Steven Staples

Staples was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1966 and now lives in Toronto, Ontario after living in Ottawa for 20 years. He attended Fredericton High School and has a Bachelor of Education from the University of New Brunswick.{{cite web|title=Steven Staples|url=http://www.canadians.org/integratethis/Steven_Staples.html|publisher=Council of Canadians|access-date=12 December 2012}}

Over the past 25 years, Staples has been involved with a number of organizations that promote peace, disarmament and restrictions on international trade. He has acted as the director of security programs for the Polaris Institute, issue campaigns coordinator for the Council of Canadians and the coordinator for End the Arms Race.{{cite web|url=http://www.canadians.org/integratethis/Steven_Staples.html |title=Steven Staples |publisher=Council of Canadians |access-date=9 August 2010}}

Staples was part of the anti-globalization movement, participating in protests at a meeting of the WTO in Seattle in 1999. Speaking at a meeting of NGOs, he linked corporate globalization to militarization and argued that "the WTO is a weapon of mass destruction."{{cite web|last=Dufay|first=Jo|title=Six Days in Seattle: A Retrospective Series of Reports on the Battle in Seattle, November 29 – December 3, 1999|url=http://canadians.org/trade/issues/WTO/1999/anniversary/council-report-1999-1.html|publisher=Council of Canadians|access-date=12 December 2012}}

Along with Peter Coombes, he is the founder of Ceasefire.ca, a network of 25,000 Canadians interested in peace and social justice issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.ceasefire.ca/?page_id=6 |title=About Us |publisher=Ceasefire.ca |access-date=24 September 2014}} Ceasefire.ca acts as the public outreach and advocacy arms of the Rideau Institute, and focuses on internet-based campaigning.{{cite web|last=Adeba|first=Brian|title=Think Tank for Activists: Inside the Rideau Institute|url=http://peacemagazine.org/archive/v24n3p16.htm|publisher=Peace Magazine|access-date=12 December 2012}}

Staples is also a member of the Canadian Pugwash Group, the Group of 78 and the international network of anti-nuclear groups, Abolition 2000.

On 20 October 2012, Staples received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal from Ottawa Centre Member of Parliament Paul Dewar, for his commitment to peace and international security through disarmament.{{cite web|title=Campaign strategy update|url=http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=13722|publisher=Ceasefire.ca|access-date=12 December 2012}}{{cite web|last=McGregor|first=Glen|title=Tory MP awards Jubilee medal to incarcerated anti-abortion activist|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Tory+awards+Jubilee+medal+incarcerated+anti+abortion+activist/7429021/story.html|publisher=The Ottawa Citizen|access-date=12 December 2012}}

Staples has written one book, Missile Defence: Round One (James Lorimer & Company Ltd., 2006){{cite book|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Missile Defence: Round One|publisher=James Lorimer & Company Ltd.|isbn=9781550289299|pages=[https://archive.org/details/missiledefencero00stap/page/248 248]|url=https://archive.org/details/missiledefencero00stap/page/248|format=Paperback|date=3 October 2006}}

and was co-editor with Lucia Kowaluck of the anthology Afghanistan and Canada: Is There an Alternative to War (Black Rose Books, 2008).{{cite book|title=Afghanistan and Canada: Is There an Alternative to War|year=2009|publisher=Black Rose Books|isbn=978-1-55164-328-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/afghanistancanad0000unse/page/200 200]|url=https://archive.org/details/afghanistancanad0000unse/page/200|editor1-first=Steven|editor1-last=Staples|editor2-first=Lucia|editor2-last=Kowaluk}}

He has also written and co-written reports about Canadian security and defence matters:

• Staples, Steven, [http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/pilot-error "Pilot Error: Why the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter is wrong for Canada,"] Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives October 2010.
• Staples, Steven and Mike Wallace, [http://pugwashgroup.ca/events/documents/2010/2010.03.11-arctic-nuclear-report.pdf "Ridding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons: A Task Long Overdue,"] Rideau Institute and Canadian Pugwash Group March 2010
• Staples, Steven, and Bill Robinson, [http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/more-cold-war "More Than the Cold War: Canada’s military spending 2007–08,"] Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives October 2007
• Staples, Steven, [http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/2007/no_bang_for_buck.pdf "No Bang for the Buck: Military contracting and public accountability,"] Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives June 2007
• Staples, Steven, [http://www.canadians.org/peace/documents/Marching_Orders_06.pdf "Marching Orders: How Canada abandoned peacekeeping – and why the UN needs us now more than ever,"] The Council of Canadians October 2006
• Staples, Steven and Bill Robinson, [http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/2006/Canadas_Fallen.pdf "Canada's Fallen: Understanding Canadian Military Deaths in Afghanistan,"] Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives September 2006

