This Saturday, Winnipeggers will hold the city’s 38th annual Walk for Peace. The theme of this year’s march is to call for Canada to adopt a foreign policy that focuses on international peace, development and co-operation. The event is sponsored by Peace Alliance Winnipeg and the Winnipeg chapter of the Council of Canadians.

Background: Winnipeggers have held an annual Walk for Peace since 1982. The purpose then was to draw attention to the threat of nuclear war and to urge our political leaders to pursue peaceful options and to support nuclear disarmament.

In many ways the world situation is more dangerous than it was in 1982 and our need to remind our politicians of their responsibilities remains.

Canadians overwhelmingly support peace and disarmament. For example, polling conducted by Environics in 2008 indicated that almost 90 percent of Canadians support the abolition of nuclear weapons. Research reported by Environics in 2018 shows that Canadian opposition to nuclear weapons remains high. Despite this, the federal government has refused to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, approved by 122 countries at the United Nations on July 7, 2017.

Equally disturbing has been Canada’s increasingly belligerent relationship with Russia, participation in Middle Eastern wars, sales of arms to notorious human rights violators, such as Saudi Arabia and seeking the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Venezuela.

When: Saturday, June 22, 2019
Where: The west side of the Manitoba Legislative Building
What time: We assemble at 12:00 Noon. The march begins at 12:30 PM.
Where to: We will walk from the Legislative Building, south on Osborne to Stradbrook, east on Stradbrook to Scott, north on Scott to River, west on River to Osborne and back to the Legislative Building. Route map.

What else: refreshments and brief speeches after the march

Sponsors:

– Peace Alliance Winnipeg
– Council of Canadians – Winnipeg Chapter