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e-3028 (Foreign affairs)

E-petition
Initiated by Nancy Covington from Halifax, Nova Scotia

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • A nuclear weapons detonation could result in a humanitarian catastrophe so immense that it is impossible to comprehend. The direct effects would be far worse than any pandemic as there is no known meaningful medical response. A nuclear winter could be triggered causing widespread famine throughout the world;
  • A recent surge in modernization of nuclear weapons means the risk of an accidental or intentional nuclear catastrophe has increased markedly since the Cold War era;
  • The money and resources spent on nuclear weapons could be redirected to address the unsolved issues facing humankind, such as climate change, poverty or pandemics;
  • Nuclear weapons, designed to kill vast numbers of people indiscriminately, have always been immoral. On January 22, 2021 nuclear weapons will also become illegal under international law for countries that have ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a Treaty whose text has been endorsed by 122 nations;
  • The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the best current option for nuclear weapons disarmament; and
  • This Treaty is considered robust in terms of its provisions for implementing the process of abolishing nuclear weapons and is therefore complementary to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It is a major achievement of international diplomacy;
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to accede to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons thereby advancing Canada’s longstanding commitment to global nuclear disarmament.
Open for signature
December 8, 2020, at 2:05 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
February 6, 2021, at 2:05 p.m. (EDT)
Photo - Elizabeth May
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Green Party Caucus
British Columbia
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