Our May newsletter is being brought to you by our National Coordinator Alley McDonald.

This May we want to highlight VOW & IPPNWC's TPNW Delegates Report Back Event; Call on CBC for a Conversation on Peacebuilding; Mothers' Day for Peace & a Nuclear Free World Event; and so much more happening this month!

Be sure to scroll all the way down for upcoming events, calls to action, and recommended resources!

VOW's work of peace, anti-war and demilitarization merits your support! Make a donation. Even better, join our growing number of Monthly Peace Partners. Consider $5 or $50 or any amount in between. Become a Peace Partner today!

We have a moral and legal responsibility as a country to prevent genocide.
Yet Canada continues to arm Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Our leaders refuse to see, hear or even speak about what’s happening. But we’re not going to let them ignore it.

It’s time to call it what it is. Genocide.

Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians in the last 18 months—including 20,000 children. Our country is complicit in these ongoing deaths by buying and selling military goods and technology with Israel. Canada is even profiting off these murders.

As the catastrophe wrought by Israel’s continued assault on Gaza grows, we’re calling on the Canadian government to immediately suspend all trade in arms and military technology with Israel.

It’s time for MPs to join the growing call for a two-way arms embargo on Israel.

We'll be at Gaza square once again this Sunday morning with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk! Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as we make our presence known and continue to build safety in our community!

Every year, 15th May marks International Conscientious Objection Day (CO day) - a day to celebrate those who have, and those who continue, to resist war, especially by refusing to be part of military structures.

If you would like to take part in CO day, contact us.

Take Action:

On May 15, the International Conscientious Objection Day, we want to send out a powerful joint message for peace and the right to refuse to kill. Especially in times of global armed conflict, it is more important than ever to promote public debate on conscription, conscientious objection and alternatives to the military.

Through #RefuseWar international action we have been able to collect voices from around the world standing for peace and objecting to war.

The International Conscientious Objection Day is an opportunity to restate our commitment and to raise our voice against war and in favor of disarmament. This is becoming even more urgent because of all the new plans and public discussions on the so-called need for re-armament and stronger armed defence by many State actors across the world today.

In the early 1980s, a group of pacifist feminists from across Europe united to protest the buildup of arms and nuclear weapons. Together, they established 24 May as International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament.

As feminist peace activists from around the world, we continue to demand that governments take immediate action to end the daily threat and impact of weapons on people and communities everywhere.

Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) stands in solidarity with women around the world in marking International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament this May 24th. As one of Canada’s longest-standing feminist peace organizations, VOW is deeply committed to advancing women’s leadership in peacebuilding, promoting disarmament, and advocating for a world free from violence. On this day, we celebrate the power of collective action, peace voices, and reaffirm our dedication to creating a just, peaceful future for all.

In 2013, three radical Black organizers — Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi — created a Black-centered political-movement-building project called #BlackLivesMatter in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman.

In 2014, Mike Brown was murdered by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. During Labor Day weekend that same year, Darnell Moore and Patrisse Cullors organized a national caravan called the Black Life Matters Ride. In 15 days, a plan of action was developed and successfully gathered over 600 people to occupy the territory of St. Louis to support our brothers and sisters in demonstration. During this time, organizers made two key commitments: to support the team on the ground in St. Louis, and to go back home and continue to do the work, wherever home was. It was understood that Ferguson was not an aberration, but in fact a clear point of reference for what was happening to Black communities everywhere.

Inspired by our friends in Ferguson, organizers from 18 different cities went back home and developed Black Lives Matter chapters in their communities and towns, broadening the political will and movement-building reach catalyzed by the #BlackLivesMatter project and that groundwork in Ferguson.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network would not be recognized worldwide had it not been for the folks in St. Louis and Ferguson who put their bodies on the line all those years ago and who continue, day in and day out, to show up for Black lives.

Over the years, peacekeeping has evolved to adapt to the changing political landscape and nature of conflicts which have become more complex and interconnected. With support from UN member countries, it continues to advance the path set forth in the UN Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace which calls for a more robust, holistic and collective response to the security threats of today and tomorrow.

Despite the challenges, peacekeepers persevere, alongside many partners, in the collective pursuit of peace. The International Day pays tribute to the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers and the resilience of the communities that they serve. It honours the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving for peace.

This campaign also calls on each of us to join the global movement for peace. Alone, we can never succeed. But, together, we can be a strong force for change.

We’re excited to offer two meaningful job opportunities for passionate individuals who want to make a difference in global peace, public health, and education. Join our dynamic team and contribute to work that matters.

🔹 1. Web Developer (Canada Summer Jobs Program) https://forms.gle/sx2UgmwD9hWFZVcp6
🕒 Full-time | 8 weeks with the possibility of extension | start in May or June
📌 Possibility of contract extension
👥 Open to youth under 30 with authorization to work in Canada
Bring your creativity to life through web design that support peace, sustainability, social justice through a health lens.
📩 APPLY NOW applications will be accepted until May 5th but will be reviewed on a rolling basis. https://forms.gle/sx2UgmwD9hWFZVcp6

🔹 2. Program Officer  https://forms.gle/GY5dk2wHL9c3rUtA7

https://forms.gle/Ls7pTLFvUu3Tbm1S6
📍 Remote
🕒 Part-time 12/month | 1-year term with the possibility of extension | Start Date: immediately
📌 Flexible schedule, ideal for professionals or grad students
Work alongside international partners to coordinate advocacy and research programs.
👥 Open to individuals with relevant experience, subject matter knowledge and authorization to work in Canada
📩 APPLY NOW applications will be accepted until May 5th but will be reviewed on a rolling basis. https://forms.gle/GY5dk2wHL9c3rUtA7

Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have embarked on a global voyage aboard the Peace Boat to appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons, 80 years after the end of World War Two.
The Peace Boat, which is operated by a Japan-based international NGO of the same name, left the port of Yokohama near Tokyo on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025.
The ship will visit 18 countries, including the United States and European nations, during its roughly three-month voyage.
The survivors will speak about their experiences and mingle with local people at ports of call.
There will also be an onboard exhibit introducing the activities of Nihon Hidankyo, a group representing atomic bomb survivors that won last year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Three Nobel laureates, Nihon Hidankyo (Nobel Peace Prize 2024), ICAN (Nobel Peace Prize 2017), and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nobel Peace Prize 1985) who were recognised for their work on promoting nuclear disarmament have sent a joint letter to Presidents Trump and Putin urging them to meet to agree action on disarmament.

Prompted by President Trump’s statements that he wants denuclearisation talks with President Putin and Moscow saying it is open to the idea, the three organisations sent a letter to the two governments urging them to follow the example of Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev who met in Iceland in 1986 and agreed the deepest cuts ever in their countries’ respective nuclear forces.

Text by Hans Kristensen & Matt Korda & Eliana Johns & Mackenzie Knight & Kate Kohn

Despite progress in reducing nuclear weapon arsenals since the Cold War, the world’s combined inventory of nuclear warheads remains at a very high level: nine countries possessed roughly 12,331 warheads as of the beginning of 2025.

Combined, the United States and Russia now possess approximately 88 percent of the world’s total inventory of nuclear weapons, and 84 percent of the stockpiled warheads available for use by the military. Currently, no other nuclear-armed state sees a need for more than a few hundred nuclear weapons for national security, although many of these states are increasing their nuclear stockpiles.

Globally, the overall inventory of nuclear weapons is declining, but the pace of reductions is slowing compared with the past 30 years. Moreover, these reductions are happening only because the United States and Russia are still dismantling previously retired warheads.

In contrast to the overall inventory of nuclear weapons, the number of warheads in global military stockpiles – which comprises warheads assigned to operational forces – is increasing once again. 

Sacred Earth, Secure Future is a four-part series co-produced by the Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace and Security (CCYPS) in collaboration with the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, showcasing youth leadership at the intersection of climate, peace, and security.

🎧 In Episode 1, we speak with Hira Amjad from the Dastak Foundation (Pakistan) about the links between gender justice, SRHR, climate change, and faith. Hosted by Blanche Monabeka and Katrina Leclerc, this conversation is a powerful testament to youth leadership on multiple interconnected issues.

This report examines how autonomous weapons systems contravene different human rights obligations and principles. It builds on the 2014 publication by Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) entitled Shaking the Foundations: The Human Rights Implications of Killer Robots and expands upon it to address three additional rights obligations and principles.

By: Tillman Ruff

On this day 39 years ago the worst nuclear accident so far exploded in Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It was a Soviet-made RMBK, high-power channel reactor design that could produce plutonium for nuclear bombs as easily as it could produce electricity.

740 Members of Parliament from 130 countries met in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from April 5-9, 2025 for the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Alyn Ware, Co-convener of the LAW not War campaign, was invited to speak at the assembly on Common Security, nuclear war prevention and disarmament in a turbulent world. 

Mr Ware used the opportunity to highlight the crucial role of the International Court of Justice in building Common Security, and called on parliamentarians to facilitate their country's acceptance of compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice if their country has not already done so. 

Peace Magazine - Spring Edition (April-June 2025)

Please click Peace Magazine to open the magazine.

No First Use- Podcast

With such a policy, all nuclear states would pledge never to be the first to attack another country with a nuclear weapon. Aaron Tovish says that's the key first step toward nuclear disarmament.

As concerned Canadian feminists, humanitarians, parents, and simply as human beings, we exercise our responsibility to engage in actions whenever and wherever possible. We do this with the aim of drawing attention not only to the unfathomable carnage but also to the responsibilities and obligations of our political officials to exercise their duty to end the violence. In Canada, our leaders ostensibly promote a ‘feminist foreign policy’, and while our political capital has been built on upholding rule-of-law ordering and liberal multilateralism, our elected officials have too often failed to act or have delayed actions until thousands more lives have been taken. Embarrassing abstentions at the United Nations General Assembly, inexcusable delays in demanding a ceasefire, failure to halt arms transfers, suffocation of dissent through abuses of authority by those in uniform across the country, villainizing the thousands upon thousands who have marched to demand a cessation of these massacres every weekend for almost a year have resulted in a failing of and to Canadians. These are also an immoral betrayal of Palestinians and of humanity.

This collection is a collaborative effort by the Palestine Working Group of the Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada (WPSN-C). It is an attempt to unite and raise our voices to say no more to violence. Silenced and disregarded in usual forums, we take this space to demand accountability and insist on peace.

"Nuclear deterrence keeps us safe"
"Nuclear deterrence keeps the peace "
"Nuclear deterrence is purely defensive"
"Nuclear deterrence is normal"
"Everyone believes in nuclear deterrence"

These five pervasive myths help prop up the fundamentally flawed and dangerous theory that keeps us all under the nuclear threat. So we've put together five quick explainers on how to challenge them. 

This award-winning documentary reveals that U.S. officials suppressed--for decades--the most important footage shot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (including by the U.S. Army) after the atomic bombings. Why? What was the result and how does it haunt us today?

Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession and exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments and criticisms are all welcome.

Mondays 6PM EST

Be sure to renew your membership and donate to support our important work building a culture of peace in Canada and so that we can continue to hire youth throughout the year. Make a donation today!