MONTRÉAL, Québec (CU)_Canadian MPs from across party lines joined called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sign the new United Nations nuclear treaty, which comes into effect on Friday (Jan 22).
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which bans the states party to the agreement from testing, developing, producing, stockpiling or threatening to use nuclear weapons, has already been signed by 86 of the 122 member states of the UN General Assembly.
“The world is unquestionably safer without nuclear weapons and Canada should sign on to the treaty,” said Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith said, during a discussion held on Thursday (Jan 21) regarding the matter.
“We know we aren’t going to see the end of the possession of nuclear weapons in the short term, but it is incredibly important that the world stigmatizes and delegitimizes the use of these weapons and the possession of these weapons going forward,” he noted.
The Canadian government on the other hand, maintains that as member of the NATO, which sees nuclear weapons as “a core component” of the Alliance’s overall capabilities for “deterrence and defence”.
Ahead of the vote on the UN General Assembly resolution to commence talks of the treaty, the United States called on NATO members to vote against it. Canada not only followed the advice but also refrained from participating in the negotiation of the treaty the following year.
PM Trudeau also claims that Canada joining the treaty would make no difference since it doesn’t have any nuclear weapons of its own.
“There can be all sorts of people talking about nuclear disarmament, but if they do not actually have nuclear arms, it is sort of useless to have them around, talking,” the Prime Minister said during question period in 2017.
Nevertheless, several MPs remain in support of signing the treaty, as some of them believe Canada can play a connector role.
“We are a country that represents a bridge between divides; a country that can play an important role between those countries that do have nuclear weapons and the rest of the world that lives in fear of them,” Green Party MP Elizabeth Maysaid.
On the other hand, member of Bloc Québécois, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, is of the view that Canada’s involvement in the treaty could even have an influence on the United States, as he claims that President Joe Biden’s move to quickly overturning many of Donald Trump’s acts is a good indication that the US could lean more towards nuclear disarmament.
“He will listen and that’s where we can do something to bring (the US) to this conversation,” Brunelle-Duceppe said. “But for that, we have to start a conversation with them, and we have to lead this thing.”
Meanwhile, Canadian MPs are not the only ones calling on the government to sign the Pact. In September last year, seven former Canadian prime ministers and foreign and defence ministers, signed an open letter calling on the government to “show courage and boldness” by joining the treaty.
