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e-3828 (Foreign affairs)
- Keywords
- Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Nuclear weapons
Original language of petition: French
Petition to the Government of Canada
- The accidental detonation of a single nuclear weapon would be catastrophic;
- Even a limited nuclear war would instantly wipe out millions of people in cities, kill millions more through its radioactive effects over the years and create climate impacts causing worldwide famine;
- These risks have been known for a long time and we have come close to a catastrophe on a number of occasions;
- The New Cold War between, on the one hand, the United States and its allies and, on the other, China and Russia amplifies these risks;
- This nuclear peril to humanity necessitates the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a commitment by all countries to never produce them again;
- The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which complements the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), was adopted by 122 countries in 2017 and entered into force in 2021 in response to the endless “pragmatic step by step approach” and deadlocked process of the NPT;
- The United States is pressuring Canada and all NATO members and allies, not to sign the TPNW; and
- Canada is in part accountable for creating and proliferating nuclear weapons, having sold enough uranium to the United States and United Kingdom to make thousands of nuclear bombs.
Response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Rob Oliphant
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 of nuclear weapons.
Canada recognizes that the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) reflects well-founded concerns about the unacceptable pace of nuclear disarmament – concerns that Canada very much shares. Canada believes that a step-by-step approach to nuclear disarmament remains the most viable pathway to achieving meaningful and lasting progress.
While not a party to the 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 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) across all three of its mutually re-enforcing pillars (non-proliferation, disarmament, peaceful uses of nuclear energy). The NPT is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime and Canada is focused on preparing for the long-awaited Review Conference of the NPT, taking place in August.
Canada is also focusing its efforts on initiatives that bring together nuclear and non-nuclear armed states such as commencing negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, pushing for the entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, supporting initiatives to build global capacity for nuclear disarmament verification, and advancing a more inclusive approach to disarmament and non-proliferation, including the full and equal participation of women and engagement of youth. Canada welcomed the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the United States and Russia and advocates for the expansion of arms control. Canada has also supported the U.S.-Russian Strategic Stability Dialogue and regrets that it has come to a halt due to Russia’s unjustifiable and unprovoked war on Ukraine.
Canada is an active member of coalitions of non-nuclear weapon states, like the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative and the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament. These Initiatives have put forward pragmatic proposals to advance nuclear disarmament.
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.
June 14, 2022 (Petition No. 441-00573)
