Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network joins ILPS Canada and many other organizations to say: Canada, stop profiting off the arms trade! In 2022 the Canadian military spending reached over $36 billion which is set to increase by $8 billion over the next 5 years.
Canada’s involvement in the war industry and arms trades culminates every year in Ottawa with the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CANSEC), North America’s largest weapons and “defence industry” convention. There are representatives from weapons manufacturers, military technology companies, and government agencies from over 55 countries and with hundreds of exhibitors, all of whom profit from imperialist war and bloodshed.
Exhibitors at CANSEC include the Israeli government itself, the infamous Elbit Systems, targeted by Palestine Action in the UK, Palantir, Teledyne and more.
Despite what the government may claim, Canada’s involvement in the war industry is not for defense but rather to protect and maintain its imperial interests overseas while generating profits for the ruling class. The effects of Canadian arm sales and interventions in imperialist wars on ordinary people abroad are catastrophic. From its involvement in the war in Ukraine to the selling of weapons to reactionary regimes in places like Israel, the Philippines, and India, the Canadian state is no friend to the working people of the world. At home, the Canadian working class are made to suffer under rising inflation and a soaring cost of living as the government neglects the needs of the people in favour of profit.
Join us on May 31st at the EY Centre to shut down the biggest arm dealer convention in North America!
