The Dominion - arms industry

Arms makers see opportunity in Gulf tension

hillarybain — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:01:37 +0000

You can always count on the business section of the Globe to give you the real news, without the spin.

M777 artillery gun

dru — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 14:37:42 +0000

A Canadian M777 artillery gun at Sperwan Ghar in Afghanistan. The stated focus of the NATO mission is "to help Afghans rebuild their lives, families, communities and nation."

New Brunswick's New Business

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 17:08:45 +0000

An afternoon at an arms convention with some nice folks

David Innis stands by the NBAD display at a military trade show in Halifax. photo: Chris Arsenault

David Innis doesn't seem like a bad guy.

He's got a warm red face, a half-decent tie and wants to bring investment and jobs to New Brunswick.

But, as chairman of the New Brunswick Aerospace Defence Association (NBADA), Innis is essentially an arms dealer.

His job is to lure more military -- excuse me-- 'aerospace and defence' investment to the province.

"New Brunswick has a pretty well-established defence industry," Innis said while working the NBADA booth at a military trade show in Halifax in September.

The New Brunswick Aerospace Defence Association, including some 60 companies, "was born five years ago to give the businesses and the companies themselves a forum or an opportunity to engage in this industry in a more co-operative manner and engage the world that exists out there," Innis said.

And what a world it is. Inside the convention centre, government functionaries with receding hairlines and businessmen in grey suits brush shoulders with soldiers in military fatigues. Several hundred people interested in the business of war have gathered for this spectacle.

On the convention's second floor sits the main presentation room, where major arms makers like Boeing explain how smaller firms can win subcontracts on their projects. Boeing's rep reads from prepared notes, bragging how his firm produces one-third of all satellites currently in orbit and generated $54.8 billion in revenue from 145 countries in 2005. The PowerPoint presentation on the screen behind the rep shows white missiles blasting into blue sky, with a superimposed American flag in the background.

Boeing's PowerPoint presentation plays like a bad Nickelback video, complete with a hard-rock song entitled 'Anywhere, Anytime' that seems to have been written especially for the weapons firm.

With clients in 145 countries, the company is certainly ready to get paid by 'anyone at anytime,' selling weapons to both sides in various wars.

"As everything is becoming more global, we really have to step forward and look at the industry in a larger context than we have in the past. It involves an awful lot more networking," Innis said. The New Brunswick table is fairly small and not too impressive compared to major players like General Dynamics Canada, Raytheon and Boeing.

Many companies at the arms fair offer bowls of Werther's Originals or Campino hard candy on their displays. Buying missiles, armoured personnel carriers and aircraft components should, after all, be a sweet affair.

Many New Brunswick weapons firms are small subcontractors making component parts for large war machines. One of the province's defence "success stories," according to a government press release, is DEW Engineering, who operate a 100,000 square-foot facility in Miramichi.

This firm produces, among other things, "add-on armour for the world market". Vehicles like Army Stryker, involved in the occupation of Iraq, use this sort of add-on armour.

"New Brunswick has everything that it needs to fully participate in this industry," Innis said.

When people who sell weapons talk about their industry, concepts like war, kill, maimed kids, vanquished infrastructure and greed rarely fall into the lexicon. It's a 'defence industry' not a 'weapons that kill people' industry.

In his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the American people, and by extension the rest of us, a serious warning.

"We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex," said Eisenhower.

Today, the influence of the military industrial complex is beyond unwarranted; it is all encompassing.

In 2005, the United States spent $455 billion on its military; more than the combined total of the 32 next most powerful nations, notes a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

In 2005, Canada was already the seventh largest military spender of the 26 countries in NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"For the price of one military helicopter, the government could build 1,000 homes to shelter Canada's homeless," notes a report from the Polaris Institute, a left-leaning think tank based in Ottawa.

During the last week of June 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced $15 billion in new spending on military vehicles, including transport planes, heavy-lift helicopters, troop carrier ships and trucks, to be spent over the next number of years.

Chris Arsenault spends an afternoon at an arms convention with some nice folks.

