On June 24, 2025, members of Peace Alliance Winnipeg rallied at the intersection of River Avenue and Osborne Street in Winnipeg to speak out against war, militarism and Canada’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is the statement they distributed.
Condemn U.S./Israeli Attacks on Iran!
Canada Must End its Support for Genocide in Gaza and War Against Iran!
Condemn the G7, NATO, U.S. and Israeli Alliance for War and Genocide!
Canada Out of NATO, Out of the G7!
End U.S. Domination Over Canada to Guarantee Sovereignty!
Fund the Needs of Canadians Not NATO!
Statement of the Peace Alliance Winnipeg, June 24, 2025
On June 21 the United States bombed the nuclear research and production facilities in Iran at the same time it was negotiating with Iranian representatives in Geneva about Iran’s pursuit of nuclear research for civilian purposes. Donald Trump, in his first term as President (2017 – 2021), tore up an agreement that had been signed with Iran in 2015 prompting more than 10 years of uncertainty and crisis. The U.S. bombing came after repeated requests by Israel to intervene to complete what it had been unable to do since launching its own attacks on June 12.
U.S and Israeli Attacks Face World Condemnation
BUT NOT FROM CANADA and its partners in war and genocide
The U.S. and Israeli attacks are a violation of International Law. Article 51 of the UN Charter guarantees the right of UN Member States to individual or collective self-defence; however, such right may only be exercised if an armed attack occurs against a UN Member State, and could only be in proportionate measures necessary to respond to the armed attack. Iran launched no such attack.
These acts of state terrorism were met by almost universal condemnation from governments, human and legal rights organizations and civil society in general. The same cannot be said for the Canadian government and other staunch allies of the U.S. and Israel. Canada, along with the G7 nations (France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom), defended Israel’s unlawful aggression as ‘self-defence’, and blamed Iran as the source of danger in the region. The U.S attack of June 21 has brought a similar response.
Support for War and Genocide
Declaring that Iran prevents peace and security in the Middle East flies in the face of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza as well as decades of U.S. and Israel marauding in the region. It is no surprise that the Canadian government looks the other way when it comes to Israel or supports U.S. aggression. Absolving Israel of any responsibility for genocide in Gaza and supporting its attack on Iran fits with Canadian government policy to a tee. It wants no solutions that favour the people and countries of that region. Furthermore, these policies continue the pursuit of U.S. hegemony and dictate. Thus, the Canadian government participated in or supported the destruction of Libya, Syria, Iraq, Palestine and now the attacks on Iran.
Carney is now in Europe to further the agenda for war and confrontation by committing to meet NATO demands for increased military spending and new military partnerships with Europe. It is expected he will sign an agreement committing Canada to radically increase defence spending to 5% of GDP – a long time demand of Donald Trump. None of this serves the interest of Canadians.
Support for NATO is equivalent to support for destabilizing international relations and
increasing the danger of war regionally and globally. It means Canada sacrifices its sovereignty over foreign policy and relations with other countries. It means the needs of Canadians for more and affordable housing, better health care or dealing with the social crises that are consuming Canadian cities and towns will be sidelined by more military spending. It means Canada is actually less safe, not safer.
Canadians cannot and should not accept that the preparation for confrontation and war continues unabated. There is too much at stake. It has brought us close to all out war with Russia, and destroyed Ukraine. Attacking Iran has the potential to also inflate beyond regional destruction to a global war. Confrontation with China is also increasing and will lead to war if not stopped.
Although we have a Prime Minister as well as a Parliament stacked with MPs who will not speak out against war and genocide, this does not mean Canadians have no way to respond. We need only look to the mass mobilization of Canadians (and indeed the world) against the genocide in Gaza to see that there are forms of social and political pressure that can be effective and bring about change. It is important for all of us to continue to organize, take action and to expand these pressures further within our communities, schools and workplaces.
For further information please visit/check out the following resources:
“Bombing Iran is Part of the USA’s Repetition Compulsion for War War War”, by Norman
Solomon at www.worldbeyondwar.org
“Canada Must Condemn Israeli Aggression Against Iran”, statement by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) at www.cjpme.org pr_2025_06_13_Iran
“Israel’s Illegal War on Iran” CJPME Fact Sheet 251 at www.cjpme.org fs_25