Quebec progressives oppose NATO’s role in Ukraine
April 18th, 2022
Featured Guest: ROBIN PHILPOT, Montreal-based author and publisher.
On SoundCloud:
Phil Taylor interviews Robin Philpot, publisher of Baraka Books in Montreal, and host of the weekly radio program, Le Pied à Papineau.
Phil notes that political discussions in Quebec are more profound than in the rest of Canada because of the centuries-long subjection of the francophone majority to British imperial rule. For example, Robin Philpot cites the activities of Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, who dared to state that, in his opinion, Russia’s demands for a neutral, demilitarized, and denazified Ukraine were perfectly reasonable. In fact, Tyrrell, who recently contested a provincial by-election on Montreal’s South Shore, made the war in Ukraine an election issue. He pointedly did so by protesting at several munitions plants in the riding alongside Montreal political commentator, Yves Engler. His point: to be an environmentalist means being a supporter of peace.
In Montreal, as well, there is a weekly picket of the US Consulate calling for Canada to withdraw from NATO, organized by the Quebec Movement for Peace. In addition, Engler disrupted a speech by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland who declared in her budget speech that Russia should be completely defeated and directed $500 m CAD to the Ukrainian government. He also interrupted a speech by Global Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, who has been a cheerleader for Zelensky.
Finally, Robin Philpot talks about a new book he is publishing, called “Foxhunt,” which novel is a Cold War thriller set in Quebec and England. The author is Luke Beirne, a graduate of McMaster University.