In 2021, Elizabeth May proudly signed an open letter alongside Neil Young, Naomi Klein, David Suzuki, and more than 100 activists, scholars, artists, and elected officials condemning the Trudeau government’s plan to buy 88 new fighter jets. The message was clear: fighter jets are climate-wrecking tools of war, and Canada should not be buying them — from anyone.
“Fighter jets are designed to destroy infrastructure and kill people,” the letter stated.“Instead of preparing for war, Canada should invest in peace, social housing, and a just transition.”— 2021 open letter signed by Elizabeth May.
Fast forward to April 10, 2025. Standing in front of the national press, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault declared his support for fighter jet procurement — not just in principle, but with patriotic flair. As long as they’re made in Canada or Europe, he said, they’re worth the cost.
“We need fighter jets.”
Jonathan Pedneault
When asked directly about May’s previous opposition — by author and peace activist Yves Engler — Pedneault brushed off the contradiction:
“If you’re suggesting we simply kneel to that prospect, you’re free to do that.”
The Greens once warned that fighter jets entrench fossil fuel militarism. Now they’re promoting them as job creators.
Flip-Flopping on Militarism
This is not a shift in nuance. It is a full-scale flip-flop on one of the most symbolic peace issues in Canadian politics. The same Green Party that once championed disarmament and diplomacy is now advancing a militarized industrial policy, grounded not in ethics but in supply chain nationalism.
Pedneault’s argument isn’t that Canada shouldn’t be buying warplanes. It’s that we shouldn’t be buying them from the Americans.
It’s a stunning reversal, especially given that May has offered no explanation or apology.
“Spending $77 billion on warplanes only makes sense based on a vision of Canadian foreign policy that includes fighting in future U.S. and NATO wars.”
— 2021 open letter signed by Elizabeth May
From Peace Advocacy to Procurement Policy
The most disturbing part of this shift isn’t just the flip-flop. It’s the language and logic Pedneault uses: sovereignty, resilience, “standing up” to foreign threats. These are the same talking points used to justify militarization across the political spectrum.
He doesn’t say Canada should invest in diplomacy or demilitarization. He says Canada should build the weapons ourselves. The very planes condemned by Green MPs in 2021 as “climate destroying” and “morally bankrupt” are now being repackaged as Green if they’re made in Gaspé or Gothenburg.
The Cost of Betraying Your Base – What happened to the Green Party?
Once a political home for anti-war activists, peace organizers, and critics of NATO expansion, the party is now embracing a defence platform that would make a Liberal hawk blush. Fighter jets. Arctic naval investments. A national civil defence corps. All framed as expressions of “progressive sovereignty.”
This isn’t a party that challenges militarism — it’s one that wants to manage it better.
If the Greens have truly chosen this path, their members, supporters, and the broader peace movement deserve an honest answer.
Because if the Green Party that once joined with high profile figures to say no fighter jets is now campaigning on buying them — what will they sell out on next?
