Archive | January, 2011

F-35 purchase: What do Canadians think?

The debate over the purchase of the F-35 continues, with Conservative and Liberal rhetoric on the issue growing increasingly heated. But does either party really care what Canadians think? An Ekos poll taken in November suggests that 54% of Canadians are opposed to the planned purchase. Other polls often show that Canadians prefer peacekeeping to combat […]

Activist coalition vows to oppose Obama as long as he supports the war

An American activist coalition, War is a Crime, is circulating a petition opposing President Obama’s renomination until he ends the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reverses a number of draconian war policies, and drastically cuts military spending.  The list has grown to include the names of many activists, professors, journalists, and politicians. The petition criticizes […]

Winslow Wheeler on F-35 purchase

In this written statement to the Standing Committee on National Defence, Director Winslow T. Wheeler of the Straus Military Reform Project uses his American experience to offer valuable insight to the Canadian government on the purchase of F-35 stealth fighters. (Winslow T. Wheeler,”Canada’s Next Generation Fighter Aircraft”, House of Commons: Parliament of Canada, December 2010).

Ernie Regehr awarded Pearson Peace Medal

Congratulations to Project Ploughshares’ co-founder Ernie Regehr on being awarded the Pearson Peace Medal! The medal is awarded by the United Nations Association in Canada to a Canadian who has personally contributed, through his or her working life and voluntary commitments, to causes to which Lester B. Pearson devoted his career: aid to the developing […]

Protesters in Halifax speak out against F-35

The Halifax Peace Coalition held a protest against the Conservative government’s decision to buy the F-35 fighter-bomber on January 17th, which was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and also the 50th anniversary of U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower’s speech warning of the dangers of the military-industrial complex (Moira Peters, “Pricy Jets a Nice Haul for Lockheed […]