Staples is a regular commentator on programs like CTV News{{cite web|title=Syrian rebels seize military base, kill 35 soldiers |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/syrian-rebels-seize-military-base-kill-35-soldiers-1.1074585|publisher=CTV News|access-date=12 December 2012|date=11 December 2012}} and CBC News Network,{{cite web|last=Weston|first=Greg|title=Canada may buy nuclear submarines|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-may-buy-nuclear-submarines-1.1043179|publisher=CBC News|access-date=12 December 2012}}{{cite web|title=Future of Canada's Subs|url=http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/The+National/ID/2161738457/|publisher=CBC The National|access-date=12 December 2012}} and contributes to major Canadian news chains like The Globe and Mail{{cite web|title=Sept. 25: Rue Britannia?; and other letters to the editor|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/letters/sept-25-rue-britannia-and-other-letters-to-the-editor/article4565456/|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=12 December 2012|date=25 September 2012}}{{cite web|last=Koring|first=Paul|title=Blue helmets cast aside, Canada keeps the peace no more|url=http://theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/blue-helmets-cast-aside-canada-keeps-the-peace-no-more/article4240950|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=12 December 2012}} and the Toronto Star.{{cite news|title=Canada's $35-billion shipbuilding program needs firm oversight|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1244722--canada-s-35-billion-shipbuilding-program-needs-firm-oversight|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=21 August 2012|author=Steven Staples|author2=Mahmud Naqi}}

Staples is opposed to Canada's military presence in Afghanistan{{cite news|title=Military changes tune on post-2011 mission again|url=http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2011/03/02/military-changes-tune-on-post-2011-mission-again/39939|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=Embassy Magazine|date=2 March 2012|author=Carl Meyer}} and has advocated for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban.{{cite news|title=Think Tank for Activists: Inside the Rideau Institute|url=http://peacemagazine.org/archive/v24n3p16.htm|newspaper=Peace Magazine|date=Jul–Sep 2008|author=Brian Adeba|quote=Staples told a panel discussion on CBC television that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable and that it is now time to explore a negotiated settlement with the Taliban. Canada, Staples said, should be at the helm of such negotiations.}} In a 2006 report for the Council of Canadians, Staples argued:

"…Afghanistan must be rescued from the current cycle of violence. But Canada is complicit in this violence and should have never taken up its current ‘counter-insurgency’ war-fighting role in Kandahar. Instead, we should refocus our role in the country on diplomatic measures to win ‘the hearts and minds’ of the Afghan people, extend the legitimacy of the Afghan government, and ensure that aid dollars can reach those who need it most."{{cite web|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Marching Orders: How Canada abandoned peacekeeping – and why the UN needs us now more than ever|url=http://www.canadians.org/peace/issues/Marching_Orders/conclusion.html|publisher=Council of Canadians|access-date=12 December 2012}}

Staples has been a vocal critic of increases to Canadian military spending.{{cite news|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Canada is overspending on defence.|url=http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2011/11/16/canada-is-overspending-on-defence/40963|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=Embassy Magazine|date=16 November 2011}}{{cite web|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Truth is: Canada one of the world's highest military spenders|url=http://www.hilltimes.com/page/view/.2005.september.26.staples|publisher=The Hill Times|access-date=12 December 2012|date=26 September 2005}}

In a 2012 presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence, Staples argued that the Canadian government has and continues to overspend on defence, and should reduce National Defence spending in order to return to pre-September 2001 levels.{{cite web|title=Hansard, Standing Committee on National Defence|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5374026&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1#Int-6549472|access-date=12 December 2012|date=9 February 2012}} Staples made similar arguments in a 2011 presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.{{cite web|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Pre-Budget Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance submitted by the Rideau Institute|url=http://www.rideauinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Pre-Budget-Submission-2011-Rideau-Institute.pdf|access-date=12 December 2012|date=12 August 2011}}

Commenting on why the Government of Canada would set up military bases around the world to the Toronto Star's Thomas Walkom, Staples said:

"The notion that we’re going to have permanent bases around the world is over the top. I don’t understand the rationale for parking a bunch of equipment in Singapore in case we might need it some time. That’s why we bought C-17s in the first place – so we could move troops and material quickly."{{cite news|title=Walkom: Is Stephen Harper's global military policy delusional or just plain mad?|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1208436–walkom-is-stephen-harper-s-global-military-policy-delusional-or-just-plain-mad|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=The Toronto Stay|date=8 June 2012|author=Thomas Walkom}}

In May 2012, Staples contributed an op-ed to Embassy Magazine on why Canada does not need a defence industry, arguing that the industry takes up too much of the government's time, money and effort. He urged the Canadian government to create jobs by spending in other areas like education, and warned against concentrating too much on defence production thereby leaving the Canadian economy vulnerable to collapse.{{cite news|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Five Reasons Why Canada Doesn't Need a De|url=http://www.embassynews.ca/opinion/2012/05/30/five-reasons-why-canada-doesnt-need-a-defence-industry/41620|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=Embassy Magazine|date=30 May 2012}}

