Tag: Canadian Forces

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Yves Engler, Tyan Cherepuschak, Tyson Strandlund February 11th, 2023

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Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded February 11th, 2023.

This past week, Canadian Forces redeployed a CP-140 Aurora surveillance plane from its dedicated mission assisting U.S.-led drugs smuggling interdiction efforts in the Caribbean to spend two days flying reconnaissance over Haiti. Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly characterized the escalation of Canada’s military involvement in the country as a “demonstration of Canada’s commitment to Haiti”. Last month, Canada demonstrated that commitment in the form of an unspecified number and type of armored vehicles being sold to a government that has already called for foreign military intervention to quell wide-spread public discontent with its corrupt and entirely unelected leadership.

Yves Engler is an independent, Montreal-based journalist and author. He’s written twelve books on Canadian foreign policy, including ‘Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority’, co-authored with Anthony Fenton. His recent article, ‘Ottawa’s support for repressive Haitian police grows as democracy fades’ appears at his website, YvesEngler.com, and puts to the lie – again – Canada’s “concern for the people” of that benighted island.

Yves Engler in the first half.

And; the University of Victoria’s Student Union has become another front in the Ukraine/Russia war. Last month, UVic’s Ukrainiain Students’ Society alleged harassment of its members and intimidation in the form of “hate crime” graffiti scrawled on one of its posters. They’ve also made allegations of “ongoing hate and harassment demonstrated by the YCL [Young Communist League]…” UVic’s USS is, with similar student societies on campuses across the country, associated with the politically influential Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

Tyan Cherepuschak is an undergraduate student at the University of Victoria, and is a Ukrainian-Canadian who until recently served as Vice-President to the UVic chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Students Union (SUSK).

And; Tyson Strandlund is a member of both the UVic chapter of the Young Communist League and the Vancouver Island Peace Council, a local chapter of the Canadian Peace Congress. He too is a Canadian of Ukrainian descent, who has studied in and visited Ukraine both before and after the 2014 Maidan coup.

Tyan Cherepuschak & Tyson Strandlund on bringing the Ukraine conflict to Canadian campuses in the second half.

But first, Yves Engler and Canada’s caring military gestures to Haiti.

 

Song: Watch the Buildings Crumble

Album: May Day

Artist: David Rovics

 

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcasting since 1999. Check out the Archive at Gorilla-Radio.com, GRadio.Substack.com, and the GR blog at: https://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

 

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Martin Lukacs, Randy Caravaggio July 8, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition, recorded on the dates, July 1st and 3rd, 2021

And welcome to Dominion Day 2021. While most citizens celebrate the country, an increasing number of Canadians are coming to recognize the yawning gulf between the popular imaginings and gruesome reality of Canada’s founding. But that ugliness is not confined to the brutal crimes of a colonial past. Canada’s rulers are currently up to their armpits in America’s global conquest; complicit today creating tomorrow’s regretable history.

Martin Lukacs is a long-time journalist and author. He’s served as environmental writer for Britain’s Guardian newspaper, and contributed to the New York Review of Book, Toronto Star, and CBC News among others. His first book, ‘The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent’ is a devastating “must read” according to luminary author, Naomi Klein. Lukacs is also a contributing writer and Managing Editor at The Breach, a new Canadian publication that is a quote, “…independent media outlet in Canada that produces critical journalism to help map a just, viable future…” It’s where I found his recent piece, ‘Canada building global network of military bases in aggressive shift’.

Martin Lukacs in the first half.

And; there were high hopes the change of government south would mean a reversal of Trump’s draconian Cuba policy, but nearly six months later the Biden administration has yet to move on its election promise of a return to Obama’s engagement with the Caribbean island nation. Even worse, despite the United Nations General Assembly’s (overwhelming) endorsement to remove America’s sixty years-long siege against the country the blockade continues, effecting now Cuba’s ability to react to the Covid pandemic.

Randy Caravaggio is a social justice defender and organizer with the Victoria Goods for Cuba campaign, and co-ordinator with Victoria’s contribution to the Pastor’s for Peace Caravan to Cuba.

Randy Caravaggio and gathering needful things for Cuba in the second half.

But first, Martin Lukacs and Canada’s new military foreign policy self-understanding “from concept to on-the-ground execution”.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: https://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com