SHUT DOWN CANSEC: CANADA MUST STOP SUPPORTING GENOCIDE AND IMPERIALIST WARS 

Fill out our Registration Form to join the National Mobilization Against Arms Trade.  

On May 29-30th, 2024, the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) will host its flagship arms dealer convention – CANSEC, in Ottawa, Ontario. CANSEC is Canada’s largest display of military equipment. It is a trading ground for weapon manufacturing companies and oppressive regimes like the Zionist state (“Israel”). CANSEC, held annually since 1998, has  announced that over 70% of its over 12,000 participants have “purchasing power” of military goods. This means that in Ottawa on the 29th and 30th, deals will be made that will lead directly to the deaths of innocent people. 

Amid a genocide and continued suffering of victims of imperialist wars, to join us in calling for an end to all military trade happening in Canada. Let’s get organized to shut down CANSEC – which is directly responsible for fueling imperialist conflicts and profiting from it. 

We demand that there is an independent, in-depth, and public inquiry into the activities of CADSI. We demand that an independent investigation is conducted on the public spending on CADSI and into the international human rights and humanitarian law violations by them and the companies they represent. 

The Canadian ruling class has a long history of supporting war, genocide, dictatorships and imperialist plunder in the world. A country that legitimized its existence through colonial violence is now directly and deeply involved in the arming of military forces in the world that are killing millions of people and violently crushing people’s movements. We have seen its unconditional support for the genocide of Palestinian people since the occupation and its critical military support in the last 7 months. 

The weapons and other machinery which will be sold in Ottawa will be used to further corporate interests and murder people across the world. They will be deployed to devastate whole communities. This comes at a time when the Canadian government is committing to further increase its military spending, putting more money into war while people in Canada are barely able to afford rent and groceries. 

CANSEC attendees include Elbit Systems , Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and General Dynamics. Elbit Systems is Israels’ largest weapons developer which regularly uses its weapons on Palestinians and to sell its products as “battle tested” to India, Honduras, Colombia, and many other militaries, while General Dynamics supplies  Saudi Arabia with the fighter jets and armored vehicles used to perpetuate its horrific war crimes in Yemen. One of their key exhibitors and sponsor is Lockheed Martin, who supply the Philippine Armed Forces with Blackhawks involved in extrajudicial killings, while equipping the Colombian military in their violent repression of social movements and murder of labour leaders). These are a few, among many examples of the contributions CANSEC attendees give  to human suffering across the world.

These arms are not only used overseas, however. For instance, Colt Canada (one of the arms dealers present at CANSEC), sells guns to the RCMP which are used by C-IRG, the paramilitary force created to serve as muscle for oil companies. With these weapons, richly-paid officers harass and intimidate Indigenous land defenders in order to maintain corporate bottom-lines. 

This event, where the wealthy cut deals to profit from war crimes, is proudly supported by the Canadian government. The government funds organizations like CADSI and in turn CANSEC. It supports and invests in weapons companies through public pension funds. These pension funds are managed by oil company executives and financial institutions like Scotiabank and RBC who are major investors in weapons manufacturing and are therefore deeply tied to the industry’s success and widespread use of weapons. We, regular people, with our taxes and pension funds, are being made complicit with violations of human rights, all in the name of making the rich richer. 

Every year of CANSEC’s existence, there have been protests and demonstrations on the ground denouncing and calling for it to be shut down. In the past few years, the protestors have been met with police violence and arrests. The city of Ottawa spends public resources to protect capitalists while actively suppressing its own people, many of whom have migrated to Canada due to the violence committed by these weapons and governments in their home countries.   

We believe that it is critical that we organize ourselves against those that are not working for our interests. We have more in common with people that are being bombed and killed, than the ones profiting from it. Let’s stand with movements from Palestine, to the Philippines, to Yemen, to Wet’suwet’en territory struggling against the arms trade, and protest the military-industrial complex that profits from innocent blood. 

When we are organized, we hold the power to change things. Let’s use that power to show these arms dealers that they are not welcome in Ottawa and that they will be held accountable for their crimes. 

Join the International League of People’s Struggle, Palestinian Youth Movement, and Labour for Palestine in our nation-wide call to shut down CANSEC and end all trade of arms and military goods by Canada. 

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT: fill out our Registration Form to join the National Mobilization Against Arms Trade.  

1. Send a contingent to Ottawa to protest Canada’s largest arms trade show! 
2. Endorse our demand to investigate Canadian support for the arms trade!
3. Pass a resolution in your union local, labour council, or organization!
4. Organize a coordinated action in your city to protest war profiteering!