44th Parliament223Government response tabledMarch 20, 2023441-01105441-01105 (Foreign affairs)ElizabethMaySaanich—Gulf IslandsGreen PartyBCFebruary 3, 2023March 20, 2023June 16, 2022Petition to the Government of CanadaWhereas:
  • 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 AffairsSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Maninder SidhuCanada 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.
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons TreatyNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNuclear weapons
44th Parliament223Government response tabledAugust 17, 2022e-3828e-3828 (Foreign affairs)RaymondLegaultAlexandreBoulericeRosemont—La Petite-PatrieNDPQCFebruary 7, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. (EDT)June 7, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. (EDT)June 14, 2022August 17, 2022June 8, 2022Petition to the <Addressee>Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas: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; andCanada 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.We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to break with NATO’s nuclear policy and immediately sign and commit to ratifying the TPNW.
Response by the Minister of Foreign AffairsSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Rob OliphantCanada 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.
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons TreatyNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNuclear weapons