[sust-mar] We need your help "Drop The F-35 Deal" Weekend of Action & 11 upcoming events related to peace, earth and justice

Thu Jan 5 23:40:13 EST 2023

Hello and Happy New Year Sust-Mar!

We, the No Fighter Jets Coalition, really need your help to call on the Trudeau government to #DropTheF35Deal. The coalition is comprised of 25 peace and justice groups in Canada.

We have planned actions across the country this weekend to call on the Trudeau government to cancel its procurement of 16 Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighters for $7 billion. The Canadian Press reported before Christmas that the Treasury Board had given its approval to the Department of National Defence to place the first order of F-35s and that a formal announcement would be made by the federal government early in the new year. This is the second most expensive procurement in Canadian history. Each fighter jet is $430 million and costs approximately $48,000 CAD per hour to operate. The Trudeau government intends to buy 88 fighter jets over the next few years at a price tag of $19 billion but a life-cycle cost of over $77 billion.

We don’t need costly, carbon-intensive fighter jets – we need housing, healthcare, education, a care economy and climate action!

The “Drop the F-35 Deal” weekend of action will be held this Friday, January 6 to Sunday, January 8.  There are more than a dozen rallies taking place across the country from Victoria, British Columbia to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In Ottawa, there will be a big banner drop in front of Parliament at noon on Saturday, January 7. Please join an action near you: www.nofighterjets.ca<http://www.nofighterjets.ca>

TAKE ACTION:

  1.  Please sign this online letter to the Trudeau government here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/canada-drop-the-f-35-fighter-jet-deal

  1.  Please sign this parliamentary e-petition to the federal government here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4217  (remember, it is a two-step process so make sure to check your email to verify)

  1.  Read the coalition’s #DropTheF35Deal statement here: https://nofighterjets.ca/2022/12/30/dropthef35dealstatement/

  1.  Please contact the Prime Minister (pm at pm.gc.ca<mailto:pm at pm.gc.ca>), your MP and say you don’t want the Canadian government to buy new American fighter jets but want urgent social and environmental programs.

  1.  Please spread the word: Share No Fighter Jets posts: https://twitter.com/nofighterjets - Use the hashtags #NoFighterJets and #DropTheF35Deal

Share WILPF Canada’s posts on social media: https://twitter.com/wilpfcanada/status/1610852659405127680
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnBRM0lDmFC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=489767729974454&set=a.420236043594290

We have French resources (including a FR version of the network statement) on the No Fighter Jets webpage<https://nofighterjets.ca/dropthef35deal/>

For more information, please check out our report “Soaring: The Harms and Risks of Fighter Jets and Why Canada Must Not Buy a New Fleet”: https://wilpfcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/03-Harms-of-Fighter-Jets-Report_Final.pdf  and our report “From Acquisition to Disposal: Uncovering the True Costs of the 88 Fighter Jets”: https://worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Uncovering-the-True-Cost-of-88-New-Fighter-Jets-Report.pdf

Please find below a list of 11 upcoming events.

Best wishes for peace, earth and justice in 2023,
Tamara

(1)
WEBINAR: War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict
January 9, 2023 at 2pm ET
Activist and author Medea Benjamin
A Peace News / CND event.
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApc-yopjguHN0melY9ts3pvUBffC-RvVCq
More info at CND UK: https://cnduk.org/events/war-in-ukraine-making-sense-of-a-senseless-conflict-cnd-webinar/

(2)
WEBINAR: An Update on Palestine/Israel with Jeff Halper
Wednesday, 11th January 2023, 12 noon Eastern US time
ICAHD UK webinar register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvc-Ggpz4iGdWuO78HR4xF-3-ssG30x0R6
As we enter 2023 with trepidation - especially in Palestine/Israel where the new Israeli government of Ben Gvir, Smotrich & Netanyahu (in that order) has just been sworn in, we know that the fate of the Palestinians has been handed over to the murderous settlers hell bent on settling all of Palestine and violently repressing any Palestinian resistance.
Though we have seen a small measure of support for international law and Palestinian rights from the UN General Assembly which at the end of December voted to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory,” will this have any practical impact in calling Israel to account?
Hear from ICAHD’s Jeff Halper speaking from Jerusalem as he provides an update and opens the floor for questions and discussion.
Speaker: Jeff Halper is an Israeli-American anthropologist, author, lecturer, and political activist who has lived in Israel since 1973. He is the Director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD).

(3)
WEBINAR: Militarism, Climate and the War in Ukraine
January 11, 2023 at 5 PM PST/ 8PM EST
Join the IPPNW Canada to learn more about militarism, the climate and the war in Ukraine as Tamara Lorincz reflects on her time at COP27 and her trip to Russia, Finland, Latvia, Poland and Romania. For more information, visit the website: https://www.ippnwcanada.ca/archive/january-2023-speakers-series-announcement-tamara-lorincz
Organized by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Canada
To register, send an email to: admin at ippnwcanada.ca<mailto:admin at ippnwcanada.ca>

(4)
WEBINAR: Voices from Xinjiang
Time: Jan 14, 2023 07:00 PM Mountain Standard Time
China Solidarity Committee invites you to the 3rd Canada-China Friendship Forum
Topic: Voices from Xinjiang
Zoom Meeting ID: 820 8077 8368
Passcode: 489014
Organized by the Canada – China Friendship Forum

(5)
ONLINE EVENT: BAN PLUTONIUM REPROCESSING IN CANADA
Jan 19, 2023 07:00 PM
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B6miPpyXQTWY8ztklgsRcg
Plutonium is a byproduct of nuclear reactors. The separation of plutonium (and other isotopes) from irradiated fuel is called “reprocessing.” It is a dirty, dangerous and expensive process that leads to intractable radioactive waste problems and nuclear weapons proliferation risks.
"Reprocessing" nuclear fuel waste was informally banned in Canada in the 1970s. However, the nuclear industry is pushing for plutonium reprocessing and the use of extracted plutonium as reactor fuel in a new generation of so-called “small modular” nuclear reactors, claiming it is required to mitigate climate change.

This webinar features three expert speakers:
1.Ray Acheson is Director of Reaching Critical Will, the disarmament program of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and a member of the steering group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
2.M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security and professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, and a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials.
3. Joshua Frank is an environmental journalist, an editor of CounterPunch, and author of the recently released "Atomic Days: The Untold Story of the Most Toxic Place in America"

Hosted by Nuclear Waste Watch and co-sponsored by Beyond Nuclear, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Canadian Environmental Law Association, Coalition for Responsible Energy Development – New Brunswick, Conservation Council of New Brunswick, David Suzuki Foundation, Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Cooperative, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War – Canada , Northwatch, Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie, Science for Peace, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, and Voice of Women for Peace

(6)
WEBINAR: To Strike First: Preemptive Doctrines and Dangers of War in Northeast Asia
Mon January 16 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST
Register: https://actionnetwork.org/events/to-strike-first-preemptive-doctrines-and-dangers-of-war-in-northeast-asia
Is Northeast Asia of the 21st century following the footsteps of Europe at the dawn of the 20th century?
Just as major European leaders then believed “offense is the best defense” and tailored their military strategy to the belief, so the governments in Northeast Asia are racing to acquire the elusive pre-emptive capability that they believe will neutralize their adversary’s offensive power before it is used. Just as the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 ignited the powder keg of Europe to explode into World War I, is an accident in the Taiwan Strait or the Korean Peninsula going to set off a complex chain reaction that no one can control and that may lead to an outcome no one desires?
We will examine recent developments in the region, including North Korea’s legalization of nuclear weapons use and the Kishida government’s adoption of “counterattack capability,” to critically assess the region-wide arms race toward the first strike capability and the dangers of an accidental war in the region.
Jae-Jung SuhJae-Jung (J.J.) SUH is Professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies at International Christian University (Tokyo, Japan). He has served as Associate Professor and Director of Korea Studies at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University and Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at Cornell University, and is Visiting Scholar at Harvard-Yenching Institute for 2022-23. An expert on U.S.-Korea relations, U.S. policy toward Asia, international relations of East Asia, international security, and IR theory, he is currently working on regional orders in East Asia, human security, and North Korea. He is author of Power, Interest and Identity in Military Alliances (2007); Rethinking Security in East Asia: Identity, Power and Efficiency (2004); Truth and Reconciliation in the Republic of Korea: Between the Present and Future of the Korean Wars (2012); Origins of North Korea’s Juche: Colonialism, War, and Development (2012).

(7)
WEBINAR: War is Not Green: COP27 Reflections with Nancy Mancias, COP28 Look Ahead
Start: Friday, January 20, 2023 • 11:00 AM • Eastern Standard Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00)
Register:
https://actionnetwork.org/events/webinar-cop27-reflections-with-nancy-mancias-cop28-look-ahead
Organized by CODEPINK

(8)
WEBINAR: Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War: Social and Economic Costs of the Current Nuclear Weapons Buildup
Start: Saturday, January 21, 2023 • 1:00 PM • Eastern Standard Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00)
Please plan to join the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, Massachusetts Peace Action, and other co-sponsoring organizations for our Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War conference on January 21. With Archbishop John Wester, Phyllis Bennis, Medea Benjamin, Bill Hartung, five members of the CPDCS board and many others as speakers, 3 plenaries and 17 workshops it promises to be a major disarmament and peace event as we begin the new year.
Register: https://actionnetwork.org/events/reducing-the-threat-of-nuclear-war-social-and-economic-costs-of-the-current-nuclear-weapons-buildup

(9)
WEBINAR: Reaching a Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine: A Conversation with Jeffrey Sachs
January 25, 11 am CET (5 am ET!)
Organized by the International Peace Bureau: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUscuyuqjsoHNwQtYG2xET_MrnM0l8MLVuu

(10)
See CIPS list of events on Africa, Ukraine etc: https://www.cips-cepi.ca/

(11)
See lots of good peace events on the World BEYOND War web page: https://worldbeyondwar.org/events/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/sust-mar/attachments/20230106/ff40ef77/attachment-0001.htm>