Making War in Canada

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:56:53 +0000

Canada produces military equipment used in attacks on Lebanon, Palestine

F-16s under construction. Many federally-subsidized Canadian firms make components for the F-16, the F-15 and the Apache helicopter, all in use by the Israeli Air Force in Lebanon and the Occupied Territories.

Canadian companies and taxpayers played an important role in the production of much of the military equipment that is currently being used to bomb villages, neighbourhoods and key infrastructure in Lebanon and carry out military operations in Gaza. That is the conclusion of research compiled by the Ottawa-based Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT).

CTV.ca recently reported on the tens of billions of dollars in military aid supplied to Israel by the US government. COAT, however, says that aside from diplomatic support for Israeli bombing, Canadian taxpayers are also doing their part in military support, albeit indirectly.

According to research conducted by COAT's Richard Sanders, F-16 "fighting falcon" and F-15 "eagle" fighter/bombers, as well as Apache helicopters, partly owe their existence to Canadian contractors, government subsidies, and investments from the Canada Pension Plan.

Companies like Canadair, CMC Electronics, and Magellan Aerospace, for example, are responsible for making parts for infrared guidance systems, radar equipment, and training simulators for F-15s. Many of the same companies receive subsidies from the Canadian government under programs like Industry Canada's "Technology Partnerships Canada".

According to COAT, Canadian war industries have received about $5 billion in grants and unpaid loans over the last 30 years. Additionally, the Canada Pension Plan has invested at least $282 million in arms manufacturers like Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon.

Designed by Seattle-based Boeing, the F-15 has been widely used in bomb and rocket attacks in civilian areas in Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed over 1000 people, injured an estimated 3000, and displaced nearly one million people--a quarter of Lebanon's population. Bombing of key infrastructure such as airports and bridges has caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, and oil slicks cover Lebanon's coastine. Reports typically do not identify the aircraft used, though many mention F-15s and F-16s.

South of Lebanon, however, locals have learned to differentiate between Israeli aircraft.

"From a young age every Palestinian child learns to distinguish the Apache's sound and associate it with assassinations, destruction and blood in the street," Shawan Jabarin, general director of the Palestinian human rights group al-Haq, told the Guardian.

"For Palestinians, it's a symbol of indiscriminate military violence."

Israeli officials do not deny using aircraft like the "Apache" and the "Eagle" for political assassinations (over 150 leaders have been assassinated in the last five years), though officials claim that operations are carried out for anti-terrorism purposes. Last October, Israeli Captain Yael Hartmann told The New Standard journalist Jon Elmer that a Gazan school was targeted because "it was bringing up the next generation of Hamas members."

Over a dozen Canadian companies make components used in the Apache, and the Canada Pension Plan has invested $71 million in Boeing, the primary contractor involved in its production.

Lockheed Martin's F-16 "fighting falcon" is also familiar to Gaza residents. After Israeli settlers withdrew from Gaza, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) began subjecting populated areas to sonic booms by flying F-16s at low altitudes over the Gaza strip. With its massive number of refugees, the Gaza strip is among the most densely populated areas in the world.

The flights continued day and night for months, often timed to coincide with a dawn call to prayer. "Although it is not lethal, it can lead to death indirectly, of unborn children. It can lead to highly traumatizing effects on children particularly, and adults too," a Palestinian psychiatrist told Al-Jazeera.

"Yes, these sonic booms target the Palestinian people," Israeli spokesperson Avichav Adrai was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera. "The purpose is so they can pressure those who fire the rockets to stop them." Adrai said that Israel does not see the sonic booms as collective punishment.

The Canada Pension Plan has invested $27 million in Lockheed Martin, and over a dozen Canadian firms are involved in the construction and maintenance of the F-16 "fighting falcon".

AlliedSignal Aerospace of Mississauga, for example, received a contract for fuel control systems on the F-16 from Lockheed Martin. Between 1993 and 2002, AlliedSignal contributed $60,152 to the Liberal Party of Canada. Between 1996 and 2003, AlliedSignal received $83.3 million in subsidies from Industry Canada.

Héroux-Devtek, which makes landing gear components for the F-16, received $2.8 million in subsidies during the same period. The CEO of the Longueil, Québec based firm recently told the Canadian Press that billions in new spending announced by the Conservative govnernment is "an opportunity" that only comes along "once every 30 years."

