by Glenn Michalchuk, Chairperson
Peace Alliance Winnipeg
We are living in a period of unbridled militarism. Having been active in the peace and anti-war movement for more than 40 years I can say it is unlike any period I have experienced before. The intensity and the dangers of the present period necessitate building the peace and anti-war movement as an effective opposition to this militarism. Averting another world war hangs in the balance.
If you are tempted to think this is an exaggeration, that things are bad but could never reach a tipping point of world war between nuclear armed powers; we need only look at Europe, and the absolute refusal of NATO, and much of Europe, to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Just yesterday (April 11) Europe pledged $21 billion in military aid to Ukraine in order to continue the war despite Ukraine’s continuing loss of territory, soliders and equipment.
It must be said that this is a war that could have been averted had there been the will do so. The position of Europe that the war will continue is one shared by Canada, and stands in contrast to the peace initiatives of Turkiye, the African Union, Brazil and China.
Alongside the war between Russia and Ukraine there is the continuing genocide in Gaza and Palestine. The scale of it has shocked the world. It has prompted some countries to act, but has been met with indifference or outright support by Europe, Canada and the U.S.
The situation which confronts us has numerous causes. There is the political environment shaped by cold war ideology and political leaders who are thoroughly bound to it. There is an entire stratum of society – academics, journalists, intellectuals, politicians who support it. There is a military-industrial complex that profits enormously from the spending on armaments, wars and the preparations for future wars. There is the mass media, whether private or publicy funded, which provides the platform for the news stories or opinions that support the narrative for militarism and war, or obscures and distorts the facts to justify the narrative.
The current economic and political upheaval points to the growing danger that this will transform itself into military conflicts between the belligerent powers.
In response we must build a movement that effectively counters this enormous pressure for people to accept the situation. To some degree this has taken place with opposition to Canada’s complicity in the Gaza genocide. Thus, and it is only one example, you have the work taking place in the current election campaign to have voters reject those candidates who will not take a stand against what is happening in Gaza/Palestine and Canada’s active support for Israel’s actions.
Opposition to the genocide in Gaza, and the overall degradation experienced by Palestinians for 70+ years, has awakened and politicized this generation of youth. They have protested Canada’s complicity in it and withstood harassment and persecution for it.
The present situation, while very difficult, shows that a movement can be organized, have its impact and even achieve victories.
This is the text of Glenn Michalchuk’s report to the 2025 AGM of Peace Alliance Winnipeg.