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ACTION: Troops Out of Iraq and Afghanistan Mobilization in Toronto, March 18!

NEXT STEPS FOR PEACE

A consensus on 4 key priorities for the peace movement emerged at the November 11-13, 2005 Canadian Peace Alliance conference in Ottawa:

March 18: Troops Out of Iraq and Afghanistan

The tide has turned on the war on Iraq and attacks on civil liberties. Federal politicians in the US and UK are openly calling for the impeachment of Bush and Blair. 60% of US citizens now oppose the war. There was a recent International Peace Conference in London, UK, which brought together peace activists from the US, UK, Canada, Iraq, and many other places around the world. Events like this are leading to improved coordination and collaboration among the anti-war movements around the world. The global peace movement is getting stronger and the warmongers are on the defensive. We need to build on this momentum to finally end the war, and let the Iraqi people decide their own future. While there are those who claim that elections have brought democracy to Iraq, how would daily aerial bombings in civilian areas and 150,000 foreign soldiers in the streets affect your voting habits?

March 18, 2006 will mark the 3rd anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. People around the world are preparing for a global day of action to stop the war, and to hold the war criminals accountable. The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War is organizing towards this day of action, and we invite you to join us in doing so.





Let the War Resisters Stay

We need to intensify our efforts to ensure that war resisters are able to stay in Canada. Already over 2,000 US soldiers, and well over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war. 5,500 American soldiers are AWOL (Absent With Out Leave) within the US. Many are seeking refuge in Canada, and by helping them stay Canadians can make a unique contribution to ending the war.

The campaign for the War Resisters has had two recent important victories with court decisions to grant the Federal appeals of Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Hinzman's appeal at Federal Court was heard on February 7, 2006. While these are huge successes, we still need to press for a political solution, which would apply to all War Resisters, both present and future. For more information on what you can do, visit resisters.ca.

Federal Election

The Canadian federal election is over, and with a new Conservative Bush-friendly government, we need to mobilize in even greater numbers to oppose the war. We need to ensure that ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and letting the war resisters stay is something Stephen Harper hears loud and clear. Contact your Member of Parliament about taking a stand for peace. Visit their constituency offices. Express to them your community's support for peace. Protest them if they remain pro-war. Canada is complicit in the war and empire in many ways. With many new Members of Parliament we have an opportunity to move towards ending that complicity. If you receive responses from your Member of Parliament on peace issues, let us know!

Toronto Coalition To Stop The War
Canadian Peace Alliance

posted by Annamarie at 7:26 PM