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February 12, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
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In response to the $233M chopper deal in the Philippines
O
nce again, Canadian imperialism demonstrates its support to the US-Duterte fascist regime in the Philippines. Anakbayan Canada, a national democratic organization of Filipino youth and students, denounces the most recent $233-M chopper deal between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The deal, which involves the acquisition of sixteen combat helicopters, will only intensify the violence against the Indigenous and peasant communities. The $234 million deal involves Bell 412 utility helicopters, which are expected to be built by US company Textron Inc.’s plant in Mirabel, Quebec. This is not the first time Ottawa has colluded with Manila. In fact, this unequal relations is to primarily protect Canadian-owned mining companies scattered across the archipelago. Using disaster aid as Canada’s benevolent face, the Philippines purchased eight Quebec-made helicopters to be used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in 2015. Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) showcased the capabilities of the aircraft when the four pairs went into action in central Philippine island of Iloilo in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan. A year later, a confidential agreement was signed. The deal was brokered by the Canadian Commercial Corporation—a Crown corporation that had boosted arms trade with Saudi Arabia, Colombia and other governments with appalling human rights records. History repeats itself as most recent Ottawa-Manila deal, signed on December 29, 2017, was anchored on the premise the helicopters will be used for “disaster relief, search and rescue, passenger transport, and utility transport,” according to Global Affairs Canada. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) does not whitewash their purchases. The Philippine government is spending a total of $3-B for its armed forces modernization program until 2022, but putting priority on equipment and armaments for “internal security” operations to defeat
Crossword
“domestic threats” as well protect its maritime borders for five years. Numerous reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations, Philippine human rights organization KARAPATAN have incriminated the AFP and its surrogate paramilitary groups as the perpetrator of direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks on areas in which civilians are present, thousands of killings and torture of activists, and other human rights abuses. The Philippine state continue to sow terror as it sponsors campaign to silence dissenting opposition to the US-Duterte regime. “It is evident that Canada’s involvement in Philippine military affairs, under the guise of disaster relief, will contribute to the decline of democracy and the rise of fascism in the Philippines. Canada and Trudeau are directly complicit in the potential deaths of the most vulnerable in Philippine society,” said Nicole Sudiacal, Anakbayan Ottawa. She adds, “It is a direct example of their disregard for human rights in the archipelago. With Duterte’s fascist regime increasing in its violence, the Philippine government has been targeting youth and student activists who oppose the degradation of human rights, which includes militarization of Lumad (Indigenous) communities, and the disastrous extra judicial killings of thousands in Duterte’s unjust drug war.” The helicopter deal does not serve the interests of the Canadian and Filipino people. It is endorsed by a power-hungry authoritarian and a pretty boy, who, with an ugly foreign policy, represent the exploitative ruling class and imperialists which intends to salvage US-led hegemony in the world. “Similar to his many promises, PM Trudeau pays lip service to his pronouncement that human rights in the Philippines should be upheld. This new military deal shows the true face of pretty boy Trudeau—an accomplice to murderous Duterte regime. The Canadian government is supplying Duterte’s war against Moro people, Lumad and other national minorities in the Philippines.
Jay VanPut Official Crossword Wizard
“I smell the Blood of an Englishman...”
Canadians should denounce this military deal that will only aggravate the human rights crisis in the Philippines,” said Renz Grospe, Anakbayan Canada. “Trudeau’s support for the Duterte fascist regime’s “internal security operations” will only further enable more horrific human rights violations committed with impunity. Supplying the military will necessarily incite more violence against Indigenous and other minority communities, who are already the least protected among the population. Empowering a corrupt government waging a war against its own people makes Trudeau and Canada complicit in the continued bloodshed of thousands, simply for the sake of economic interests,” said Beatrice Dimaculangan, Anakbayan Montreal. “Youth and students in the Philippine diaspora in Canada must directly oppose this blatant violation of human rights and dignity. We must directly target the Canadian government for propping up the Duterte fascist regime, and continue to struggle alongside the Filipino people in their fight for genuine national democracy and a just and lasting peace,” added Nicole Sudiacal. As an organization concerned with people’s rights, AnakbayanCanada condemns the helicopter deal between Ottawa and Manila. We demand an all-out withdrawal of Canadian financial, moral, political and military support for the US-Duterte regime’s wars against the Filipino people including the so-called war on drugs, martial law in Mindanao, and counterinsurgency. We call on all our member organizations, human rights organizations and peace advocates to stand up for human rights and take action to oppose the murderous deal between Canada and the Philippines. From Canada to the Philippines, stop the imperialist war machines! No to tax dollars for human rights violations in the Philippines! End state fascism!
Across 1. Pepsi or Coke 5. Transition points 10. Pledge 14. Eurasia’s ___ Mountains 15. Grayish 16. Actress Jessica 17. “___ Lama Ding Dong” (1961 hit) 18. Food for captive aquatic animals 20. Sac in the pelvis 22. Prefix with metric 23. ___ Moines, Iowa 24. Bridge support 29. Storage room 32. Middle of the month, typically 36. Princess who died in 1997 37. ___ fixe 38. Go to and fro 39. Engine speed, for short 40. Type of home or pyre 43. Copy 44. Big-ticket ___ 46. Indian bread 47. Noblemen 49. Predicts the future 51. To this point 52. Car brand recently sent to space 53. Dude
–Filipino youth group Anakbayan-Canada
54. “If I Ruled the World” rapper 57. Some lense shapes 61. Way to get rid of an infestation 66. Neighbor of Pakistan 67. Foreboding 68. Chain of mountains 69. Landed 70. Called 71. Squeeze 72. Laughs over a text Down 1. Side of a road 2. Type of history 3. Dalai ___ 4. 1992 Disney Film 5. Coffee shops 6. Computer operator 7. That girl 8. Mani-____ 9. Nintendo game console 10. Idiot 11. Muhammad ___ 12. “The Office” Airer 13. “That’s a laugh!” 19. Learning method 21. Coffee order 25. Hi-___ 26. Not cautious
27. Thing found in the corner of a paper 28. Most quiet 29. Wandering 30. Walk quietly 31. People who work with lions at a circus 32. Cause for stress at school 33. Perfect 34. Flowerless plants 35. Oolong, for one 41. French 101 article 42. Discover 45. Actor Gibson 48. One who doesn’t want to talk 50. Zest 53. Components of a skeleton 55. Modern Maturity grp. (US) 56. Arouse 57. Gear teeth 58. Folkie Guthrie 59. Colorado resort 60. Tolkien tree creatures 61. In favor of 62. Actress Thurman 63. Guys 64. Gerund’s end 65. Suffix with chlor-