Other companies involved in the production of the F-16 include Derlan Aerospace, which received $9.5 million in government subsidies, Haley Industries, and the Canadian Marconi Company.

In 2001, Israel placed an order for 102 new F-16s, giving it the second largest fleet of the airplanes, after the US. The deal, worth $4.5 billion, was paid for through US military aid, which totals to approximately $3 billion per year.

Canadian firms help make for F-16s, F-15s and Apache helicopters used to bomb Lebanon and assassinate Palestinians, reports Dru Oja Jay.

Israeli F-16s in Alberta Draw Fire From Civilians

Tue, 24 May 2005 07:57:05 +0000

A September 6, 2004 attack by an Israeli F-16 in Gaza City. The bombing was an attempt to assassinate Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the religious leader of Hamas. Yassin survived the attack with light injuries, but was later assassinated by missiles from an Israeli helicopter gunship while exiting a Mosque in his wheelchair. The Israeli Air Force regularly bombs houses and civilian infrastructure in heavily populated areas. photo: Palestine Diaries

From mid May to late June, Israeli F-16 pilots will participate for the first time in the annual "Maple Flag" military exercises in northern Alberta, which includes pilots and observers -- over 5,000 personnel in total -- from 18 countries. Critics have raised concerns about Israel's invitation to the war games, citing the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) use of overwhelming force in fighting their war and occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.

"We don't support this Canadian initiative," a Canadian Press article quoted Issam Alyamani of the Toronto-based Palestine House as saying at an educational and cultural centre in Toronto. "The Israeli air force was used to destroy Palestinian houses, and it was used against civilians in Gaza and the West Bank."

Over 3,600 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) since September 2000. According to Amesty International (AI), the Israeli Air Force (IAF) "routinely use F16 fighter jets, helicopter gunships and tanks to bomb and shell densely populated Palestinian residential areas." Over 150 Palestinians have been killed in targeted state assassinations.

Another recent change in the war games, which take place over an area of over 11,000 square kilometres, has been a move from air-to-air "dog fights" to "counterinsurgency" operations. "What we're seeing now is much more complex, much more of a counter-insurgency type battle fighting guerrilla warfare on the ground," Canadian Colonel CS "Duff" Sullivan told a National Post reporter.

Recent changes in Canadian foreign policy have emphasized developing capacity to "fight insurgents" on foreign soil. At a recent address at McGill University, Defence Minister Bill Graham explained that contemporary soldiers "may find themselves fighting insurgents in one area, patrolling the streets and keeping the peace in another, and providing humanitarian relief in a third."

Occupied populations, Graham continued, "must perceive the use of force in their neighbourhood, and the civilian casualties that are suffered, as being for their greater good and not just the repressive measures of a foreign occupying force."

An Israeli F-16.

Independent journalist Jon Elmer says that "the Israelis are using advanced jet-fighters on a largely unarmed civilian population defended by a series of popular militias." Elmer, who runs the web site FromOccupiedPalestine.org, lived in the Occupied West Bank for three months in 2003.

"The 'terror infrastructure' that I witnessed being targeted was civic and state infrastructure including police stations, schools, community centres, jungle-gyms, key sewage and waste management facilities, major roads and electrical grids, as well as civilian homes in densely populated centres."

AI has reported that "the IDF has destroyed more than 3,000 homes and damaged thousands more," as well as targeting "large areas of agricultural land and other public and private properties, and water and electricity infrastructure."

In 2003, over 30 pilots of Israeli F-16s and Black Hawk helicopters stated their refusal to fly missions in the Occupied Territories, citing orders to conduct "illegal" attacks. According to the pilots, the line was crossed when a one-tonne bomb was dropped on the home of Hamas leader Salah Shehade, killing him and 14 others, mostly children. The pilots were concerned that Israel's credibility was harmed by attacks carried out in contravention of international law.

The Canadian military originally began the exercises in 1977 to address the heavy losses of US fighter planes in Vietnam by providing "more realistic" combat training. During the same year, President Jimmy Carter refused to apologize for US actions in Vietnam, saying "the destruction was mutual."

During the Vietnam war, an estimated 3 million Vietnamese lost their lives, along with more than 58,000 American soldiers. US forces dropped 6.5 million tonnes of bombs and 11.2 million gallons of Agent Orange on the country, destroying more than 10,000 hamlets and 25 million acres of forest.

» Canadian Press: Israeli air force to take part in Alberta war games; Palestinians opposed

» F-16.net: Israeli F-16s to participate at Maple Flag XXXVIII

» Amnesty International: Israel and the Occupied Territories: An ongoing human rights crisis

» Department of National Defence: Speaking Notes for The Honourable Bill Graham, P.C., M.P. Minister of National Defence at the Annual Conference of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada

» Guardian: 'We're air force pilots, not mafia. We don't take revenge'

» FromOccupiedPalestine.org

» The Courier Newspaper: Canada's Air Force Hosts Exercise MAPLE FLAG 38

» Baltimore Sun: 25 Years After End Of Vietnam War: Myths Keep Us From Coming To Terms With Vietnam

» The Dominion: Israelis Criticizing Israel

» The Dominion: Day to Day: Life in Occupied Palestine

» Palestinian Red Crescent: Table of Figures, Palestinian Casualty Database

Request for "Dialogue" with Canadian Bullet Maker Met with Massive Police Presence

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 00:49:23 +0000

Photos by John Bonnar

About 10 protesters who showed up at SNC Lavalin's Toronto headquarters last month requesting "dialogue" were met with dozens of police, some equipped with riot gear on horseback. The protesters, with Toronto group Homes Not Bombs, were there to request that the Montréal-based engineering firm divest from its subsidiary SNC Technologies, which is manufacturing bullets used by the US military in Iraq. They arrived with placards calling for an end to SNC Lavalin's complicity in war crimes. Some protesters went further, suggesting that the firm "transform itself into something socially useful."

According to the demonstrators, many passers-by and several employees expressed support for their peaceful action. Demonstrators also said that some SNC Lavalin employees spoke to the protesters but were called back inside by management.

SNC Technologies reports annual revenues of $266 million and is part of a multinational consortium of small-caliber ammunition producers who are charged with producing 300 to 500 million bullets per year for occupation forces. SNC Lavalin has operations in 100 countries and reports annual revenues of $3.3 billion.

According to media reports, between 17,000 and 20,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the beginning of the US-led occupation. A report published in the Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, estimated the body count at over 100,000.

According the Canadian Defence Industry Association, revenues from the Canadian defence industry grew from $3.7 to 4.08 billion between 1998 and 2000. Weapons manufacturing is one of Canada's fastest growing industries.

» Chris Spannos: Canadian Bullets, Dead Iraqis

» Washington Post: 100,000 Civilian Deaths Estimated in Iraq

» Matthew Behrens: SNC-Lavalin Declares War on Homes not Bombs!

» John Bonnar: Photos of SNC-Lavalin March Protest

» SNC Technologies' official web site

» Iraq Body Count

» Stephen James Kerr: Meet Canada, the Global Arms Dealer

» Justin Podur: War Profiteering and Us

» Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade

U.S. has Invasive, High-Tech Plans for Fallujah's Returning Refugees

Sun, 12 Dec 2004 05:57:40 +0000

The New Standard -- Occupation forces intend to erect a "model city" from the ruins of Fallujah, including a high-tech security infrastructure complete with DNA testing, retina scans and ID badges for all the city's residents, according to Marine Corps officers interviewed by the Boston Globe.

Under plans currently on the table, before re-entering their rubble-strewn city the more than 200,000 refugees who fled the month-long American offensive in Fallujah will be required to pass through what are being called "citizen processing centers," where they will be screened and a database of their identities will be created through a series of procedures, including DNA testing and retina scans.

Identification badges displaying the individual's home address would be mandatory in the new Fallujah described by Marines, and cars -- the makeshift delivery device of choice for insurgent bombings -- would be banned altogether.

According to the Globe, Marine officers are also debating compulsory employment for all Fallujah's men in military-type reconstruction corps, a system they compare to that established in post-World War Two Germany.

