Church agency urges Canada to reject U.S. missile defense system

Published: 2004-09-01

OTTAWA (CNS) -- The Canadian bishops' international development agency wants the federal government to reject the U.S. ballistic missile defense system and use the money it would have spent on the program to fight global poverty. In a brief to the Canadian government as part of its international policy review process, the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace said Aug. 31 that the money should be part of Canada's contribution to the global millennium development goals of cutting world poverty in half by 2015. "Canada should allot more resources for the promotion of peace rather than strengthened defense, security and intelligence systems," the brief said. "Accordingly, Canada should reject the U.S. ballistic missile defense system and orient its security policies to promote a just solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the promotion of human rights and justice in the rest of the Middle East."

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