Today officials from Canada sent more than 200 organizations and nearly 500 delegates to Poland military trade show MSPO 2026, using its role as lead nation to promote its defense industry and pursue new partnerships to sell weapons and various military equipment. The defense Minister David J. McGuinty and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will lead the Canadian presence at the exhibition.
Canada is strengthening its defense capabilities and the industrial base that sustains them,” McGuinty said.
As lead nation at MSPO, we are showing what Canadian workers, innovators and companies can deliver while deepening defense cooperation with Poland and our NATO Allies.
According to the government press releases the ministers will meet international businesses to discuss investment and industrial cooperation in defense, aerospace and advanced technologies. Their program is also intended to improve access to overseas markets for Canadian companies to expand domestic capabilities and make supply chains more resilient.
But the major problem with this mission is that Canada does not have a strategic military supply chain. Canada’s key industries lie in sectors such as oil, gas, precious metal mining, steel, forestry, and agriculture; the service sector encompasses the manufacturing of goods and furniture, services, and information technology, alongside emerging sectors like renewable energy and healthcare.
So, what exactly are these Canadian ministers and delegates presenting in Poland today? Do we have anything truly substantial to offer our allies? We have a few companies in the military sectors, but not enough to justify that 500 guys and 200 organizations present at this military trade show – paid by Canadian public funds. Unless, perhaps, Carney’s personal forgets to mention in the communiqué that the government is planning to radically transform the Canadian economy into a military economy within a week!!
In the blink of an eye is the Canadian government using the trade war with the USA as a pretext to completely transform the economy ?
In late August, the Canadian government abruptly ended trade negotiations with the USA, claiming that Trump was demanding terms that were too restrictive for the Canadians industries. That is certainly true, but that is how things are with this administration.
Canadian negociators must stand up to them and continue negotiating for the well-being of Canadian workers and industries. Yet, the Canadian government has chosen to abandon and switch to a strategy of tariff threats!
Prior to these talks, the US government had threatened to impose a tariff on certain Canadian products if an agreement was not negotiated and signed by September 8. Not only did the Canadian government walk away from the negotiations, but it also decided to impose tariffs on American products.
Tonight at midnight, the Canadian government will retaliate against Donald Trump’s tariff measures by imposing tariffs ranging from 15% to 25% on various American products.
However, —our industrial supply chain of production—are inextricably linked to those of the United States. Than, tomorrow it’s possible that the Americans will look elsewhere before buying the Canadian lumber, metals, steel, and other products whose prices will skyrocket.
It’s as if the Canadian government is shooting itself in the foot! It is hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers and thousands of businesses who will pay the price! Or did Carney already have a plan in place?
Could it be that the Canadian government’s strategy is precisely to reoriented the economy in order to rapidly transform it into a war economy? And why not, indeed! Your business can no longer sell our trucks to the Americans—so why not produce tanks? Your manufacture clothing that the Americans no longer want—so why not make soldiers’ uniforms? Your business produce electronic equipment that the Americans no longer want—so why not manufacture drones? We received purchase commitments at the trade show in Poland; now all that remains is to produce these war machines! We even create a bank to support the transformation of our economy!
The arguments I am putting forward may well be entirely flawed. Nevertheless, several coincidences involving certain events remain questionable—especially given the geopolitical tensions that are increasingly palpable in our daily lives and causing many problems.
One other interesting coincidence: next week, Carney is meeting the bigwig of capitalism in Toronto for the launch of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank.
The Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB)
On September 14 and 15, Mark Carney will host what he describes as “the world’s largest investors” at a conference in Toronto. Leading capitalists, financial institutions, and investment funds will gather for the inaugural Canadian Investment Summit – the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. Billed as an investment-attraction strategy, the summit will accelerate the exploitation of environmentally harmful resources. It will also further open up public assets to capitalist interests. But moreover, it will transform our economy into an economy of war, terror and violence!
In other words, it is a bank designed to facilitate increased military spending by NATO countries by channeling public and private funds to arms manufacturers. Mark Carney is encouraging Canada to play a leading role in the creation of this bank
So, in the blink of an eye, in a week, the Canadian government could transform the Canadian economy and the destiny of the planet, supporting more wars and violence!
Let’s resist! Let’s begin by supporting the petition from the organization Science for Peace opposing the Bank!
Opposing the Bank and the military coup on Canadian public Fund
Science for Peace, along with other organizations opposed to militarism, recently signed an open letter condemning Canada’s role in leading and hosting the new DSRB. The letter states:
The DSRB would divert public funds away from urgent social and environmental needs and into the inflated profits of arms companies and their shareholders… Financing war will not bring us peace. The DSRB’s mandate—to finance the ever-increasing manufacture and purchase of weapons—is fundamentally at odds with hopes for a peaceful world. It is undeniable that the world is becoming a less stable place and that major powers—including the United States under President Trump—are displaying new levels of disregard for diplomacy and international law.
However, the solution to these peacebuilding failures does not lie in a massive increase in our investment in weapons of war.
SIGNATORIES
David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, broadcaster, and environmental activist
Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd and peace activist
Yann Martel, award winning Author, Life of Pi
Ellen Gabriel, documentary Filmmaker, Indigenous Human Rights and environmental Activist
Cory Doctorow, award winning author, activist, journalist
Clayton Thomas-Müller, Cree author, filmmaker, organizer, and Indigenous land and environmental justice defender
Russ Diabo, Kahnawake Mohawk, First Nations Policy Analyst and Spokesperson for the Truth Before Reconciliation Education & Advocacy Network
Judy Rebick, author, journalist, and founding publisher of rabble.ca
El Jones, associate Professor, Mount Saint Vincent University, Politics and Cultural Studies, and former Poet Laureate of Halifax
Sid Ryan, former President of the Ontario Federation of Labor and former President of CUPE Ontario
Mike Palecek, former President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Rinaldo Walcott, professor at the University of Toronto, author and public intellectual
Dimitri Lascaris, lawyer, journalist, and activist
Jord Samolesky, co-founder and drummer of Propagandhi
Alex Tyrrell, Leader of the Green Party of Quebec
Rabbi David Mivasair, Rabbi
Yves Engler, Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Tamara Lorincz, PhD, member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF-Canada), and peace and climate justice activist
Ian Angus, author, Editor of Climate & Capitalism, and founding member of the Global Ecosocialist Network
Khaled Loutfi Mouammar, Author, former president, Canadian Arab Federation
Amy Miller, filmmaker, Wide Open Exposure Productions
Sakura Saunders, mining justice organizer, writer, and activist
William Carroll, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Victoria
Kevin Gould, Associate Professor, Concordia University
Pierre Jasmin, Artists for Peace
Grahame Russell, Co-Director, Rights Action
Matthew Remski, Author
Chun He, Palestine Impact Collective
Gerry Lacroix, SCAN (Seniors for Climate Action Now)
Bianca Mugyenyi, Author and Activist
Pitasanna Shanmugathas, Writer, Filmmaker
Lanyan Chen, Professor, Social Welfare and Social Development, Nipissing University
Eric Shragge, retired Associate Professor, School of Community and Public Affairs, Concordia University, and co-founder of the Immigrant Workers Center
Kendrah Eff, Ontarians Against Corruption
Tim Gordienko, Association of United Ukrainian Canadians
Tyler Shipley, Professor, Humber Polytechnic
Teaghan Young, activist
Henry Smaller, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education, York University
Marie-France Arismendi, Latin American Canadian Solidarity Association
Pierre LeBlanc, activist
Hannah Uzelac, activist
Gary Engler, Unifor Local 2000, retired.
