MONTREAL, Canada — Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, is calling for an immediate shift toward negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, marking four years since the conflict began.
In a detailed public statement released this week, Tyrrell reflected on what he described as the human, political and geopolitical consequences of the war. He argued that the conflict has claimed “hundreds of thousands of lives,” destabilized global security and accelerated military spending across NATO countries, including Canada.
“The world has shifted toward conflict, military buildup and aggression,” Tyrrell wrote. “We must all stand for peace.”
Tyrrell criticized NATO’s response to the invasion, accusing member states of dramatically expanding war budgets while cutting domestic social spending. He argued that Canada has aligned itself uncritically with NATO militarization and escalation, instead of prioritizing diplomatic solutions.
While acknowledging that Russia’s invasion was aggressive and deserving of condemnation, Tyrrell said Canadians have a responsibility to scrutinize their own government’s actions rather than focusing exclusively on Moscow.
“As Canadians we have a duty to criticize the actions of our own side of this war,” he wrote. “To refuse the path to global conflict that has made tremendous profits for weapons manufacturers and the war lobby.”
Tyrrell also revisited the origins of the conflict, framing it as rooted in tensions over the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, which is home to a large Russian-speaking population. He referenced the political upheaval in Ukraine in 2014 and argued that language rights and internal divisions contributed to years of unrest prior to the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
He stated that Ukraine had been engaged in a prolonged internal conflict in the east before the invasion and suggested that Western involvement and NATO expansion discussions heightened tensions with Moscow. Tyrrell drew comparisons to how the United States might react to Russian weapons being deployed near its own borders, invoking the Cold War missile crisis as an example of geopolitical double standards.
In addition to criticizing NATO policy, Tyrrell raised concerns about Ukraine’s internal political climate during the war. He pointed to the absence of national elections since 2019 and the banning of opposition political parties as troubling developments. He also referenced reports of forced conscription and resistance among Ukrainian men attempting to avoid being sent to the front lines.
According to Tyrrell, the war has become unwinnable and prolonged by what he described as rigid positions on territorial integrity. He argued that a realistic peace agreement would likely require territorial concessions from Ukraine in areas already under Russian control.
“There is no utility in pushing this conflict any further,” he wrote. “Any prolongation of the war will only cost more lives.”
Tyrrell also reflected on his own experience during the early months of the war, stating that speaking engagements were cancelled, rallies disrupted and anti-war perspectives marginalized in Canadian media. He said dissenting voices were pushed aside in favor of pro-war rhetoric.
The Quebec Green leader concluded his statement by urging world leaders to return to diplomacy, emphasizing that negotiations should have taken place before the invasion but insisting that opportunities for peace still exist.
“Now is the time for people to come together across the world and to call for peace,” he wrote.
Tyrrell’s comments add to ongoing debate in Canada about military spending, NATO commitments and the long-term direction of Canadian foreign policy as the war enters its fifth year.
