Pierre Poilievre wants to look tough but bows to Donald Trump: McQuaig
Plus: Take our Peace Poll on the Ukraine war
Writing in the Toronto Star this week, columnist Linda McQuaig delves into the perplexing stance of Canadian politician and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
“So let me get this straight. Pierre Poilievre is going to make life more affordable for Canadians. Yet he’s going to ramp up our military spending wildly, as demanded by Donald Trump,” she writes.
Despite his claims of championing affordability for Canadians, Poilievre's alignment with Donald Trump's militaristic demands raises eyebrows. Even as Trump faces legal challenges, Poilievre, potentially Canada's future prime minister, appears ready to heed Trump's call for a significant boost in military spending.
He’s going to ramp up our military spending wildly, as demanded by Donald Trump
McQuaig points out the contradiction in Poilievre's image projection: while he presents himself as a gritty advocate for affordability, his willingness to comply with Trump's militaristic agenda suggests otherwise. Poilievre's endorsement of a substantial increase in military expenditure, echoing Trump's directives, would entail an annual $25 billion surge, a move at odds with the notion of enhancing affordability for Canadians.
Canada ranking as the sixth largest military spender among NATO members, but some commentators portray Canada as a small military spender because, like Trump, they measure military spending as a percentage of GDP, rather than in actual dollars.
She quotes this author writing in PeaceQuest:
“This makes our military spending look smaller, says Steven Staples, an analyst and writer for PeaceQuest.
“Yet, when we assess the military spending of our enemies, we tend to use actual dollar amounts, which makes their spending look bigger and therefore more of a threat — a threat that presumably must be countered with higher military spending on our part.
“Staples insists dollar amounts are the best measure of a country’s firepower, and, by that measure, Canada’s annual $29 billion military spending puts us among top NATO spenders, right behind countries that have nuclear weapons or host them,” she writes.
McQuaig calls for a shift away from the narrow focus on GDP percentage metrics and towards a broader consideration of genuine security needs and global challenges. By redirecting resources away from military buildup and towards initiatives like the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, Canada could potentially make a more meaningful contribution to global stability and well-being.
Take our Peace Poll: Canada and the Ukraine War
Today marks the beginning of the third year since the terrible and bloody invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation’s military on February 23, 2022. The war has not been going well for Ukraine, as the West’s attention has been refocused on the Middle East and other issues.
On Monday, our Defence Minister Bill Blair announced Canada will donate more than 800 drones to Ukraine worth an estimated $95 million. Since February, 2022, Canada has spent $9.7 billion supporting Ukraine, including $2.4 billion on military aid, reports CTV.
A new poll was released this week on Canadians’ views on the future of the conflict and foreign military aid to Ukraine. Take the 3-question poll yourself, then compare your answers to the findings of Spark Advocacy.
Take the poll: Canada and the Ukraine War (3 questions)
Has Canada paused arms export permits to Israel?
Earlier this month PeaceQuest published an article on 9 reasons why Trudeau should suspend arms exports to Israel. Now it seems he may have done just that.
This week National Post columnist John Ivison quotes a source that the Government of Canada has paused new arms export permits to Israel.
Canada has stopped issuing export permits to companies looking to sell military equipment to Israel, according to one person familiar with the matter.
The source says that Mélanie Joly’s office has issued instructions to staff at Global Affairs Canada to delay issuing permits that are required for weapons, firearms and components that could have a military use.
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The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich Are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth, by Linda McQuaig (2019, Paperback)
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