Letter to Canadian MP: We are in a climate emergency, no new fighter jets!

 

November 22, 2021

Hon. Bardish Chagger, MP
100 Regina St S #360,
Waterloo, ON  N2J 4P9

Re: We are in a climate emergency & pandemic – oppose the $19 billion fighter jet purchase

Dear MP Chagger,

We are writing to inform you of our third Pan-Canadian Day of Action #NoNewFighterJets on Monday, November 22, which coincides with the opening of the new session of Parliament. There is a big demonstration on Parliament Hill today and actions that are taking place outside of the offices of Members of Parliament of all the political parties in cities from coast to coast including in Victoria, Vancouver, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Halifax. The actions are planned by dozens of Canadian peace and justice organizations. We are opposed to the federal government spending $19 billion on 88 new fighter jets with a life-cycle cost of $77 billion. We are in a climate emergency and a global pandemic exacerbated by social inequalities, the federal government needs to spend precious federal resources on these security challenges not a new weapons system.

In 2019, the federal government launched a competition for a fleet of new fighter jets. It is the second most expensive government procurement in Canadian history. The government is now evaluating submitted bids for Boeing’s Super Hornet, SAAB’s Gripen and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter. The federal government stated that it would select the winning bid in early 2022. Yet, fighter jets are for fighting, we need global peace and cooperation to deal with our common human security challenges.

Most critically, Canada cannot decarbonize and meet its Paris Agreement target if we buy carbon-intensive combat aircraft that will lock our country into fossil-fuel powered militarism for decades. We are asking you to put the well-being of Canadians and the planet first. We are asking you to let the government know we want the fighter jet procurement cancelled.

 

This past summer, over 100 high-profile Canadians such as Neil Young, David Suzuki, Naomi Klein, Sarah Harmer, Dr. Gabor Mate, restauranteurs, businessmen, medical professionals, academics and union leaders have signed an open letter calling on the federal government to cancel this procurement. Last spring, over 1,000 Canadians signed a parliamentary petition against the purchase. Please listen to Canadians. We want the federal government to invest in Indigenous services, health care, affordable housing, green jobs and a just recovery not new fighter jets.

Today’s Pan-Canadian Day of Action “No New Fighter Jets” is organized by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW), World Beyond War, Peace Brigades International-Canada, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Labour Against the Arms Trade, Pax Christi Toronto, Ottawa Raging Grannies, Pivot 2 Peace, Regina Peace Council, Canadian Peace Congress, Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, Victoria Peace Coalition, Just Peace Advocates, Winnipeg Peace Alliance, and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute.

Thank you for your time and attention. We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Tamara Lorincz
Canadian Voice of Women for Peace and WILPF-Canada
Waterloo, Ontario