[sust-mar] Must watch Mumilaaq Qaqqaq's moving speech, "Canada is my country" poem, no fighter jets petition, and "Why Canada Needs an Agenda for Disarmament" June 21

[Tamara Lorincz]

Hello Sust-Mar,
This week's NATO summit, the Canadian government's lies that the alliance is about peace, security and democracy, and the fact that no Canadian politician has any courage to speak out against Canada's growing militarism and military spending have left me really depressed.
NATO's demand for more military spending and new weapons systems will prevent the international community from achieving the Paris Agreement climate target and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Also, I want to I urge you to watch the 8-minute farewell speech by Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, the 27-year old NDP MP for Nunavut, who is stepping away from politics and will no longer remain in the House of Commons: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/parliament-farewell-speeches-1.6067283
Please see her report on the "deplorable housing conditions" in Nunavut: https://www.aptnnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Qaqqaq.HousingReport.2021-1.pdf and please see the news report here: https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavut-mp-releases-report-on-territorys-housing-crisis/ and https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-mp-housing-report-decries-living-conditions-1.5965339
Her tour of the housing crisis and poverty in her territory last year led her to take a mental health leave and influenced her decision to quit politics.
Her moving speech reminded me that foreign policy starts at home and led me to write this quasi-poem below.

Canada is my country, a poem.
-Tamara Lorincz

I live in a country that has increased military spending<https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2021/6/pdf/210611-pr-2021-094-en.pdf> when Indigenous people live without the most basic security in dilapidated homes<https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavut-mp-releases-report-on-territorys-housing-crisis/> with dirty water.
I live in a country that is spending $800 million<https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/report-rapport/p3-en.html#234> more on NATO when more poor families are using food banks<https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/covid-19-caused-surge-in-demand-for-food-banks-which-was-already-on-the-rise-report-1.5209836>.
I live in a country that will not sign<https://www.thecanadafiles.com/articles/nato-countries-including-canada-thwarting-new-nuclear-weapons-ban-treaty-op-ed> a treaty to ban the most dangerous weapon of mass destruction.
I live in a country that just spent $3 billion<https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberals-unveil-3b-sole-source-deal-for-armoured-vehicles-ahead-of-election-1.4553214> in an untendered contract for new tanks when 235,000 people<https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-rate-of-homelessness-may-be-higher-than-reported-nanos-survey-1.5060801> are homeless.
I live in a country that is planning on spending $19 billion<https://ricochet.media/en/3108/spending-19-billion-on-fighter-jets-wont-fight-covid-19-or-climate-change> for new fighter jets when we are in a climate emergency.
I live in a country that is building warships for $77 billion<https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/cost-of-canadian-navy-warship-program-jumps-to-77-billion-says-pbo> instead of building affordable housing and public transit.
I live in a country that exports tanks<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/09/canada-doubles-weapons-sales-to-saudi-arabia-despite-moratorium> to Saudi Arabia for its war against starving Yemen.
I live in a country that sells rifles and bombs<https://www.international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/assets/pdfs/controls-controles/reports-rapports/military_goods-2020-marchandises_militaires-en.pdf> to Israel to kill Palestinians.
I live in a country that has illegal sanctions<http://www.couragecoalition.ca/canada-must-lift-sanctions-against-venezuela-amid-covid-19-pandemic/> against the suffering people of Venezuela, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria.
I live in a country that refuses<https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/09/05/special-forces-secrecy-impeded-probe-of-potential-wrongdoing-in-afghanistan-report-finds.html> to be held accountable for war crimes<https://nathanson.osgoode.yorku.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/BRIEF-TO-ICC-PROSECUTOR-BENSOUDA-C-Scott.pdf> committed against the people of Afghanistan.
I live in a country that has its guns and tanks<https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/military-operations/current-operations/operation-reassurance.html> pointed at the people of Russia.
I live in a country that feels no remorse for bombing<https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-contributed-a-disproportionate-amount-to-libya-air-strikes-sources> the people of Serbia, Libya, Syria and Iraq.
I live in a country that is building pipelines<https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/2/7/cost-of-trudeau-s-pipeline-wager-balloons-70-to-95-billion> for the extraction of the dirtiest oil<https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/alberta-canadas-tar-sands-is-growing-but-indigenous-people-fight-back> that is killing the climate and the future for our children.
Canada is my country.
***
It is urgent that Canada disarm for development. That we invest in human security not militarized security. Please come to our meeting next Monday.
WEBINAR MEETING: "WHY CANADA NEEDS AN AGENDA FOR DISARMAMENT"
Civil Society Meeting
Monday, June 21, 2021
4:00 - 5:30 PM PT/ 7:00 - 8:30 PM ET /8:00 - 9:30 PM AT
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqdu2vqzksGdDFg8qySI6sZJP2bgZG3gAQ

The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) is hosting a civil society meeting to build a grassroots national campaign to get the federal government to create an Agenda for Disarmament for Canada and to get all the political parties to make disarmament a priority. Help us stop the procurement of new weapons systems and the growing militarization of Canadian foreign policy and put disarmament and diplomacy at the centre of our international affairs.

Please join our discussion and share your ideas about how we can make disarmament a political priority in Canada. This event will be hosted by the VOW and supported by Science for Peace. All are welcome to attend.

Please read our 2-page handout "Why Canada Needs an Agenda for Disarmament" and find out more here: https://vowpeace.org/disarmament/

Finally, please sign the our petition "No New Fighter Jets" before this Friday, June 18: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3433
Have a good rest of your week.

In solidarity for peace, earth and justice,

Tamara
*PS: I am not really a member of any political party. I only joined the Greens last year to vote for Dimitri Lascaris but will not keep my membership.



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