International League of Peoples' Struggles
The International League of People’s Struggle in Canada denounces the upcoming visit of US President Joe Biden to Canada on March 23 and 24. Biden will address the Canadian Parliament for the first time, since the last President to address Parliament was Barack Obama in 2016.
It is clear from the proposed agenda that discussions on expanding the war machine will be a high priority during this trip. Canada and the United States are leading members of the NATO alliance, which is currently the key driver behind the devastating war in Ukraine. Next, Biden and Trudeau are expected to discuss the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), as part of a move to confront Russia and China amidst recent hysteria surrounding so-called “Chinese spy balloons”. Furthermore, Canada is expecting to purchase 88 F-35 Fighter Jets from the American company Lockheed Martin at a cost of $77 billion, which is the second most expensive procurement in Canadian history. As Biden and Trudeau continue to fuel the war machine, it is the working masses who will continue to suffer from the consequences of their decisions.
Additionally, the agenda is expected to include discussion about Canada’s role in Haiti. The US has relied on Canada to lead imperialist intervention in Haiti, since the 2004 Ottawa Initiative on Haiti that ousted the democratically elected President Jean-Betrand Aristide. While the US believes that Canadian military intervention is a force for good in Haiti, the Haitian people are calling for the Core Group, including Canada and the US, to get out and to stop supplying weapons to Ariel Henry’s regime and paramilitary groups. As an anti-imperialist coalition, we are in full support of this demand and the Haitian peoples’ right to self-determination.
Finally, the agenda is expected to include discussion on the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States, which has been in effect since 2004. The agreement allows Canadian immigration authorities to turn back those who claim refugee status at the Canada-US border to the United States. Migrant rights advocates have long criticized the agreement due to the abhorrent conditions of immigration detention in the US and the risk of deportation in the US back to refugee’s home countries. Furthermore, migrant rights organizations have called for the suspension of this agreement and the ending of all immigration detention and deportations both in Canada and the United States.
The ILPS in Canada unites with all of those who are continuing to resist the expansion of the war machine and imperialist interventions by Canada and the United States. We call on those who are able to participate in mobilizations against Biden’s visit to Canada this week, and also against the CANSEC arms fair, which has been called North America’s biggest weapons show, on May 31 and June 1.
US Imperialist No. 1 Terrorist!
Canadian Imperialist, also a Terrorist!
Stop the US War Machine, from Palestine to the Philippines!
