Socialist Caucus calls out NDP Foreign Affairs Critic
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10 SOCIALIST ACTION SEPTEMBER 2017 step with U.S. Empire Excerpts re-printed from his website D oes the NDP consistently support a foreign policy that benefits ordinary people around the world? Or does the social democratic party often simply fall in line with whatever the American Empire demands?
Hélène Laverdière certainly seems to support the U.S.led geopolitical order. While the NDP foreign critic has called for stronger arms control measures and regulations on Canada’s international mining industry, she’s aligned with the Empire on issues ranging from Venezuela to Palestine, Ukraine to Syria.
Echoing Washington and Ottawa, Laverdière recently attacked the Venezuelan government. “On the heels of Sunday’s illegitimate constituent assembly vote, it’s more important than ever for Canada to work with our allies and through multilateral groups like the OAS to secure a lasting resolution to the crisis,” she told the CBC.
But, the constituent assembly vote wasn’t “illegitimate.” Venezuela’s current constitution empowers the president to call a constituent assembly to draft a new one. If the population endorses the revised constitution in a referendum, the president—and all other governmental bodies—are legally required to follow the new constitutional framework.
Additionally, calling on Ottawa to “work with our allies” through the OAS may sound reasonable, but in practice it means backing Trudeau’s efforts to weaken Venezuela through that body. Previously, Laverdière promoted that Washington-led policy. ...
Laverdière has also cozied up to pro-Israel groups. Last year she spoke to the notorious anti-Palestinian lobby organization American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The NDP Socialist Caucus demands the resignation of the NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Helene Laverdiere, MP Laurier-Sainte Marie, from her Critic position.
For months, Ms. Laverdiere has publicly expressed policy positions that are quite reactionary. In many cases, she has taken positions that violate NDP policies and principles. The latest is her effort, parallel to that of the Justin Trudeau Liberal government and that of the Donald Trump White House, to isolate, starve, and remove the popular elected government of Venezuela.
For that reason, amply demonstrated by the article below, written by respected Canadian foreign policy Months after AIPAC paid for her to speak at their conference in Washington, Laverdière visited Israel with Canada’s governor general, even participating in a ceremony put on by the explicitly racist Jewish National Fund. … Laverdière supports deploying troops to the Russian border and repeatedly called for more sanctions on that country. She said the plan to send military trainers to the Ukraine sounds good “in principle” and only called for a debate in Parliament about sending 450 Canadians to head up a 1000-strong NATO force in Latvia.
Since 2014 Laverdière has repeatedly called for stronger sanctions on Russia. In 2014 Laverdière told the Ottawa Citizen that “for sanctions to work, it’s not about the number of people but it’s about actually sanctioning the right people. They have to be comprehensive. And they have to target mainly the people who are very close to Putin. Our sanctions, the Canadian sanctions, still fail to do that.”
In May Laverdière applauded a bill modeled after the U.S. Magnitsky Act that will further strain relations becritic Yves Engler, the NDP Socialist Caucus calls for the immediate replacement of Ms. Laverdiere as NDP Foreign Affairs Critic.
The present NDP leadership race is no reason for the party membership to be silent on this matter. To the contrary, we encourage all NDP and affiliated union members to speak up, and we ask all four candidates to indicate where they stand on the pronouncements of Ms. Laverdiere, who happens to be a declared supporter of leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh.
For more information contact Barry Weisleder, chair, NDP Socialist Caucus at: 647-986-1917. n tween Ottawa and Moscow by sanctioning Russian officials. “Several countries have adopted similar legislation and we are encouraged that the Liberals are finally taking this important step to support the Global Magnitsky movement,” she said.
In another region where the U.S. and Russia were in conflict Laverdière aligned with the Washington-Riyadh position: … Early in the Syrian conflict Laverdière condemned the Harper government for failing to take stronger action against Assad. She urged Harper to raise the Syrian conflict with China, recall Canada’s ambassador to Syria, and complained that energy giant Suncor was exempted from sanctions, calling on Canada to “put our money where our mouth is.” … On a number of issues the former Canadian diplomat has aligned with the U.S. Empire. Whoever takes charge of the NDP in October should think about whether Laverdière is the right person to keep Canadian foreign policy decision makers accountable. n