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On Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 12:00 pm, Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, went in front of the Pratt and Whitney armament plant in Longueuil, near the riding of Marie-Victorin, where he is running as a candidate in the by-elections. He then continued his tour of demonstrations in front of Quebec arms factories, demonstrating against the manufacture of engines for military aircraft in Quebec.
Alex Tyrrell is an eco-socialist activist who was elected leader of the Green Party of Quebec in 2013 at the age of 25. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Concordia University as well as a college diploma from Dawson College in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Under his leadership, the Green Party of Quebec has positioned itself on the left of the Quebec political scene, while adopting a comprehensive program for Quebec, the new Green Plan, which contains progressive proposals on all issues of Quebec politics.
The leader of the Green Party of Quebec said, « We sent rocket launchers, grenades and machine guns instead of diplomacy.
He added that « the federal government has announced billions of dollars in military spending on top of the increases already approved. In fact, Canada’s war budget will more than double between 2016 and 2026, from $18.9 billion to $40.7 billion. »
Alex Tyrrell pointed out that, « In addition to weapons factories, European sanctions on Russian oil and gas would create an unprecedented trade opportunity for Canadian oil and gas. Supplying Europe with energy would mean building multiple pipelines in Canada. It would mean massive tar sands expansion, polluted rivers, dead animals and environmental destruction. It would tie our country to fossil fuel exports for decades, even generations. »
The leader of the Green Party of Quebec speaks directly to workers at Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier and other war plants in Quebec « I can give you my word that a green government would offer the same job guarantee to employees in the arms and munitions manufacturing sectors that we will offer to workers in the fossil fuel and auto industries who will be affected by the energy transition. »
He concluded his speech by reminding us that, « War is the new mechanism Trudeau has instrumentalized to crush the Canadian environmental movement. This must stop. »
The leader of the Green Party of Quebec was joined in his speech by Yves Engler, anti-war activist and renowned author with 12 published books including the most recent Stand on guard for whom – A people’s history of the Canadian armed forces. Yves was recently arrested and charged with false imprisonment after he interrupted speeches by Mélanie Joly and the US Ambassador advocating for war before an elite audience in a hotel conference room.
Yves Engler added that: « When it comes to Pratt & Whitney specifically over the last 50 years, we are talking about over $3 billion in federal subsidies to this company. 3 billion is a lot of money that could be used for other more environmentally and socially important productions. »
Finally, activist Yves Engler supports the Green Party of Quebec, adding, « I applaud this campaign that Alex and the Green Party are doing, in front of the military in Montreal, by offering another option than making a profit by killing people. »
The Green Party of Quebec is eco-socialist, feminist, and inclusive.
