Making Peace: What Makes Canadians Secure?

With the collapse of the Cold War, Canadians, like Americans, are questioning their defense posture. Many Canadian concerns sound familiar: the economic consequences of closing military bases, big countries trading arms to developing countries, the dangers of entangling foreign alliances, defense costs vs. social spending, and intrusive militarization (such as low flying aircraft) in areas inhabited by native Canadians. For this documentary, the Citizens' Inquiry into Peace and Security group went around the country gathering views of peace activists, farmers, university researchers, retired and active military officers, and native Canadians like the Innu of Labrador. Opinions varied, but many questioned the necessity of defense spending and expressed concern over environmental damage done by military testing. Though conducted from a peace activist point of view the video is reasonably objective until the final third when America comes in for a thorough bashing for its role in the Persian Gulf war. One activist goes so far as to call the U.S. the "bad guys" in the war. Although the program may stimulate some fruitful discussion north of our border, the video seems a marginal purchase for U.S. libraries. (S. Rees)