January 26, 2022 on behalf of Canadian Foreign Policy Institute (CFPI)
For Immediate Release
Trudeau Stokes Tensions with Russia: Antiwar rallies planned across country on Saturday
January 26 2022 (Montreal) — Today the Trudeau government announced it will extend and expand Canada’s military mission to the Ukraine. The Libera’s have already deployed special forces, expanded the scope of Canada’s military mission, added Ukraine to Canada’s Automatic Firearms Country Control List and had a Crown Corporation build up Ukrainian ammunition production. The Trudeau government has also dispatched troops to Latvia, naval vessels to the Black Sea and fighter jets to Romania.
“Justin Trudeau should stop stoking tensions with Russia”, noted Canadian Foreign Policy Institute director Bianca Mugyenyi. “A NATO war with Russia would be cataclysmic.”
“Instead of aligning with Washington and London’s posture, Canada should support the less belligerent opinions of the French and German governments”, added Mugyenyi.
“It’s important to consider some basic facts about the conflict”, noted Tamara Lorincz, a fellow of the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute. “NATO countries spend $1.1 trillion on their militaries, which is nearly twenty times the Russian military budget of $61 billion. North American and British troops are also stationed all across Eastern Europe and the US has nuclear weapons in numerous European countries.”
“History shows that those with greater military might generally instigate conflicts though they often present their actions as defensive”, added Lorincz.
On Saturday, January 29, rallies are planned in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Waterloo, Regina and elsewhere to oppose Trudeau ratcheting up tensions with Russia. There will also be a social media campaign that day with the hashtags #StandForPeace #NoWarWithRussia #NeutralityForUkraine #CanadaOutOfNATO
Last week a coalition of peace groups and civil society organizations released a statement calling on the Trudeau government to de-escalate conflict between NATO and Russia. The statement is available here. The coalition also instigated a letter writing campaign that has seen 1000 email the prime minister.
“Even the head of Canada’s military recently noted that expanding NATO’s presence in Ukraine would increase the likelihood of conflict”, noted Mugyenyi. “Trudeau should listen to his Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre.”
According to the Globe and Mail, last month Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre expressed concern that “expanded NATO presence in Ukraine could provoke, rather than deter, Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
“The US, British and Canadian governments view the Ukraine as a proxy to weaken Russia,” said CFPI fellow Yves Engler. “As part of stoking anti-Russian ethnonationalism in the Ukraine the Canadian military has knowingly trained neo-Nazis who celebrate individuals who slaughtered Jews and Poles during World War II.”
For more information:
Bianca Mugyenyi, Director Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Phone: 514-436-7629 Email: info@foreignpolicy.ca
