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441-01105 (Foreign affairs)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

  • The recent invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has raised the spectre of nuclear war to a level not seen since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.;

  • Critical arms control treaties between the US and Russia are being abandoned and relations between and among several other nuclear powers are deeply strained;

  • All nine nuclear armed states are modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals and introducing new technologies, despite nuclear disarmament being a longstanding goal of NATO and a legal obligation on all parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1970;

  • No nuclear power or their allies, including Canada, participated in the negotiation in 2017 by 122 other states of the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which entered into force in January 2021;

  • Two of Canada's NATO allies, Germany and Norway, have announced that they, nonetheless, will attend - as official observers - the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, to be held in Vienna, June 21st to the 23rd of this year; and

  • Australia's newly elected Labour government has pledged to become Party to the TPNW, and will almost certainly be in attendance at this meeting as well.

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, profoundly concerned about the increasing risk to humanity posed by nuclear weapons and mindful of the leadership role Canada has historically played on arms control, call upon Canada to Join our allies, Germany and Norway, in attending the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW as an observer.

Response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Maninder Sidhu

Canada is deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and has long been committed to achieving a world free from nuclear weapons. In this regard, Canada has condemned Russia’s reckless nuclear rhetoric as unacceptable. Canada reiterates its call on Russia to end its war of aggression against Ukraine and comply with its international obligations. Canada is also concerned about Russia’s February 2023 announcement that it will suspend its participation in the US-Russia New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Canada calls on Russia to return to compliance with the Treaty and resume dialogue with the United States.

Canada’s nuclear policy is rooted in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Canada will work tirelessly to advance this work and uphold the Treaty as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime.

Canada is deeply disappointed that Russia blocked consensus at the August 2022 NPT Review Conference, and that it has failed to accept responsibility for the grave situation around Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. Russia’s irresponsible seizure and continued military presence at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are the root causes of all nuclear safety and security threats at the facility. The risks at the plant remain dangerously high as long as Russian military and ROSATOM personnel remain present at the ZNPP. Russia must leave the ZNPP and stop targeting Ukrainian nuclear facilities in its illegal and unjustified war of aggression. Despite these circumstances, NPT states parties largely reaffirmed the validity and integrity of the Treaty, and the draft conference outcome document lays the groundwork for further cooperation and progress amidst a challenging global environment.

While not a party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Canada has common ground with Treaty states and shares the ultimate goal of a world free from nuclear weapons. For this reason, Canada remains steadfast in advancing implementation of the NPT across its three mutually re-enforcing pillars; non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. As Canada is not a State Party, it did not attend the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in Vienna in June 2022.

Canada is also focused on initiatives that bring together nuclear and non-nuclear armed states. These include notably: commencing long overdue negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, advocating the entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, building global capacity for disarmament verification, and promoting a more inclusive approach to disarmament and non-proliferation. Canada believes that a step-by-step approach, which builds confidence and is inclusive as well as pragmatic is the most effective way to achieve global zero.

Canada is an important contributor to global nuclear disarmament efforts and remains deeply committed to achieving the ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Presented to the House of Commons
Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
February 3, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01105)
Government response tabled
March 20, 2023
Photo - Elizabeth May
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Green Party Caucus
British Columbia

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.