Cutting through Canada’s war propaganda

 

Twenty years ago I helped set up a small activist collective called Block the Empire to oppose Canada’s contribution to the invasion of Iraq. I participated in many protests against Canada’s occupation of Afghanistan and Haiti as well as Canadian complicity in Israeli violence. I’ve written critically about the NATO war on Libya and many other foreign-policy issues including a book on how the propaganda system works in Canadian foreign policy.

While there are parallels from the first half of the 20th century, the political climate over the past year and a half is remarkable. Easily demonstratable facts and history are all but expunged from a media sphere devoting extensive attention to the war in Ukraine. Every MP in the House of Commons walks in lockstep and unlike the US no politicians with profile questions any element of official policy. Long-standing peace organizers’ efforts to host small public meetings that challenge the stunningly simplistic dominant narrative face aggressive, often successful, bids for them to be shut down.

Russia’s actions violate international law and are brutal. Its forces are responsible for thousands of Ukrainians civilian and tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers’ deaths. The damage to infrastructure and environment is also staggering. But that is well detailed in the Canadian media.

What is ignored in the dominant discussion is the context that could prompt Canadians to push Ottawa towards a contribution to ending, rather than escalating, the horrors. Stated bluntly, Canada helped provoke the conflict and is prolonging the horrors.  (more...)

Cutting through Canada’s war propaganda