Staples is strongly opposed to Canada's purchase of the F-35 II Lightning stealth fighter jets. Canadian magazine Maclean's once called him the "most outspoken critic of the purchase".{{cite news|last=Geddes|first=John|title=Could Canada take bids on fighter jets and also keep the F-35 option open?|url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/10/27/could-canada-take-bids-on-fighter-jets-and-also-keep-the-f-35-option-open/|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=Maclean's Magazine|date=27 October 2010}}

His 2010 report, Pilot Error: Why the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter is wrong for Canada, was published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. In a press release for the report, Staples argued:

"This is a massive commitment of defence spending on ‘flying Cadillacs’ that is being driven by defence contractors, not by a clear-eyed view of Canada’s defence needs…Defending and controlling Canadian and North American airspace doesn’t require purchasing high-end first strike stealth fighters."{{cite web|title=F-35 Stealth Fighter Purchase a 'Pilot Error': Report|url=http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/f-35-stealth-fighter-purchase-pilot-error-report|publisher=Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives|access-date=12 December 2012|date=14 October 2012}}

Staples contributed to two documentaries in 2012 that examined the Canadian government's decision to purchase the F-35: "Runaway Fighter" by CBC Television's the fifth estate and "Air Rage" by CTV's W5.

Staples is a strong proponent of nuclear disarmament and is involved with numerous anti-nuclear organizations. He is a director on the board of the Canadian Pugwash Group,{{cite web|title=Contact Us|url=http://www.pugwashgroup.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=55|publisher=Canadian Pugwash Group|access-date=12 December 2012}} a member of the Group of 78 and a member of the Coordinating Committee of Abolition 2000.

In a 2007 opinion piece for Embassy Magazine, Staples argued:

"Now is the time for nuclear disarmament. Now is the time for Canada to join other middle power nations to avert a global catastrophe and abolish nuclear weapons."{{cite news|last=Staples|first=Steven|title=Pugwash's Urgent Steps for Nuclear Disarmament|url=http://www.embassynews.ca/opinion/2007/07/11/pugwashs-urgent-steps-for-nuclear-disarmament/34520|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=Embassy Magazine|date=11 July 2007}}

In 2010, he co-authored the report Riding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons: A Task Long Overdue with Michael Wallace, a former professor emeritus of the University of British Columbia.{{cite web|title=Riding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons: A Task Long Overdue|url=http://pugwashgroup.ca/events/documents/2010/2010.03.11-arctic-nuclear-report.pdf|publisher=Canadian Pugwash Group|author=Steven Staples|author2=Michael Wallace |date=February 2010}} The report provides evidence that the Arctic is becoming a zone of increased military competition and follows in the footsteps of the Canadian Pugwash Group{{cite web|title=Canadian Pugwash Call for an Arctic Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone|url=http://www.pugwash.org/reports/nw/canadian-pugwash.htm|publisher=Canadian Pugwash Group|access-date=12 December 2012|date=24 August 2007}} by issuing a call for the establishment of an Arctic Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone.

Staples has spoken out in favour of a continuing commitment by Canada to United Nations peacekeeping missions. His 2006 report for the Council of Canadians, Marching Orders: How Canada abandoned peacekeeping – and why the UN needs us now more than ever, argued that Canada should provide more support to UN missions.{{cite web|last=Staples|first=Stevem|title=Marching Orders: How Canada abandoned peacekeeping – and why the UN needs us now more than ever|url=http://www.canadians.org/peace/issues/Marching_Orders/conclusion.html|publisher=Council of Canadians|access-date=12 December 2012}}

In a July 2012 piece by Paul Koring of The Globe and Mail on Canada's role in international peacekeeping, Staples commented:

"The need is greater than ever but Canada’s contribution has never been lower, the Harper government doesn’t regard peacekeeping as a route to enhancing Canada’s international stature."{{cite news|last=Koring|first=Paul|title=Blue helmets cast aside: Canada keeps the peace no more|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/blue-helmets-cast-aside-canada-keeps-the-peace-no-more/article4240950/|access-date=12 December 2012|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=7 June 2012}}

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://www.rideauinstitute.ca/ Rideau Institute on International Affairs website]
• [http://www.ceasefire.ca/ Ceasefire.ca]
• [http://www.abolition2000.org/ Abolition 2000]
• [http://www.pugwashgroup.ca/ The Canadian Pugwash Group]

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Category:1966 births

Category:Living people

Category:Canadian activists

Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers

Category:University of New Brunswick alumni

Category:Writers from Fredericton

Category:Writers from Ottawa