WILPF Canada and the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) recently sent a joint letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and requested a meeting with her. We called on Minister Joly to push for a ceasefire and help to end war in Ukraine, stop sending weapons to Ukraine, prioritize diplomacy and disarmament, and implement the Women Peace and Security agenda.
We also brought to Minister Joly’s attention our concern about the serious situation that independent Canadian journalist Eva Bartlett who has been reporting from Ukraine, Donbass and Russia has been put on a Ukrainian “kill” / “undesirables” list. We called on Minister Joly to denounce this and to stand for freedom of the press and the protection of journalists.
We are opposed to Canada sending weapons and special forces to Ukraine, which is prolonging the war and suffering of the people. We are concerned that Canada has not called for a ceasefire or negotiations to end the fighting. It is in the best interests of not only women and children in Ukraine, but all Ukrainians, Russians and the whole world to stop the war and come to a negotiated resolution
Read our joint letter to Minister Joly here.