BY JEFF SHANTZ
TORONTO — Despite the Canadian state's proud role as junior partner to US imperialism and the federal government's repeated statements of loyalty to Washington's war efforts, the anti-war movement in Canada had been slow off the blocks in mounting a campaign against participation in a war against the people of Iraq. However, anti-war mobilisations have begun to grow and take on more explicitly anti-corporate, if not yet anti-capitalist, politics.
On January 18, the largest single day of anti-war demonstrations in Canada since the Korean War took place as tens of thousands participated in cities and towns across the country.
More than 20,000 people protested in Toronto, 25,000 in Montreal, 20,000 in Vancouver, 3000 in Ottawa and 1600 in Halifax. As well, smaller numbers demonstrated in places as diverse as Thunder Bay, Victoria and Yellowknife. Never before in Canada have such numbers of people turned out prior to the start of a war.
Still, numbers never tell the whole story. The significance of the mobilisations is found in a few key characteristics. Firstly, the actions have not been limited to the larger cities but have taken place in a variety of settings, including industrial locations like Hamilton and Sudbury. Secondly, the demonstrations have put forward a strong message of opposition to any war against the Iraqi people, without regard for UN endorsement. Thirdly, anti-capitalist contingents in some cities have become more prominent and the inextricable links between war and capitalism have been more clearly made.
This last aspect should not be over-stated as organising is still dominated by reformist sectors and appeals to opposition parties. At the same time, recent direct actions suggest a promising shift in focus and strategy.
On January 20, more than 60 people attempted to enter the premises of the Northrop Grumman Canada Navigation Systems (formerly Litton Systems Canada) plant near Toronto. Weapons designed and produced at the plant include cruise missile guidance systems (used against the people of Iraq in 1991), weapons release computer sets for the F-4 Phantom fighter bomber and the F-111 fighter-bomber, guidance systems and navigational equipments for the F-22 air fighter and precision weapons systems, as well as other machinery of mass destruction.
Participants in the action, organised by Homes Not Bombs, requested the same "unfettered access" to the facility demanded (and received) by UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. Their request to present a proposal on how the company could be disarmed and converted to socially useful production was met with a terse reply asserting that "any inspections or technical discussions regarding our facility are subject to pre-approval by the Canadian government". Unsatisfied with the response, members of the "citizens weapon inspections team" made repeated attempts to get past security and police and enter the plant. Eventually eight people were arrested and charged with trespassing.
The action at Northrop Grumman followed earlier actions directed at weapons manufacturers in Ontario. Homes Not Bombs carried out a similar inspection attempt at Burlington's Wescam on December 10. On January 2, members of Hamilton Action for Social Change visited Wescam unannounced and attempted to present conversion plans.
These actions directly highlighted the connections between corporate profit and war preparation more directly than do marches past closed consulates.
From Green Left Weekly, January 29, 2003.
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