"They're never going to like us," said Lieutenant Colonel Dave Bellon, a Marine intelligence officer who believes the US military should exploit Sunni Arabs' traditional ways. "They want to figure out who the dominant tribe is and say, 'I'm with you.' We need to be the benevolent, dominant tribe."

Major General Richard Natonski, who commanded last month's invasion of Fallujah by US and Iraqi forces, credited Iraq's interim government as coming up with all the ideas for rebuilding Fallujah.

Stick vs. Carrot: US and EU Diverge on Iran's Nuclear Program

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 09:06:52 +0000

Washington is taking a hardline approach to last week's suggestion by outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell that Iran will soon be capable of a long-range weapons system that could deliver nuclear warheads. While the US has stated publicly that it wants to employ UN sanctions against Iran if it fails to prove that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, the Pentagon is also reportedly discussing military options, including strikes in support of regime change.

While the EU is concerned that Iran's nuclear ambitions will pose a threat if left unchecked, European governments are proceeding with dialogue in an effort to provide incentives for Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. In a pact reached last week, Iran agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment program while a deal is negotiated that would see non-military nuclear technology and increased trade from Europe exchanged for the suspension of all nuclear weapons programs.

Whereas international pressure to abandon nuclear weapons is growing, domestic opinion opposes dismantling the national nuclear weapons program. Interviews in Isfahan and Tehran indicate that the public supports both the development of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons as a means to gaining respect and assuring national security. Many Iranians point to the nuclear arsenals in Israel, Pakistan, and India and argue that it is within their rights to pursue their own program as a means of deterrence.

The Iranian government, notorious for its stalling tactics in recent years despite its claim to uphold non-proliferation agreements, is trying to deflect accusations that the country is pursuing nuclear missile technology. Currently under investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian officials want to avoid a decision by the body, expcted later this week, that would declare Iran in breach of non-proliferation measures. Such a decision would increase the likelihood of UN sanctions and would provide hawks in the US with greater political ammunition for a military response.

While Washington is taking the line that a WMD crisis is looming in Iran, independent assessments of Iran's gas centrifuge program and its capacity to produce highly enriched uranium suggest that the country is at least several years from producing its first nuclear weapon. Observers point out that while preventing the further development of Iran's nuclear program is of the utmost importance, doing so will require a more unified diplomatic approach than the current diverging policies of the US and the EU.

Nathan Lepp

» The Observer: Pentagon turns heat up on Iran

» Kansas City Star: Many Iranians want nukes to ensure respect, security

» Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Iran: Countdown to Showdown

Australia attacked over cruise missiles

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 22:01:36 +0000

A massive explosion outside of the Australian embassy in Jakarta is said to be in reaction to Australia's consideration of purchasing air-launched cruise missiles for its fighter jets. The missiles, which were denounced by the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department, could reach over 400km, making Australia the most dominant air power in the Asia-Pacific region. The Indonesian government has stated, "We question the wisdom of this latest decision, which may not be construed by some countries as defensive," and noted that, "there is a risk that raising the level of sophistication [of weaponry] could lead to some kind of counter response."

Observers worry that the bombing, coming amidst a parliamentary election campaign in Australia, could unduly influence the country's foreign policy for the next five years if it is seized upon by opposition parties. The Australian government insists that the missile purchase is not intended for use against countries in the region but is part of a broader plan to build a military that can assist in international operations.

» Sydney Morning Herald: Australia risking arms race: Indonesia

» The Age: Eleven killed in embassy bombing

» XinhuaNet: Embassy bombing in Jakarta condemned

Canadian Company Manufactures Bullets for War in Iraq

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 21:46:56 +0000

SNC Technologies Inc., based in Le Gardeur, Québec, is under contract to supply the US military with 300 to 500 million bullets per year in a contract that could potentially run for five years. The occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq are of course taking longer than initially expected, and the US manufacturers cannot keep up with the demand for ammunition, so SNC's bullets have become part of Bush's "war on terror."

