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Government Keeping Missile Defence Secrets

On January 9, the Council of Canadians and the Polaris Institute called on the federal party leaders to respect Canadians’ desire to not join George W. Bush’s missile scheme. They have distributed 100,000 copies of their voter’s guide, and I recommend you download your own copy from their web site.

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2006

Groups decry missile defence secrecy

Ottawa - The Council of Canadians and the Polaris Institute are calling on federal party leaders to take a firm stance against ballistic missile defence. The organizations fear that a Liberal or Conservative majority might result in Canada’s participation in Star Wars.

“Prime Minister Paul Martin’s February 2005 announcement that Canada would not be involved in the United States’ costly and dangerous ballistic missile defence program was supported by the majority of Canadians and should be respected by all the parties,” said John Urquhart, Executive Director of the Council of Canadians. In March, following the decision, a Decima poll found that 57 per cent of Canadians supported the government’s decision, while only 26 per cent opposed it.

The Council of Canadians and the Polaris Institute are alarmed by media reports today that the Department of National Defence is cloaking in secrecy documents related to Canada’s participation in the US missile shield, even denying the release of information already publicly available.

“Stephen Harper has indicated his willingness to go back to the missile defence table with the Americans,” said Steven Staples of the Polaris Institute. “The clampdown on information from the government raises suspicions about Paul Martin’s intentions on missile defence as well.”

100, 000 copies of the Council of Canadians' voter's guide are being distributed across Canada for electors to query candidates on deeper integration with the United States. The organization hopes Canadians will use the guide to urge candidates to oppose ballistic missile defence and work to re-establish Canada’s role as an international peacekeeper.

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For information, contact:
Meera Karunananthan, Media Officer, Council of Canadians
Tel.: (613) 233-4487, ext. 234
Cell: (613) 795-8685
Email: meera@canadians.org

Steven Staples, Director of Security Programs, Polaris Institute
Tel.: (613) 237-1717, ext. 107
Cell: (613) 290-2695

The Council of Canadians - 700-719 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5V5 1-800-387-7177

This is why we need to Put it to the Politicians - to demand that they tell us where they stand on missile defence.

Read this Media Release and learn more about this important organization on The Council of Canadians website.

posted by Annamarie at 10:20 PM