If Canada signs a missile defence agreement with the US, it will severely constrain our sovereignty and independence. How can we help to defend the US against retaliation yet refuse to participate in their military adventures? After all, as Bush is fond of saying, “You’re either with us or you’re against us.” Do we really believe that we can be both?
Mel Hurtig, in his new book, Rushing to Armageddon contends that this is the most critical foreign policy decision that Canada has ever faced.
We are at a critical stage regarding Canadian involvement in US anti-ballistic missile defence. All indications are that the government is going to sign an agreement for the militarization of space. Canada already agreed this year to let the US use all our radar installations.
Although our pro-Star Wars prime minister has committed to a parliamentary vote, a majority from a divided Liberal Party can easily get the support they need from the Conservatives and claim a “democratic” victory.
Our only hope is to demonstrate massive public opposition before that happens. We know from the Ipsos-Reid poll that was commissioned last April that 69 percent of Canadians are opposed. Unfortunately, most of them have not been sufficiently motivated to express their views.
The website www.ceasefire.ca has a number of letters opposing missile defence that you can modify or just send as is to Paul Martin and members of Parliament. Take a few moments to send a letter, if you have not already done so.
In case you haven’t been following the debate, a US missile defence system will create a new global arms race whether or not it will work, as countries prepare to defend themselves. Several important missile defence treaties have already been broken by the USA and arms analysts say that the US plans to build a missile defence system so that it has the option of a first strike with nuclear weapons. What is often overlooked is that it is very simple to deliver a nuclear warhead in a suitcase anywhere in the world and missiles and even nuclear subs are useless as defensive weapons.
See www.ceasefire.ca for more info.