Fonds paa-9755 - Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, Edmonton Branch fonds

<p>The Veterans Against Nuclear Arms (VANA) was founded as a national organization in 1982 with its headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The organization's name was originally Veterans for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and changed its name to VANA in 1986. Branches of the organization were founded across the country and were made up of veterans of the Canadian military who were active in the peace movement. <p>The objectives of the organization were to encourage global abolition of nuclear weapons, support the role of the United Nations in peacekeeping, encourage the eventual abolition of the arms trade, support the establishment of international human rights laws, and to encourage the use of Canadian armed forces only for UN-mandated peacekeeping missions and self-defence. VANA worked toward these goals through public discourse in the form of articles, speaking engagements, press releases, and advertisements; lobbying politicians; participating in conferences, workshops, and rallies; communicating with similar veterans' groups in the United States, Europe, and the Soviet Union; and building relationships with active-duty members of the Canadian military. <p>The Edmonton branch of VANA was initially established as the third branch of Veterans for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament, after Halifax and Vancouver. The branch transitioned with the rest of the organization into VANA and maintained heavy activity throughout the 1980s and 1990s, while still maintaining a presence in the 2000s. <p>In 1987, the Edmonton branch established an office at #303-A 10451 170 Street and began publishing a local newsletter, The VANA Courier, in January 1988. The branch collaborated with other Alberta-based peace organizations such as Project Ploughshares; organized and attended rallies and protests; organized and attended peace conferences locally and nationally; issued press releases; and published and distributed position statements and research.