Warhawks Harper and O 'Connor NOT Welcome in Halifax! : IMC Maritimes

* * * URGENT CALL TO ACTION* * *

Gordon O'Connor, Canada's Minister of National Defense, (and possibly PM
Stephen Harper) will be at the Halifax Naval Docks on Monday, June 26th at
12pm to announce $2.1 billion in federal funding to build three new supply
ships as part of the Conservative Government's new $15 billion injection
into military spending. Join other Canadians in voicing your opposition to
this gross misuse of Canadian tax dollars:

SAY NO TO WAR! SAY NO TO OCCUPATION! SAY NO TO MILITARIZATION!
SAY YES TO DEMOCRACY! SAY YES TO ACCOUNTABILITY! SAY YES TO PEACE!

...Meet at 11am...
RALLY and MARCH
MONDAY, JUNE 26
Grand Parade Square
(in front of City Hall)
Downtown Halifax
Bring noisemakers,
signs, and high spirits!

3 Key Points:

1) Our government is lining the pockets of military contractors: It's no
secret that O'Connor has also been an official lobbyist for several defence
industry companies including BAE Systems (1996 to 2004), General Dynamics
(1996 to 2001), Atlas Elektronik GmbH (1999 to 2004), and Airbus Military
(2001 to 2004). The minister is responsible for spending millions of dollars
in defence procurements, and is dealing with the very companies for whom he
advised for and assisted in soliciting defence contracts. One of the most
prominient companies bidding for the Canadian Armed Forces contract to
replace the present 'tactical airlift' fleet of C-130 Hercules Turboprops is
Airbus SAS, for whom O'Connor worked as a lobbyist until February 2004. The
government has certainly become more bold in its push for militarization,
with appointing a Minister who holds an explicit conflict-of-interest and
stands to profit directly from increased military spending.

2) Our government is increasing military spending to unilaterally involve us
in wars we don't support: Canada's military and naval command is being
quietly transformed from playing the part of peacekeeper with the United
Nations to that of fighting wars for/with the United States. Canada's
ever-increasing defence spending is rated as the seventh highest in NATO,
and will soon grow to the highest level since the Second World War. Already,
hundreds of Canadian secret commandos and snipers are fighting alongside US
soldiers in Afghanistan, and 2000 more troops are being sent to relieve US
forces in Kandahar so they can escalate their dwindling presence in occupied
Iraq. Meanwhile, Canada has slipped to the 36 highest contributor of
soldiers to U.N. peacekeeping. Do Canadians know what our military is being
sent to do? Is this how a democratic government should react to polls which
cite that "65% of Canadians disapprove of Canada's involvement in Iraq"
(Focus Canada, March 2003) and "62% of Canadians don't support sending
Canadian troops to Afghanistan" (Strategic Counsel, May 2006).

3) Our government is prioritizing wars overseas over the health of Canadians
at home: While the Conservative government has committed more than $15
billion to military spending, social programs in this country have
deteriorated and are being left the table scraps of federal funding. For
example, the Conservative federal budget cancels Canada's national early
learning and child care funding agreements, slashes funding for
environmental and aboriginal programs and provides no increased funding for
post-secondary education, cities and communities or health care. Instead,
the budget delivers tax cuts that provide limited, short-term relief
including over $21 billion in tax cuts in the next two years and more cuts
planned. By increasing military spending to exorbitant proportions, slashing
environmental programs, and focusing on band-aid fiscal steps, Stephen
Harper's government is putting the future of Canadians, their health, and
their autonomy in peril.

"We are the Canadian Forces, and our job is to be able to kill people."
- General Rick Hillier