Too soon to talk disarmament: government

Despite the urging of 314 Order of Canada recipients, the government wants to put off negotiating a global Nuclear Weapons Convention aimed at eventually ridding the world of all nuclear arms.

The petitioners have met the government's hesitation with a wave of dismay and criticism, while the Liberal Party says it will make nuclear disarmament a priority issue should they take the reins of power this fall.

Nuclear disarmament has gotten its second wind in the last year, as global leaders, including President Barack Obama States and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have reinvigorated calls for a nuclear-free world. The Order of Canada petition demonstrates the anti-nuclear tide is rising within Canadian civil society, but it appears the same cannot be said for the government.

The Nuclear Weapons Convention, which was composed by civil society, calls for complete global nuclear disarmament within two to three decades. Embassy received the government's position on the Nuclear Weapons Convention last week, and it appears the government thinks the NWC's moment has not yet arrived.

"Canada supports the principle of creating a Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) as the final step in a progressive, incremental effort to end the capacity of states to produce and develop nuclear weapons, and to reduce and eventually eliminate existing nuclear stockpiles," DFAIT spokeswoman Dana Cryderman wrote in an emailed statement.

The statement said it is too early to negotiate an NWC. Necessary prerequisite treaties must first be in force, Ms. Cryderman wrote, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a functioning Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

"Until other treaties are in place to end the capacity of states to develop and produce nuclear weapons, it would be premature to launch NWC negotiations," the email said. "Canada is taking action to urge all states to support the treaties that must first be in place before a NWC should be considered."

A number of the Order of Canada petitioners expressed their deep disappointment that Canada—a traditional nuclear disarmament leader, and the first country to voluntarily give up its nuclear arsenal—is not at the vanguard of renewed disarmament efforts.

Liberal Senator Roméo Dallaire is an honorary patron of the Pugwash Group, an international nuclear disarmament conference founded in Nova Scotia that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 for its efforts. The former general said the government is focusing on the "nuts and bolts" instead of the end goal.

"The mission is to disarm," he said. "And what you're getting is people not even mentioning that aspect, they're hung up on non-proliferation and disarmament gets pushed to the backburner."

Following the release of the government's position, the petitioners issued a joint response saying that the time to start is now, and urging Canada not to "remain on the sidelines."

"Active movement towards a Convention will act as a road map to guide and accelerate the current disarmament process," the petitioners wrote. "Though it will take time to achieve, the key to success of a Nuclear Weapons Convention is to start the negotiations now, while simultaneously undertaking parallel steps on limited measures—such as entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT).

"Without the start of such negotiations, nuclear weapons states will continue to cling to the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which has led to an unsustainable two-class world of nuclear haves and have-nots," the petitioners added.

Mr. Dallaire said Canada, under the Harper government, has abandoned Canada's leadership position on disarmament.

"Now when we have an American president who is moving the yardsticks at light speed...and we're sitting back and fiddling on the margins," he said. "It's as if we want to be on the margins versus being a leading middle power."

Doug Roche, a petitioner and a former Canadian ambassador for disarmament, pointed out that Canada has not supported NWC negotiations during UN votes since they began some 10 years ago. At a 2007 vote, Canada opposed immediate NWC negotiations, then abstained from a December 2008 vote, for which 127 states votes in favour.

India, Pakistan and China supported NWC negotiations in the most recent vote, while the US, UK, France, Russia and Israel voted against.

Mr. Roche said the government has to reassess its position.

"The Canadian government policy is locked in a time warp; they are reflecting the policy of the Bush era, and now everybody knows Obama has reversed the Bush policy on many fronts," he said. "The Canadian government needs to formally review its nuclear weapons policies, and if they would, I'm confident they would come to the realization the NWC is part of the process of nuclear disarmament, not something to be addressed in some distant day."

While there is no indication the government is reassessing its position on nuclear disarmament, the Liberals say they would chart a new course should they come to power.

Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae, who could become foreign minister if the government is unseated this fall, said the Liberals would support nuclear disarmament.

"If the Liberals form a government, I'm quite confident [nuclear disarmament] is a subject that will be back very much on the agenda," he said.

"The fact of the matter is that nuclear proliferation and nuclear disarmament has completely fallen of the table and the agenda of this government," Mr. Rae said. "This government doesn't think it's important, it's not even on their radar screen. It's not an issue they've ever raised in the House; the words 'nuclear proliferation' have never emerged from the prime minister's mouth. It's not something he either believes in or is interested in."

jdavis@embassymag.ca

http://embassymag.ca/page/printpage/disarmament-9-9-2009