SNC, according to its website, has annual revenues of CAD$266 million, and it is also the sole military ammunition producer in Canada. SNC supplies the Canadian Department of National Defence with 70% of its ammunition and also sends its products to several companies across Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, Australia, and New Zealand.

» Chris Spannos (ZNet): Canadian Bullets, Dead Iraqis

» SNC Tech official web site

Canadian News: January

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 05:35:50 +0000

Revenues Up, Workforce Down: CCPA Issues NAFTA Report Card

North American leaders Bush, Mulroney, and Salinas initiating NAFTA in San Antonion in 1992.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has released a report entitled "Straight Talk: Big Business and the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement Fifteen Years Later" on the current 15th anniversary of the much-debated deal.

The report compares what the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE – formerly BCNI) claims as its successes over the past fifteen years under the Free Trade Agreement to how these successes have affected the Canadian workforce and general population.

The report tracked 39 of the CCCE's member companies and found that overall, the companies experienced a 105 per cent increase in revenue between 1988 and 2002, equating to $144 billion in profits. In the same time period, however, the same 39 companies eliminated over 100,000 jobs (a decrease of 14.5 per cent).

Government social spending was also examined by the report. It points out that even though the initial proponents of the Free Trade Agreement claimed that social spending would be increased thanks to the deal, the net result was that money spent on social programs decreased from 13 per cent to 10.5% per cent of the GDP between 1998 and 2002. (Vive Le Canada)

* * *

Pension Plan Investments Violating Global Mine Ban Treaty?

A portion of every dollar that employed Canadians must by law contribute to the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) is invested in 15 of the world's top 20 weapons contractors (and about 170 military corporations in total), claims a recent report authored by the Coalition to Oppose Arms Trade (COAT).

Three companies - Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and GE - that the CPP invests in are involved in making anti-personnel landmines. COAT coordinator Richard Sanders points out that Canada has been a leader in the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) coalition that has been ratified by 141 countries. Sanders says the investments should be seen as a violation of the ICBL.

John Cappelletti, a manager of the CPP Investment Board, says that CPP investment decisions are based solely on financial aspects, and that legislation prevents ethics or morals from being considered during the investment process. (Ottawa Indymedia)

* * *

Plan to Convert Adams Mine to Landfill Draws Opposition

A plan to allow the draining of the Adams mine near Kirkland Lake, Ontario, so that it can be turned into a dump has resulted in thousands of opposition emails and letters sent to the Ontario Environment Ministry.

Terry Graves of Public Concern Temiskaming warns that there will be dissent and action taken if the plan goes ahead, and that there have already been rumours of highways and railways potentially being blocked.

The Adams mine, which has since developed into a lake in its disuse, is wanted by some to be an alternative location for Toronto's garbage, and this is the third time that the mine has been targeted as a landfill option. The garbage is currently being sent to a landfill site in Michigan.

A certificate of approval has been granted for the plan, but Public Concern Temiskaming believes that the certificate was premature and scientifically unsupported. (Canoe, Temiskaming Speaker)

* * *

Missile Defence System Decision Upcoming

Federal Defence Minister David Pratt says that a decision will be made soon as to whether Canada will be a participant in the US's Alaska/California/Greenland missile shield that is expected to be operational in the fall of 2004.

Canada and the US have been discussing Canada's potential involvement since May of 2003, and George Bush and Paul Martin will continue the discussion when they meet in Mexico at the Summit of the Americas in mid-January.

NDP leader Jack Layton calls the system a "profoundly dangerous idea" and does not have any faith in Pratt's claim that the program will not cost Canada any land or money. Layton is concerned that the plan will be expensive, will not work, and will jeopardize global arms control efforts.

Martin has indicated that the plan could be beneficial to Canada, claiming that the country should have some influence on how the missile defence system is used. Pratt and Martin have each said that they expect parliamentary debate on the issue, but Martin would not say whether the proposal would be put to a vote. (CP Jan 8 2004)

Mustard Gas and Seismic Blasts

Mon, 22 Dec 2003 21:15:44 +0000

The threat of chemical dumps in Atlantic waters

Corroded barrels of mustard gas like those scattered along the Atlantic coast.

The coastal waters of Atlantic Canada have been polluted with a legacy of chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry. The primary culprits include the Canadian, American and British militaries, which have obsessed over our safety from alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, while the communities and eco-systems of the Atlantic region have been under attack from the very same weapons of mass destruction since the 1940’s. Now, with corporations being given permission to do seismic testing in Atlantic waters, the impact of these dumpsites may be compounded.

Canada has played an integral role in the development and production of biological and chemical weapons. "Almost every biological agent that you hear talked about in today's news as a threat from terrorists and that kind of thing, was actually first developed (and) thought of here in Canada," says John Bryden, former journalist and editor at the Toronto Star who is currently an MP from Ontario. His 1989 book "Deadly Allies" exposed Canada's pioneering role in the development of chemical and biological weapons. Bryden also chronicled the delivery of 2800 tons of mustard gas from Stormont Chemicals in Cornwall, Ontario to where it was dumped off the Coast of Sable Island in 1946.

After the Second World War, Canada and Britain declared much of their chemical and biological stockpiles as surplus and dumped them both inland and in the ocean. There is an estimated one billion pounds of mustard gas and related chemical weapons munitions at the bottom of the world's oceans, but more insidiously, there is a large number of dumpsites that were never officially recorded. According to Cape Breton resident Myles Kehoe, who formed Myles and Associates to actively bring attention to the perils of oil and gas exploration over military dumpsites, even the Department of National Defence is unsure as to what lies on the ocean floor. "They don't have a clue where the stuff is, or even what's down there, it's terrible."

Recently, some efforts have been made to address the problem. The military has created the Warfare Agent Disposal Project "to identify and assess water and land-based sites where chemical and/or biological warfare agents may still exist as a result of past defence activities." Last year, an engineering firm contracted by the Department of National Defence, identified 1,200 munitions disposal sites along the Atlantic coast including 70 locations with unexploded weaponry and the possibility of mustard gas.

The Bras d'Or Lake region on Cape Breton Island was also used as a dumping ground for mustard gas, but to what extent is unknown. There are two locations in the lake itself that are known to have been disposal sites for mustard gas, Johnston and Kempt Head. These sites are close to two Mi'kmaq communities that have always depended on the fish in that area for their survival.

Mustard gas and the by-products resulting from its breakdown are carcinogenic and teratogenic and many people are concerned about the impact of this toxic waste on both human health and marine eco-systems. Aboriginal communities along the Bras D'or Lakes, and on Cape Breton Island in general, have the highest cancer rates and the lowest life expectancy in the country.

Senior DFO scientists have been baffled by the increasing death rates among young cod dying off the coast of Nova Scotia, reporting to the Chronicle Herald in December 2000 that: "it's a mystery; a unique phenomenon that I don't think has been observed anywhere else in the North Atlantic." John Bryden suspects that "there might be a connection between it [the mustard gas] and the mysterious disappearance of the cod stocks [considering] the huge amount of munitions now known to have been disposed of and the number of sites involved." The Minister of Fisheries reported in June 2002 that the "DFO has not conducted any studies on the toxicity or behavior of mustard gas in water as DFO's labs are not equipped to deal with such highly toxic substances."

This month, fishers and environmentalists have raised grave concerns about the decision to allow oil companies to employ seismic tests off the Coast of Cape Breton in their search for oil. "Seismic guns generate sound waves strong enough to penetrate the earth's surface two to five km down and back again–these are powerful blasts. There is relatively little known information about the impact of a sound wave passing through barrels of chemicals that have been lying on the ocean floor for 50 years," explains Mark Butler from the Ecology Action Center. "When there is uncertainty or lack of knowledge, the precautionary principle tells us 'don't do it'. It would be wise for oil companies to pay heed to that."

