10th Memorial of 9/11
Dear Ceasefire.ca supporter,
Today is the 10th memorial of 9/11, and this week we did our very best to remind people about the tremendous cost that every Canadian has borne since that day. In fact, $92 billion is what our federal government has spent in wars and security in addition to what was already being spent before the terrorist attacks.
That number is so large, it’s hard to imagine! But economist David Macdonald, who authored the report “The Cost of 9/11,” says that for the same amount Canada could have
- rebuilt public transit systems for our 10 largest cities,
- provided $10-per-day child care for every family that wanted it, or
- paid for all medications prescribed by a doctor to you and every other Canadian.
Instead, successive governments have increased spending on national security by 105%, and it now reaches more than $34 billion each and every year. Two-thirds of that amount is consumed by the military, whose budget has nearly doubled.
At the release of our report, we warned journalists in Ottawa that there is a new “national security establishment” in Canada that is out of control. We always strive to push the debate, and to propose solutions that make sense.
That’s why we were very pleased when the headline emblazoned across the front page of the Ottawa Citizen said, “Post-9/11 security tab tops $92B: report. ‘Do we want to continue spending at this level?’ Rideau Institute study asks.”
Working together, we can encourage people to question war, and to work for peaceful solutions and make our lives better, while helping the world.
I encourage you to download our report, and share this note with your friends and colleagues on September 11, so that everyone can take a moment and consider what our government has done over the last decade, and where we want to lead our country in the next decade.
In peace,
Steven Staples, Ceasefire.ca