Although Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presents himself as progressive, the Canadian government continues to act as a force of militarism and economic exploitation on the international stage. In this talk, Yves Engler (activist and author of 12 books including House of Mirrors: Justin Trudeau's Foreign Policy) discusses with Tamara Lorincz (academic and peace activist), moderated by Andrea Levy (Black Rose Books and Canadian Dimension). This talk occurs in the wake of a major open letter in the Toronto Star and a video by Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd), both opposing Canada’s bid for a UNSC seat, merely a few weeks before the vote.

In this talk, we will discuss why the international community should not reward bad behaviour, and should oppose Canada’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council. Canada is one of the world’s twelve largest arms exporters, and continues to back the nuclear-armed NATO alliance, reactionary forces across the Americas, and Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights. Already among the world’s highest per capita greenhouse gas emitters, Canada continues to expand the tar sands, often in violation of indigenous rights. Meanwhile, its mining companies are responsible for countless ecological and human rights abuses around the globe. Ottawa has even sabotaged or opposed UN initiatives on nuclear weapons, torture, glorification of Nazism, and the export of waste from rich to poor countries, while failing to ratify 50 International Labor Organization conventions.

Immense thanks to our partners:

• Ricochet Media
• Canadian Dimension
• Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
• Just Peace Advocates