Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Is Canada still a "No Nukes" country?

UBC Professor Michael Byers noticed a change in Canada's stated position on nuclear weapons at the government website, dfait.
Embassy Mag : Canada's Disturbing Change of Position :

"In January 2002, Canada's policy called for "the complete elimination of nuclear weapons ...through steadily advocating national, bilateral and multilateral steps "
But recently, the same foreign affairs website has been amended to say that Canada's nuclear weapons policy is now "consistent with our membership in NATO and NORAD, and in a manner sensitive to the broader international security context."

As Mr. Byers rightly points out, this clause strips Canada's policy of any real meaning."


Given NATO and NORAD's relationship to the USA - yeah, it does.

In a search of dfait just now, I found the phrase "the complete elimination of " still in use up to Oct 2005.
After that, it only appears in archives. I guess the sixties really are over.

Rather touchingly, I see the moon is still off-limits though :
"The 1979 Moon Agreement – formally the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies – reiterates the Outer Space Treaty's obligation that the Moon be used only for peaceful purposes."
Lucky moon. Maybe one day we can get something like that for Earth too.
"The Outer Space Treaty only explicitly forbids orbiting nuclear weapons or other WMD about the Earth, installing them on celestial bodies, or stationing in outer space in any other manner."
So, dfait, we're still good on that last one though, right? Right?

Cross-posted at Creekside

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