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Kelowna Peace Group holding anti-war conference this weekend

Group of locals gathering to talk about the state of wars in the world and how to get to peace
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Members of the Kelowna Peace Group

The Kelowna Peace Group is hosting a conference this weekend, bringing together various groups and individuals concerned about the state of the world.

The 2016 BC Southern Interior Peace Coalition Conference takes place Saturday in Kelowna, facilitated by UBC Okanagan professor David Jefferess.

Peace group member Mark Haley said topics like Canada’s participation in NATO, military spending, and Canada’s role in the Middle East will be discussed.

According to Haley, the Kelowna Peace Group has been working to stop war and redirect military spending for two decades though peace around the world is hard to find.

But the peace movement is not giving up, he said.

“For decades the platforms of all the major parties in the US and Canada have continued to feed the war economy and the relentless drive towards militarism,” said Haley. “The people who pay for wars, with their tax money, with environmental devastation, refugee crises, and with their lives do not support their governments’ actions. The politicians have tried to persuade everyone that the only two choices in foreign policy are bombing people and doing nothing. A clear voice against war and nuclear weapons has never been more necessary.”

The morning sessions will analyze, discuss strategies and plan actions for priority topics.

The public is invited to attend beginning at 1 p.m. when the topic will be Remembering for Peace: Rethinking Remembrance Day Commemorations.

The conference takes place at Mission Creek Folk School on Spiers Road in Kelowna.

For more information e-mail kelownapeacegrp@uniserve.com.