441-02264 (Foreign affairs)

WHEREAS:

• It is 77 years since the first use of nuclear weapons demonstrated their awesome power, yet we remain today under constant threat of warfare that could result in devastation from which the world may never recover;

• The Government of Canada has published statements saying "We are committed to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons";

• The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which addresses peaceful uses of nuclear energy, has failed to achieve its secondary aim of reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons;

• Canada as a member of the UN Conference on Disarmament and the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament, has an obligation to promote internationally the elimination of nuclear weapons;

• The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has been signed by 86 countries and ratified by 66 but not by Canada; and

• As non-nuclear state Canada is in a best position to comply with the articles of the TPNW and to guide its allies and other nations toward a world free from nuclear weapons.

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to sign and commit to ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to urge allies and other nations to follow suit.