The following letter was issued on April 13 by the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War and the Mouvement Québécois pour la paix/Quebec Movement for Peace.
The letter’s 100 signatories ask the Prime Minister to suspend Canada’s economic sanctions against the twenty countries against which it currently maintains these “coercive economic measures.” The request echoes the appeal by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterrres to G-20 countries on March 23, 2020, for those countries “to waive sanctions imposed on countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and COVID-19 medical support.”
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The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau April 13, 2020
Prime Minister of Canada
Dear Sir:
In his March 23, 2020, letter to the leaders of the G20 countries, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared, “I am encouraging the waiving of sanctions imposed on countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and COVID-19 medical support. This is the time for solidarity not exclusion… Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world.”1 At the same time, ambassadors of eight countries currently affected by economic sanctions, namely, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua, China, Russia, and North Korea, petitioned the secretary-general for “the immediate and complete lifting of those (coercive economic) measures to enable nations to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.”2 Furthermore, in his Easter message, Pope Francis echoed Mr. Guterres’s call to suspend economic sanctions now.
Following upon Mr. Guterres’s appeal, we, the undersigned, call upon your government to set a bold example for the G-20 and the world by suspending all of the economic sanctions regimes which Canada currently maintains against twenty sovereign states and/or their citizens, half of which are located in Africa.
Applying economic sanctions is a warlike act, and often kills more people than actual weapons. That’s why the power to level economic sanctions is restricted exclusively to the United Nations Security Council. Moreover, these sanctions hurt the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society by causing hunger, disease, and unemployment. They are explicitly designed to do so. Officials of the US government, which routinely levels sanctions against governments it doesn’t like, have spoken openly about using suffering to try and spur ordinary civilians in targeted countries to rebel against their national authorities. The US government has also forced other countries to obey its sanctions regime against targeted states through the use of extraterritoriality, that is, by penalizing foreign corporations that dare to trade with countries which the USA has sanctioned. Humanitarian goods such as medical supplies, which are exempted from economic sanctions under international law, have consistently been denied to countries such as Iran and Venezuela, despite the crises that those two countries face. That the US government would actually increase the sanctions against those two countries during a pandemic is simply barbaric.
We note that your government has also levelled unilateral, i.e., illegal sanctions. Only in the cases of Iran and North Korea has the UN Security Council authorized multilateral sanctions and, regarding Iran, those sanctions were to have been lifted in 2015 in accordance with the signing of the JCPOA and its ratification in UN resolution 2231. In response to the global pandemic, we believe that Canada’s economic sanctions, whether unilateral or multilateral (excluding those sanctions relating to the arms trade) should be suspended in accordance with the wishes of UN Secretary-General Guterres.
Finally, we note that, on April 10, your government publicized its full support for Mr. Guterres’s call for a temporary global ceasefire,4 but announced it would give the green light to new Canadian arms sales to Saudi Arabia.5 We find these two actions contradictory. We applaud the former and oppose the latter, at least until the government of Saudi Arabia ends its illegal war on the people of Yemen. We further call upon your government to follow action for divestment and disarmament mandated by the United Nations and to adhere to the climate objectives stated in the (COP21) Paris Climate Agreement.
In view of the urgency created by the pandemic, we look forward to your earliest possible reply.
SIGNATORIES
Greg Albo, Professor of Politics, York University
Janice Alton, Voice of Women-Past Co-Chair
Rachad Antonius, professeur titulaire, Université du Québec à Montréal
Mary-Wynne Ashford, MD, PhD. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada
Arnold August, journalist and author
Imam Zafar Bangash, Islamic Society of York Region
André Bélisle, président Association Québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA)
Chris Black, international lawyer and author, Toronto
Rana Bose, engineer and writer
Marie Boti, cinéaste, v-p, International Women’s Alliance
Doug Brown, co-chair, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War
Nancy K. Brown, membre exécutive du MQP, Raging Grannie
Malcolm Buchanon, Former General Secretary Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation [OSSTF]; President Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville Chapter, Congress of Union Retirees of Canada, Hamilton and District Labour Council Executive Member
Pascale Camirand, philosophe éthicienne féministe
Theorora Carroll, membre des Conférences internationales sur la Science et les Affaires Globales Pugwash
Claudia Chaufan, MD, PhD, Graduate Program Director, Associate Professor, School of Health Policy and Management, York University
Ed Corrigan, lawyer, London, ON
Lay Canon Phyllis Creighton, adjunct faculty, Faculty of Divinity, Trinity College, Toronto; Anglican Award of Merit; Order of Ontario
Gail Davidson, Executive Director, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
