For almost three years, the so-called “Saudi-led coalition” has been waging an unremitting, ruthless war on the people of Yemen and its Houthi-led government. Constant aerial bombing of Yemen’s capital Sanaa and other cities have included civilian targets (schools, hospitals, and public markets), killing or injuring thousands of Yemeni civilians. But even worse, this “coalition” – essentially run from Washington which provides weapons, funds and satellite/drone intelligence data to the Saudi dictatorship – has imposed a blockade on Yemen, stopping shipments of food, medicines and fuel which even the UN Security Council-appointed panel admits is “obstructing the delivery of commodities that are essentially civilian in nature.”

As a result of these criminal actions, some 7 million people in Yemen are now on the verge of starvation. Yemen is also in the throes of a cholera epidemic that has infected more than 900,000 people. A humanitarian tragedy of immense proportions is unfolding as a result, but the Western imperialist powers – and the Security Council they control – are allowing this aggression to continue.

Canada is deeply complicit in this dirty war on Yemen. The Trudeau government has refused to cancel the $15 Billion arms sale (of armed personnel carriers and other military goods) which was negotiated under the previous Harper government, despite the fact that this deal violates Canadian export requirements preventing sales to states guilty of human rights abuses. An update on this issue can be found at https://theintercept.com/2017/11/16/u-n-security-counil-saudi-arabia-blockade-yemen-famine-iran

The Canadian Peace Congress and many other peace and solidarity organizations are calling on the Trudeau government to cancel this deal while there is still time to do so. We urge labour, peace and other concerned groups and individuals to write the government and local MPs urging immediate action to rescind the export permits for this sale. We also call on the federal caucus of the New Democratic Party to end its silence on this issue, and instead take a principled stand demanding this shameful arms sale be stopped, and that Canada pressure the Saudi regime to cease its illegal and immoral aggression against Yemen.

Canadian Peace Congress
March 2018