Theresa Wolfwood
1022 McGregor Ave.
Victoria, BC, V8S 3T9 July 2, 2016
To: Hon. Harjit Sajjan. MP
Minister of National Defence,
House of Commons.
Ottawa, ON. K1A 0A6 E: DND_MND@forces.gc.ca
The main challenges to Canada’s security, including our social, economic and environmental security, are the growing gap of assets and earnings between the poor and the rich, and the power of a small elite at the local, national and international levels to control resources, including water, mineral and energy resources and to use military power and arms production and sales to achieve this control. Canada is losing its resources and has no power to direct their use or conserve them for future generations.
Canada is one of the world’s largest exporters of uranium which is used in many countries to manufacture nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. Radiation from both these uses threatens all humanity. The USA and probably other countries are updating their nuclear weapon arsenals. The devastation created by a nuclear accident or deliberate use of nuclear weapons would be irreparable and irreversible.
This same mall elite wields great power over governments and society, Canada included. A major challenge to our security is the constant threat to our democracy and institutions by these wealthy and powerful people, corporations and institutions, including trade agreements. The poor and disenfranchised of the world are resorting to acts of violence that are unpredictable and unpreventable. The only hope is for Canada’s government and governments of the entire world to dedicate themselves to creating a just and equitable global society and to enact the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other declarations of social justice everywhere. All should agree to o end the production of arms (which is subsidized in Canada on several levels by our taxes) and to promote the production of sustainable and environmentally energy and technology. We must end arms sales abroad and carefully control the limited production of armaments for Canadian use. We should re-direct revenues that now support the military and military industry to social and environmental needs in Canada and for the most vulnerable of the world’s citizens.
The role of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in addressing current threats and challenges:
The best role that our armed forces can have in addressing these threats would be to end all Canadian military activity outside Canada, to severely reduce our military and to democratize it by creating an open civil defense role which includes civilians who are prepared to prevent and respond to environmental disasters. We should not have any foreign military in Canada; our military should be reorganized to react independently of foreign governments. Canada could take a leading role in peace-making in global conflicts, something we cannot do if we are committed to military action abroad.
The resources and capabilities needed to carry out the CAF mandate:
The major resources needed are the political will, wisdom understanding of our society and government to realize that we can expand and implement existing institutions of universality of rights and democracy and create new way to ensure s a dignified and secure life which protect the present and future generations of humanity and the world we live in. We need to rethink and phase out the military imperative and to work towards local, national and global cooperation, not domination. We must abandon the philosophy “might is right” which permeates our culture. This is our best and only defense.
Respectfully submitted,
Thesesa Wolfwood
