The communique that emerged from the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11 can be seen as a declaration of war on Russia..But the document has another side..The North Atlantic Council makes it clear that the injection of radical woke extremism into the main western military alliance is reaching new extremes of absurdity.It turns out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been busy behind-the-scenes, to make Montreal NATO’s climate change headquarters. The authors of the Vilnius Communiqué announced, “We welcome the establishment of a NATO Centre of Excellence for Climate Change and Security in Montreal.”.Here is yet another boondoggle for Quebec. It will be financed with funds extracted in large measure from the much-maligned oil and gas industry of Alberta and Saskatchewan..The more the government of Canada piles on the hocus pocus of climate change/net zero, the more the incentive grows for the Trudeau-Singh regime to shower even more favour on Ontario and Quebec..The brunt of this formula for national disunity continues to be felt most severely by the people of Alberta..Trillions of dollars in natural resource wealth and tens of thousands of Alberta jobs are on the line. Now Albertans have to deal with yet another energy policy “stake holder,” NATO..The stakes are enormous in navigating energy policy through the rocky perils of climate change/net zero zealotry as well as through the intricacies of federal-provincial relations..The greater the amplification of Ottawa’s huge bias towards eastern Canada at Alberta’s expense, the straighter becomes the line towards Alberta’s independence..Let's be real: Warfare is not green friendly..The world’s armed forces are by far the most rapacious agents of massive environmental destruction. The ruthless business of warfare will never be rendered green. Nevertheless, the Vilnius Communique is full of woke hallucinations including the following:.Provision 69. "Climate change is a defining challenge with a profound impact on Allied security facing present and future generations. It remains a threat multiplier. NATO is committed to becoming the leading international organization when it comes to understanding and adapting to the impact of climate change on security."."We will continue to address the impact of climate change on defence and security, including through the development of innovative strategic analysis tools. We will integrate climate change considerations into all of NATO’s core tasks, adapt our infrastructure, military capabilities and technologies ensuring resilience to future operating environments."."To contribute to the mitigation of climate change, we are committed to significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions by the NATO political and military structures and facilities."."We will also contribute to combatting climate change by improving energy efficiency, transitioning to clean energy sources, and leveraging innovative next-generation clean technologies, while ensuring military effectiveness and a credible deterrence and defence posture."."We will continue to strengthen our exchanges with partner countries, the scientific community, as well as other international and regional organizations that are active on climate change and security.”.Woke invocations of political correctness were readily apparent in an early official statement from Montreal’s NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence..Its authors announce:.“Canada and our international partners within and beyond the NATO Alliance recognize that climate change security impacts are experienced disproportionately by women and girls, indigenous peoples and poor, marginalized and vulnerable populations across the globe."."Canada and partners are therefore working to ensure that diverse perspectives, needs, and knowledge will be heard and reflected in the CCASCOE’s work.”.It is of course, bizarre. In any case however, Canada should withdraw from NATO. The organization currently runs counter to our basic national interests.. Circumpolar map .What sense does it make for Canada to get more deeply involved in a war with Russia, our northern neighbour?.The circumpolar border between Canada and Russia would be the obvious site of military confrontation if NATO continues to escalate what Russia considers its aggressions..Canada and Russia are both huge, sparsely-settled countries possessing vast and varied natural resources. We are both champions when it comes to hockey and getting through winter comfortably..NATO meanwhile, has long ago left behind its original priority of defending the North Atlantic Region. Canada should disengage from all the warmongering rhetoric of the Vilnius document..Canada Out of NATO or Alberta Out of Canada, say I!.Dr. Tony Hall is Professor Emeritus of Globalization Studies at the University of Lethbridge. He is a prolific author of articles and books, one of which won the prize for the best non-fiction work by an Alberta author in 2004.
