The signs in Beirut and Tyre all say "Made In USA" but where are the signs saying "Made in Canada"?
From The Coalition To Oppose Arms Trade :
"Few Canadians realize that their country is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of advanced, war technology.
[M]any of Israel's most-deadly, US-made weapons systems--now being used in air strikes against Lebanon--would not be able to function without hundreds of crucial, high-tech, electronic components supplied by Canadian war industries, and subsidized unwittingly by Canadian taxpayers."
C.O.A.T. provides a list of "Made in Canada" parts for US attack helicopters and fighter bombers here.
And "subsidized by Canadian taxpayers?"
Scroll down the same page to see this list of Canada Pension Plan investments in companies in the arms business, dated March 2006.
As I already blogged back here, on April 27, 2006, the CPP Investment Board signed a global set of "Principles for Responsible Investing" published by the UN Environment Programme Financial Initiative (UNEPFI).
You can contact the CPP Investment Board here and tell them what you think about their policy of investing our pension money in warmongers.
Go on, take you two minutes.
Let them know "Made in Canada" is supposed to be something we're proud of.
Pictures from a great photo essay at CathiefromCanada.
10 comments:
thank alison....just emailed them and put my two cents in (they'll probably take 1 cent and invest in war shit)
Something we're proud of? Oh oh, you said the pride word, that won't get Harper's interest. Thanx for digging out this perspective.
Thanks for the CPP link - I will drop them a line. Unfortunately, I can't see our current government doing anything about this (except, perhaps, encouraging more investment in companies that produce weapons for the U.S.).
Hi all
I know you guys already know this CPP stuff but I like to get it out there every so often, spread it around, you know? I don't think enough people know about it yet.
So we should stop selling the high tech parts, so the U.S, can't sell weapons to Israel,then the Islamic Fascists can annihilate Israel,would that be what you want?
Anonymous :
Which "Islamic fascists" are you referring to here?
Canada's biggest arms client both in volume and dollars is Saudi Arabia.
My point in this post is that Canada is the sixth largest arms dealer in the world, slightly behind Germany and way ahead of China, and I don't think most Canadians would support having their taxes go to arms dealers of any nation if they knew about it.
Ironic you should mention Israel. Although there are many definitions of fascism, let's just go with Mussolini's, shall we?
- The marriage of state and corporate interests backed up by the military.
You must admit Israel achieves this particular cohesiveness far better than anyone else, and in this they are way way ahead of any Islamic country. The expression "Islamic fascists" is just silly in this context.
And finally, it is possible to support Israel's right to exist without also supporting those human endeavors likely to bring about the destruction of both Israel and the rest of the planet. It's just that for some of us, Israel's rights do not trump all others.
Hoo-hah!
how about Hizbollah then.Go on hug a terrorist!
Quite a stretch,Canada an arms dealer,we make electronic components for aircraft and missiles,etc. we are very good at it.Through-out Canada's history we have also made some of the finest fighting aircraft in the world.For you to assume few Canadians realize this is absurd.Only your tiny fringe cling to the idea that Canada is or should be neutral in world affairs when it comes to war,because nothing could be further from the truth.
Read the friggin post, Harbinger.
I do not say that most Canadians don't know we make electronic components. What I said was that most Canadians don't know that their pensions are invested in companies that make things like land mines.
And as you say on your own blog :
"I know the people of the region could live in peace with Israel, if terrorists and interlopers stopped interfering at every opportunity"
Selling arms to both sides of a conflict does rather qualify as interfering, wouldn't you say?
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