For immediate release
WHEN: October 2, 2020 International Day of Nonviolence 4pm-5pm
WHERE: 1888 Brunswick St, Office of Andy Fillmore MP, Halifax
On October 2, dozens of protests outside of MP offices from coast to coast will disrupt business-as-usual, demanding that the Canadian government reject the $19 billion purchase of 88 new fighter jets. Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace is calling for the Canadian government to direct these funds to green jobs, a just recovery from COVID, and above all to clean drinking water for First Nations.
Last year, the federal government launched a competition for a fleet of new fighter jets. This $19 billion procurement program is the second most expensive in Canadian history. Bids were submitted in July 2020 and Boeing’s Super Hornet, SAAB’s Gripen, and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 are in the competition. Finding $4.7 billion to meet the necessary protocols for water and wastewater services in First Nations communities (Federal study 2011) has not been as easy. In March 2016, the Trudeau government allocated $1.8 billion over five years for improving on reserve water and wastewater infrastructure and waste management, but $19 billion was an easy find for jets.
Government officials have said that the purchase is necessary for defense, yet the Royal Canadian Air Force has only been deployed in acts of aggression. We are concerned about carbon emissions, as the F-45 releases more carbon in one long-range flight than an automobile does in an entire year—28 metric tons of CO2 . Join us to demand a just recovery that prioritizes defunding militarization and redirecting funds to clean water for First Nations and a green and just recovery for all.
The National Day of Action is organized by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, World Beyond War and Peace Brigades International-Canada. It is also supported dozens of peace groups including the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Labour Against the Arms Trade, Pax Christi Toronto, Ottawa Raging Grannies, Regina Peace Council, Canadian Peace Congress, Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, Victoria Peace Coalition, Just Peace Advocates, Winnipeg Peace Alliance, and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute.
