36 JUNE/JULY 2021 www.vanguardcanada.com
CANADA'S NATIONAL INTERESTS
AND CHALLENGES TO ADOPTING
THE NUCLEAR BAN TREATY
O
n 22 January 2021, the Treaty on the Pro-
hibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)
(also known as the "Nuclear Ban Trea-
ty") came into effect, ratified by 51 coun-
tries. Under Article I of the Treaty, State
Parties are prohibited to: "(a) Develop, test, produce,
manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile
nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices."
None of the nuclear weapon states (NWS) adopted the
treaty. Canada also did not adopt the Treaty, declining
to participate in Treaty negotiations and voted against a
recent UN Resolution supporting the Treaty.
Advocates calling for the government of Canada's
adoption of the Treaty emphasize the moral obligation
and Canada's traditional commitment to nuclear disar-
mament, although a range of security and practical con-
siderations continue to be part of the discussion, par-
ticularly how to advance nuclear disarmament through
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the
contribution that arms control and disarmament tools
towards strategic stability. Critics of Canada's rejection
of the TPNW acknowledge Canada's relationship with
the US and NATO membership, which is a nuclear al-
liance, while also highlighting that the NATO Strategic
Concept commits its members to pursue conditions for
a "world without nuclear weapons."
However, a noted gap in these assessments is the
evolving threat environment driving the modernization
of North American defence, NORAD renewal, and re-
vision of deterrence concepts to counter new strategic
challenges – the offensive weapon systems and postures
of key nuclear actors. North America is central to the
close Canada-US defence partnership, and this relation-
ship is influenced by the strategic challenges posed by
new dual-capable weapon systems that can deliver both
conventional and nuclear warheads to targets in North
America (as well as in the European, Pacific, and Middle
Eastern theatres).
BY NANCY TEEPLE
DEFENCE
