Dear Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Ms. Freeland, Dear Revenue Minister Ms. Lebouthillier, Dear Party Leaders, Dear TSP MP Ms. Bennett,

As with every taxation year for a very long time now, along with my Government Tax Return I file my Peace Tax Return. In the absence of a governmental possibility to redirect to life sustaining initiatives the taxes that go to the military and to the destruction of human and other-than-human life on earth, I have arranged my financial matters in a way that I do not contribute to these destructive expenditures. I have actually redirected all my taxable income to organizations that provide reparation for the results of the distorted government spending priorities.

Wars and the military-industrial complex contribute significant global emissions from cradle to grave: extraction of raw materials, fabrication, training and execution of military operations and the necessary rebuilding post conflict. Even more significantly the culture imbedded in the military-aggressive-competitive is diametrically contrary to the collaborative and nurturing culture essential for satisfying life on earth for human and all other-than-human beings.

We continue to see the budgets allocated to the military-industrial complex ballooning under the false presumption that they provide security, while real human security is submitted to austerity and regular cuts.

Canada’s quality of life is diminishing year over year. Ever larger number of workers don’t receive living wages; people on welfare or disability benefits are put in the position to choose assisted suicide for lack of dignified assistance; the number of precariously housed and homeless people is increasing; health care is under extreme strains; Indigenous Peoples continue to be exploited by the system that effectively refuses to make adequate reparation for the damages inflicted under colonization; environmental threats are multipying.

Human security is the real security a responsible government should provide. Freedom from fear. Freedom from want.

I chose to emigrate to Canada from Italy in 1970 primarily because of its fair taxation system. Over the years the fiscal imbalance between super-rich and the average citizen, as well as between destructive and vital industries, has widened to a level my conscience cannot abide. Therefore I protest by withholding all my taxable income and allocating it instead to remedy these wrongs, in the small proportion I can. I am also actively inviting friends and family members to do the same in the hope that we can influence all of you who are making decisions for all of us, Canadian citizens.

In sadness,

BCN
*********************
Dear party leaders, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Revenue Minister Diane LeBouthillier and my MP Rachel Blaney,

If we truly wanted justice and peace on earth, we would invest in supporting those who work for those goals directly and in building our capacity to negotiate fair peace agreements.

Instead, we, as a nation, are aiming to increase military spending in line with pressure from other NATO countries and we contribute to undermining global security and well-being in so many ways. These include participating in military exercises very close to the borders of nations our media (including most politicians) portray as “the enemy”, failing to do our part to reduce the threat of ecological collapse, undermining democracies in several places, including Haiti, supporting economic structures and institutions that reward unethical behaviour and undermine democracy; the list could go on.

Do you really believe that retaliating against Russian troops and sending more weapons to Ukraine is a good way to lessen the corruption and authoritarianism that plague both Russia and Ukraine, and to promote peace?

It’s important to make good use of any opportunity to build peace. As terrible as many actions of the Chinese government are, it seems clear that that government truly wants peace for Ukraine and Russia. We can help build better relations, not only for those countries, but also between Canada and China, by supporting their peace efforts.

I highly recommend this article: “Why peace negotiations haven’t gained any traction in the Ukraine war – and how the stalemate could be broken” https://theconversation.com/why-peace-negotiations-havent-gained-any-traction-in-the-ukraine-war-and-how-the-stalemate-could-be-broken-200913 by Paul Komasaroff, Christopher Lamb and Paul James to better understand why peace efforts so far are failing and what we could do to change that.

These authors suggest that practitioners of humanitarian diplomacy, from civil society, would be more likely to be successful in working to help those involved in the war reach a viable peace agreement than state-sponsored diplomats. One interesting proposal for using computer-assisted negotiating tools is outlined here: https://www.smartsettleresolutions.com/post/negotiating-peace-in-ukraine .

Because I cannot, in good conscience, contribute to the discourse and use of resources that fuel war and militarism, I am sending a Peace Tax Return with my taxes.

I ask that you work to see that the First Freedom: freedom of conscience and religion, be respected in Canada. Since it is our resources, more than our bodies, which are conscripted now, to make that Freedom meaningful, we need the government to ensure that conscientious objectors can ensure that none of their taxes will be used for war and militarism.

Although the saying “take the toys away from the boys” is a gross over-simplification of the what is needed to bring an end to war, I feel there is real validity in that idea. Instead of feeding the weapons and war frenzy, we need to support those with peace-building skills, including people in Russia and other nations who have risked so much to oppose the war. We are failing to do so; it’s past time that we direct our efforts towards truly building peace and justice.

Sincerely,

Jan Slakov