To the Editor,
It has been announced that the right-wing government in Kyiv, Ukraine, will be receiving military equipment from our own federal government. Those supplies are meant for action at the border with Russia. This is close to an act of war, one of the worst instances of provocation and foreign interference by Canada in many years.
In addition, Canadian trade sanctions with Russia have been increased and Russia has now responded. Yet hurting exporters of Canadian foodstuffs bound for Russia will do nothing to end the civil war in Ukraine. Trade sanctions in general are economically unwise and politically dubious.
In fact it would be instructive to look at the last case of such meddling in a civil war, Libya. The country of Libya is now controlled by roving bands of militants aligned with al-Qaeda, not the result we were sold on when we sent our air force to join other NATO countries there. Diplomats are fleeing Libya and the Tripoli airport is unsafe.
Up to the Dayton Accords of 1995 Canada was a peacekeeping nation, and that is a policy worth returning to.
Colin Frazer,
Port Alberni