The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NSOPB) regulates petroleum resource exploration permits. They do not believe that seismic blasting poses a threat to human or marine health, nor have they explored the impact of seismic testing on chemical and biological contaminants in munitions dumps. They have granted licenses for Corridor Resources and Hunt Oil to engage in oil and natural gas exploration. The Department of National Defence has informed the C-NSOPB of the locations of known dumpsites with the intent that these areas be avoided. According to Hunt Oil's Environmental Impact Assessment of June 2003, the Sydney Bight is home to 16,000 tons of mustard, 7,500 tons of arsenic containing the blistering agent lewisite, and a few barge loads of nerve gas. Nevertheless, the company plans to continue exploratory activities. Hunt Oil has also announced its intentions of conducting seismic blasting over a known dumpsite north of the Magdellan Islands. "That's pretty hard to believe that they're allowed to do that and nobody is stopping them," says Kehoe.

The threat of chemical dumps in Atlantic waters
The coastal waters of Atlantic Canada have been polluted with a legacy of chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry. The primary culprits include the Canadian, American and British militaries, which have obsessed over our safety from alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, while the communities and eco-systems of the Atlantic region have been under attack from the very same weapons of mass destruction since the 1940's. Now, with corporations being given permission to do seismic testing in Atlantic waters, the impact of these dumpsites may be compounded.
- by Pierre Loiselle -

International News

Sun, 18 May 2003 03:23:33 +0000

Tommy Franks Charged With War Crimes
A Belgian lawyer and 19 Iraqis are charging US General Tommy Franks with war crimes under a Belgian law that allows citizens to charge foreigners for violations of international law. "We have a very specific case, with specific evidence," said Jan Fermon, the lawyer filing the suit.

» AP: Iraqis to file war crimes case against Gen. Tommy Franks
» BBC: US anger at war crimes threat
» Daily Telegraph: America threatens to move Nato after Franks is charged

Iraq Civilian Death Toll Jumps to 3700
According to numbers compiled from press reports by the Iraq Body Count Project, the number of recorded civilian deaths in the war on Iraq has exceeded 3700. Recent reports of more than 1400 deaths from 19 different Baghdad Hospitals were responsible for the sharp increase. Other recent causes of civilian casualties have been unexploded munitions from cluster bombs, which are often mistaken for food aid packages, and the US shooting of 15 people at a recent protest in Fallujah.

The project monitors the web sites of news agencies and major newspapers, and counts only reports that appear in more than one source. When reports differ, a maximum and minimum number of reported deaths is recorded. The most recent maximum total was 4805.

» The Iraq Body Count website includes a description of methodology and a listing of all reports compiled, and their sources.

Argentinians Protest Brukman Factory Evictions
Thousands of Argentinians have been staging continuous protests following the eviction of workers who had occupied the Brukman clothing factory in Buenos Aires. The men's clothing factory had been shut down two years ago by the owners during the height of Argentina's economic collapse, but was reopened by workers who were desperate for income.

The factory, along with over 200 others in Argentina, was run collectively by the workers until police locked the factory overnight and set up a blockade.

Over 10,000 attended a May Day protest at the factory, which ended with tear gas from the police and molotov cocktails from activists. On May 7th, several of the evicted workers staged a "sew-in" in the street outside the Brukman factory, making blankets and clothing for victims of a flood disaster in southern Argentina.

» Christian Science Monitor: Frustrated Argentines take business into own hands
» Naomi Klein: Argentina's Luddite Rulers
» Indymedia Argentina has many photographs, and coverage in Spanish.
» Americas.org: Brukman Struggle Continues
» Americas.org: May Day March, Brukman Pact

US Task Force Abandons Search for Illegal Weapons
The 75th Exploitation Task Force, the group responsible for finding Weapons of Mass Destruction in post-war Iraq is preparing to discontinue their operations without having found any illegal weapons, according to sources quoted by the Washington Post. The sources partially blamed looting and burning for the lack of available evidence.

According to officials, the search will continue, but biologists, physicists, and other experts will be moved off-site until there is something for them to look at. "I don't think we'll find anything," one Army Captain commented, noting that any weapons would have disappeared in the post-war chaos by now.

» Washington Post: Frustrated, U.S. Arms Team to Leave Iraq

Stop Ignoring the Congo, Says UN Human Rights Commissioner
United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello said that the international community has been ignoring atrocities in the Congolese civil war. De Mello said that additional peacekeeping troops were necessary to prevent further tragedies.

» Reuters: UN rights chief says world ignoring Congo violence