Luce Des Aulniers, docteure d’État en anthropologie, professeure émérite associée, Faculté de communication, Université du Québec à Montréal (fondatrice des Études supérieures interdisciplinaires sur la mort, 1980)
Yvon Deschamps, humoriste retraité et porte-parole de la Fondation Yvon Deschamps Centre-Sud
Emily Drysdale, Master of Social Work
Michel Duguay, physicien, professeur honoraire de l’université Laval
Raôul Duguay, peintre, auteur-compositeur-interprète, Artiste pour la Paix honoraire
Gordon Edwards, président-fondateur de la Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsability
Nour El Kadri, professor, Strategic Management and E-Business, University of Ottawa
Yves Engler, author
Raef Fawaz, Ardi Contractors, Hamilton
John Foster, Kingston ON, economist, author of Oil and World Politics
Alan Freeman, University of Manitoba, Former Principal Economist, Greater London Authority
Rolf Gerstenberger, Past President, Local 1005 USW, Hamilton
Ali T. Ghouse MD FRCPC. Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University
Judy Goldschmidt, Mid Islanders for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Cy Gonick, founder, Canadian Dimension Magazine
Stephen Roy Gowans, author, Ottawa
Malcolm Guy, réalisateur/producteur, Productions Multi-Monde; vice-président externe, Ligue internationale de lutte des peuples (LILP-ILPS)
Judy Haiven, PhD, Writer/Activist, retired professor, Saint Mary’s University
Larry Hannant, Historian and Author, Victoria, BC
David Heap, Associate Professor, University of Western Ontario
André Jacob, auteur et artiste visuel, ex vice-président des Artistes pour la Paix
Pierre Jasmin, Artiste pour la Paix, Co-prés. d’honneur du Mouvement Québécois pour la Paix
Frederick Jones, Past President, Dawson Teachers’ Union
Bruce Katz, Co-président, Palestinian and Jewish Unity
Amir Khadir, médecin infectiologue, ex-député de Québec solidaire
Saïdeh Khadir, médecin
Robert Korol, Professor Emeritus, Civil Engineering, McMaster University
Dr. Atif Kubursi, Professor Emeritus of Economics, McMaster University
Jean-Daniel Lafond, O.C., Chevalier Arts et Lettres, cinéaste et écrivain, co-président et directeur général de la Fondation Michaëlle Jean
Gérald Larose, professeur à l’UQAM et ex-président de la Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux
Dimitri Lascaris, lawyer, journalist, activist
Tony Leah, Chairperson, Unifor Local 222 Political Action Committee, Oshawa
Pierre LeBlanc, auteur et analyste, Ottawa
Michael A. Lebowitz, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Simon Fraser University
Ed Lehman, President, Regina Peace Council
Tamara Lorincz, PhD candidate, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University (and activist)
Kevin MacKay, Professor, Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
Harinder Mahil, Union Representative, Vancouver, BC
Robbie Mahood, Family Physician, member of Socialist Action
Izabella Marengo, danse contemporaine, vice-présidente des Artistes pour la Paix
Robin Matthews, poet, professor, political activist
Donna Mergler, professeure emerita, Université du Québec à Montréal
André Michel, artiste multi-disciplinaire, président national ex-officio des Artistes pour la Paix
Rabbi David Mivasair
Christian-P. Morin, webmestre et membre du C.A. des Artistes pour la Paix
Michèle Nevert, professeur titulaire, Université du Québec à Montréal, ex-présidente du Syndicat des Professeurs
Bich N’Guyen, MD, FRCPC, Chef, service ès pathologie, grappe Optilab Montréal-CHUM
Éric Notebaert MD, Association Canadienne des Médecins pour l’Environnement
Isabel Orellana, professeure, Centre de recherche en éducation et formation relatives à l’environnement et à l’écocitoyenneté- Centr’ERE, Université du Québec à Montréal
Leo Panitch, Emeritus Professor of Politics, York University
John Philpot, International lawyer, Member of the Consultative Council of the American Association of Jurists
France Piché
V. Ramana, Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia.
Denis Rancourt, PhD, researcher, Ontario Civil Liberties Association
Judi Richards, Artiste pour la Paix
Yvon Rivard, écrivain, professeur honoraire à l’université McGill
Karen Rodman, Exec Director, Just Peace Advocates
Rob Rolfe, poet
Herman Rosenfeld, retired Canadian Auto Workers Staffperson and Worker Educator
Dimitri Roussopoulos, Mouvement pour le Désarmement Nucléaire et la Paix, author and book publisher (Black Rose Books 50e anniversaire)
Sid Ryan, Past President, Ontario Federation of Labour
Céline Saint-Pierre, professeure sociologue émérite à l’UQAM
Richard Sanders, founder, Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade
Samir Saul, professeur d’histoire, Université de Montréal
Lucie Sauvé, directrice du Centre de recherche en éducation et formation relatives à l’environnement et à l’écocitoyenneté, Université du Québec à Montréal
Sid Shniad, founding member, Independent Jewish Voices Canada
William Sloan, vice-président des Artistes pour la Paix et exécutif MQP
Ken Stone, Executive Member, Syria Solidarity Movement; Treasurer, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War
Itrath Syed, PhD Candidate, Simon Fraser University
Phil Taylor, host, The Taylor Report, CIUT.fm
Henry-Evans Tenbrinke, Executive Member, CURC Hamilton/Halton
Louise Vandelac, Ph.D. Professeure titulaire, Département de sociologie et Institut des sciences de l’environnement de l’UQAM Co-rédactrice en chef de VertigO, la revue électronique en sciences de l’environnement Chercheure Pôle risques, MRSH Université de Caen Normandie, Chercheure CINBIOSE, CIRODD, CENTREAU, RRSPQ, RISUQ Directrice du CREPPA, UQAM
Dr. Maria Paez Victor, Canadian, Latin American and Caribbean Policy Centre
Larry Wasslen, président, Ottawa Peace Council
Paul Weinberg, journalist and author, Hamilton
Patricia Willis, Denman Island Peace Group
Theresa Wolfwood, Director, Barnard Boecker Centre Foundation, Victoria, BC
Thomas Woodley, President, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Claudio Zanchettin, professeur de philosophie retraité
Greta Zarro, Organizing Director, World BEYOND War
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