In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Trudeau, PSAC along with other unions, human rights groups, faith-based organizations and prominent Canadians urged the Canadian government to condemn the Philippines' state-sponsored terror. The letter also demanded that the Canadian government ceases all assistance and collaboration with the Philippine military and police. The Trudeau government was urged to keep its promise to uphold and promote human rights, as a precondition for any current or future Canadian cooperation with the Duterte administration. 

On March 7, the day now known a "Bloody Sunday," police and security forces killed nine social leaders and detained seven more. Trade unionists, peasant leaders, mass organizers, and human rights advocates were targeted in order to eliminate resistance to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the ruling class he represents. 

The 'Bloody Sunday' killings are part of Duterte's counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism campaigns, which are becoming increasingly violent. International and local human rights organizations, as well as UN experts, have cautioned that the military operations no longer differentiate between armed insurgents, and political opponents, labour organizers, and other social justice activists. 

Extrajudicial violence has been a signature of the Duterte regime leading to the killing of over ten thousand mostly urban poor in his so-called ‘War on Drugs’. At least 300 farmers, Indigenous peoples, human rights defenders, including fifty-five lawyers and judges, have also been killed since Duterte came to power in 2016.  

This situation demands immediate action by the Trudeau government. The time for quiet diplomacy with the Duterte Regime is over. Read the full report & add your name.