The Communist Party of Canada unequivocally condemns the ongoing imperialist aggression in Syria, the latest stage of which has seen the fall of the Assad government. While the Canadian government has welcomed Assad’s ousting, the Syrian people and the region now face new and dangerous threats, including the rise of fundamentalism and the redrawing of the political landscape in the Middle East.
The division of Syria has long been part of a U.S. plan to overthrow and weaken countries showing any independence from its dictates, aiming for full control of the region’s resources and trade routes. This strategy, which included Libya and Iraq as targets, also seeks to undermine Hezbollah in Lebanon and eventually overthrow the Iranian regime. We cannot see the war in Syria as separate from imperialism’s drive towards a new global conflict which includes the U.S.’s larger economic rivals such as Russia and China. This threatens to escalate into a new world war—including the real risk of nuclear annihilation. We demand that Canada recognize the threat of global war, leave NATO, and adopt a foreign policy rooted in peace and disarmament.
Over the last 13 years, imperialist interventions have caused untold suffering, displacement, and destruction in Syria. We stand in solidarity with the Syrian people in their fight for sovereignty and self-determination and call for an end to Canada’s complicity in the U.S., Turkey, and Israel’s occupations of Syrian territory. Syria’s territorial integrity must be respected.
The war in Syria was no spontaneous civil war but the result of a deliberate imperialist agenda orchestrated by the U.S., NATO, and their allies. Their goal has been to carve Syria into weak, divided states, install compliant regimes, and control its oil wealth and strategic position. Since 2015, eastern Syria has been occupied by the U.S. and its proxies, serving as a staging ground for imperialist operations. Turkey, a NATO member, has occupied parts of northern Syria since 2016 and funds its own proxy forces.
The Assad government deepened neo-liberal reforms and enabled corruption and profiteering by the Syrian bourgeoisie, leading to widespread public discontent, repression and the collapse of its mass base. Syria faced unilateral and illegal sanctions from the U.S., which Canada also implemented. The Syrian government’s failure to address the economic, social, and democratic impacts of these sanctions, along with its own policies, further weakened the country. The resulting deteriorating conditions for the working people of Syria undermined efforts to resist imperialism’s acts of aggression. The political situation has now gone from bad to worse.
Regime change in Syria is connected to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its war on Lebanon, and its broader plans to provoke a war with Iran and reshape the region. Violence in Syria escalated following a ceasefire in Lebanon in November, with Israel bombarding Syria, destroying air defense systems, and expanding its occupation of the Golan Heights. Netanyahu now intends to double the settlers in the illegally annexed Syrian territory. Damascus’s new fundamentalist-led government has signaled it will not resist Israel’s annexation and is cracking down on Palestinian political activity, marking a major setback for the Palestinian struggle.
Imperialists, including the U.S., Turkey, and Israel, have long armed and funded Islamic fundamentalist groups to destabilize sovereign nations. This tactic, used in Afghanistan, Libya, and now Syria, has resulted in failed states, millions of refugees, and widespread regional instability.
As a NATO member and ally of the U.S., Canada has played a shameful role in Syria. Through Operation Impact, Canada participated in illegal bombing campaigns that destroyed infrastructure, killed civilians, and worsened the humanitarian crisis. Canada’s military and diplomatic support for NATO and apartheid Israel further entrenches its complicity in Syria’s destruction. At home, Canada vilifies and deports refugees fleeing this violence, exposing the hypocrisy of its so-called humanitarian stance.
The Syrian people, including women, ethnic and religious minorities, trade unionists, and Communists, have courageously resisted imperialist aggression and reactionary terror. The Communist Party of Canada salutes their bravery and supports their fight for sovereignty and progress. We demand that their safety and democratic rights be respected.
Canada’s peace and anti-war movements must intensify efforts to expose and oppose Canada’s complicity in imperialist wars. NATO’s false narrative of “responsibility to protect” has destroyed nations, created millions of refugees, and fueled sectarian violence in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Their goal is not to protect the people but to protect and expand profits
We endorse the immediate implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, emphasizing a peaceful solution based on the interests of the Syrian people. We reaffirm our opposition to all forms of imperialist intervention—military aggression, occupation, or support for proxy groups—and call on Canada to adopt a foreign policy prioritizing peace, diplomacy, and self-determination to stop the march towards global war.
Imperialist hands off Syria! Solidarity with the Syrian people in their fight for peace, progress, sovereignty, and independence!
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada