability to continue destroying Gaza.

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SIPRI has just released their annual analysis of world military expenditure. They report that military spending worldwide increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of $2.43 trillion USD. That increase is the biggest since 2009 and highest level SIPRI has ever recorded. . . Spending per person was . . .

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For more info, endorsements or to donate contact wilpfcanada@gmail.com

If you are feeling overwhelmed or helpless by wars killing hundreds of thousands of innocents and tearing our world apart, the military’s disastrous impact on the climate and if you care about Truth and Reconciliation consider supporting the cross-country On to Ottawa Peace Caravan (May 2024).

This is a call to action to bring Canadians together to talk about how we can create positive change in the face of these interconnected concerns and threats.

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Participants in Winnipeg’s Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage on a frigid March 16th, 2024. (in front of Boeing Industries)

Conscientious objectors Ernie Wiens and Eric Unger participated in Winnipeg’s Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, one of over 140 around the world. The Pilgrimages are intended to draw attention to the relationship between the atrocities now happening in Gaza and the weapons industry and are inspired by Jesus’ way of healing justice.

The 42km route through Winnipeg symbolically mirrors the walk from Gaza City to Rafah, a journey which Palestinians have been forced to take because of Israel’s military assaults and forced evacuations.

Ernie’s speech in front of Boeing Industries’ Winnipeg factory provides details of Canadian profiteering from war. We have copied it below.

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-Global Days of Action on Military Spending

DISARMAMENT NOW TO SAVE PEOPLE & THE PLANET
Humanity is at a crossroads where political decisions on defence budgets will determine the trajectory of the multiple crises in which we are immersed.

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Photo from Women’s Views on News, 2016

If you’d like to learn more about conscientious objection to military taxation (why, how it’s not a tax evasion scheme!, consequences, etc) please join us for our upcoming information session Sunday, April 7, 2024. (Email janslakov @ proton.me (without the spaces) to get the link.
And members and friends are encouraged to join our AGM, via Zoom, on Sat. April 20 starting at 3:30pm Eastern. Please contact info@ consciencecanada.ca for the link (or a proxy form).

This year three conscientious objector organizations are sharing the prestigious Seán MacBride Peace Prize awarded by the International Peace Bureau (IPB).

Our House is a Belarusian civil society organization that helps Belarusian conscientious objectors, prevents children from being taken from their families for economic and political reasons, and responds to Belarusian army service issues.

In Russia, the Movement of Conscientious Objectors (MCO) or Движение Сознательных Отказчиков is a non-profit organization established in 2014 that aids young individuals in legally avoiding conscription into the military.

The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement was established in 2019 by activists involved in peaceful protests against conscription in Kyiv. The organization supports the right to refuse participation in war, ending the conflict in Ukraine, and striving for global peace.

In announcing the award the IPB said “In honoring these remarkable recipients, the 2023 Seán MacBride Peace Prize acknowledges the enduring importance of the right to conscientious objection and individual efforts to promote peace in the times that peace is being challenged. Their collective work reminds us that peace is not merely the absence of war, but a deliberate and courageous choice that can shape a better future for us all.”

Thanks to https://www.azquotes.com/ for this image!

We know there are children in Gaza who wish they had died along with the rest of their family. Being aware of the horrors of war, the genocide, can make it hard for us to feel joy and gratitude, yet we know these are needed for a better world.

Continue reading →