Cymry Gomery, Montreal for a World BEYOND War
Leslie Chandler, activist
Ron Batt, activist
Cathy Carpenter, activist
Danielle Sheahan, Danielle Sheahan Psychotherapy
Natalie Lebel, Being Human Psychotherapy & Consulting Services
Sharon Boyd, activist
Mohamed Hasan, activist
Mary Ellen Davis, documentary filmmaker and Part-time Faculty, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Concordia University
Murray Lumley, activist
Alex Lanouette, activist
Adam Rupik, activist
Jill Glessing, CUPE, World BEYOND War, Davenport4Palestine
Karen Young, activist
Andrew Glencross, activist
Alison Beckett, activist
Diane Frolick, activist
Jasmine Peardon, Coordinator, Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed, CREW Union
Zachary Ruiter, Journalist
Brydon Gombay, Activist
Gerald Rowe, Montreal Elders for Environmental Justice
Shaun Lovejoy, Professor, McGill University
Larry Neufeld, activist
Marta Hernández, activist
Nadia Alexan, Artists for Peace
Gregory Gillis, activist
Niovi Patsicakis, activist
Laura Jones, activist
Nicole Gombay, Concerned citizen & Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Montreal
Klaire Gain, Professor, King’s University College
Rhyd Whitham, Theater Artist, PhD Student, York University
John Wunderlich, activist
Emma Valihora, activist
Dónal Gill, Professor of Political Science, Dawson College
Anna Gollen, activist
Claudia Chaufan, activist
Thomas Kemple, Professor of Sociology, University of British Columbia
Celeste Trianon, activist
Smadar Carmon, Build the Boycott
Caitriona Cantillon, activist
Graeme Jokic, filmmake
Barry Weisleder, Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed, Socialist Action, and Red Review magazine
Sora Gibbons, Actor, Arts Educator & Musician
Gord Doctorow, NDP
Jacqui Gingras, Professor of Sociology, Toronto Metropolitan University
James Deutsch, MD, PhD, FRCPC, physician and academic, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Fargo Moayed, Metro Vancouver for Palestine, Kritical Kanadian
Ed Durocher, Founder and guitarist, Apollo Suns
Brendan Devlin, Independent scholar and organizer
Marko Velimir Kobak, Popular Front of Canada
Grace Dulmage, activist
Emilie Petrin, activist
Daniel Salée, Professor, Political Science, Concordia University
Mariam Furre, Coordinator at Carleton Public Interest Research Group
Tayif Ahmed, activist
Sebastian Tansil, Secretary, Kensington Market Community Land Trust
Natalie Braun, York University
Meng Zhao, activist
Cléo Clamen, Journalist, Activist
Elliot Goodell Ugalde, PhD Candidate and Lecturer, Queen’s University | PSAC 901 Vice President
Stephen Gnanasihamany, Educator at Concordia University, Union organizer with Concordia Research and Education Workers (CREW) Union
Rosie Zhao, activist
Arnold August, Author, Journalist
Akrum Matuk, P.Eng
Douglas Williams, activist
Nathan Colquhoun, former Sarnia City Councilor
Ryan Dumont, Union Organizer and student, Concordia University
Hans Modlich, activist
Jag Ghankas, activist
Charles Gao, activist
Mason Mattu, activist and law student
Andrea Travas, activist
Solstice Gallotta, activist
You-Ju Choi, Teamsters Rail, Edmonton District Labor Council
Beau Shaw, New Democratic Party of Canada
Seamus Fleming, activist
Skadi Green, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Muhammad Abdulsalam, Peace Alliance Winnipeg
Lainie Sherry, activist
Amanda Peace, activist
Maia Mudric, Touch Grass Club
Beth Schreiner, activist
Dave Jules-Amilcar, activist
Jacob Holloway, lawyer
Dorothy Hodgins, Indigenous Rights Researcher at Reciprocity Research Inc.
Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Chair and co-founder, AccessBC Campaign
Candice Bodnaruk, writer, activist
Dave Perks, activist
Jennine Fayad, student activist
Nora Yaghi, concerned human
Nate Oberst, Popular Front of Canada
Isabel Smith, activist
Garrett Halas, Peace Alliance Winnipeg
Tarek Abdel Aziz, Songwriter, Founder of the band OP-ED
Tanya Cheal, activist
Cody Bondarchuk, activist
Luna McCormick, activist
Megan Donnelly, activist
Ashwin Shantha, Journal of International Solidarity
Cody Ateah, activist
Tina Oh, activist
Daniel McClelland, Peace Alliance Winnipeg
Damien Haogak, Indigenous Activist
Larry Haiven, activist
Laura Penner, Edmonton West NDP VP/McClung Secretary for NDP
Ruth Urlacher, Human being who deserves to live
Kim Madden, activist
Jane Yearwood, activist
Mauro Meden, activist
Steve Chalastra, activist
Krystyle Sutherland, activist
Andy Brunet, Independent photojournalist
Nicholas Beck, activist
Dominic Lucas, activist
Justin Cyr, Communist Party of Canada
Mathew Belloni, Ottawa Peace Council
Hélène Gaonac’h, Scientist, pacifist
Bruce Katz, Palestinian and Jewish Unity / Palestiniens et Juifs unis (PAJU)
Nicholas Libitka, Communist Party of Canada
Susan Wortman, Retired Psychotherapist
Tricia Robinson, Illustrator & Labour Organizer
Justin Carlson, Activist
Ji Won Jung,
Anne Farrell, Education for Active Nonviolence Activist and journalist
