Canadian Communists denounce Carney's "corporate coup" and increased military spending

At a press conference on Wednesday, July 29, Drew Garvie, leader of the Communist Party of Canada denounced what he described as a "corporate coup" unfolding in Canada as the Carney government uses the threat to Canadian sovereignty posed by the Trump administration as cover for a a corporate agenda.

"We're here today because the federal government is using the attacks on Canadian sovereignty and independence by the United States government to carry out a corporate coup, a corporate coup that sells out working people across Canada. Make no mistake, the threats from the Trump administration are very serious but the Carney government is not fighting back. They're using this moment to disguise a corporate agenda as patriotism and there's nothing patriotic about gutting public services to line the pockets of weapons manufacturers and the banks behind them."

He went on to say:

This is the same old corporate agenda of austerity and privatization. However, now it's greatly accelerated and coming at a time when the working class can least afford it. Just look at the reality of life across Canada for the vast majority today.

More than two-thirds of people across Canada can't afford a mortgage. Millions of Canadians can't afford their rent. Over a third of renters in this country are paying more than half their incomes to keep a roof over their heads.

Our kids are in overcrowded classrooms or they're waiting for years for a child care spot. Our hospitals are well past the brink with wait times already leading to unnecessary deaths and yet corporate profits hit a record high of $677 billion in 2025. The gap between the richest and the rest of us is at an all-time high.

The Carney government claims we're in a crisis that requires real change. Well, we would certainly agree with that but this is a capitalist crisis and Carney's class is looking to deepen the pain of the working class for their own gain. The Liberal and Conservative parties claim that an expanded war economy will protect us from Trump's tariffs but their proposed $150 billion a year war budget is a fraud.

It's not about defending our sovereignty, it's about subsidizing the U.S. war machine.

At another point Garvie notes:

To fight for peace and sovereignty Canada must withdraw from NATO and NORAD and pursue a foreign policy of peace and disarmament and international solidarity. Prime Minister Carney postures about sovereignty yet he calls the US's illegal war in Iran quote-unquote worth it and refuses to condemn unprecedented US aggression against Cuba. This is an absolutely shameful abandonment of Cuba.

This enabling of US imperialism is ultimately a betrayal of the fight for our own sovereignty and independence. It's time Canada really stood up for international law and the UN charter.

You can watch the full press conference here: