Commons supports nuclear disarmament

Bill Siksay

The House of Commons gave its unanimous consent to a motion in support of nuclear disarmament on December 7th.

New Democrat MP Bill Siksay moved:

That the House of Commons:

(a) recognize the danger posed by the proliferation of nuclear materials and technology to peace and security;

(b) endorse the statement, signed by 500 members, officers and companions of the Order of Canada, underlining the importance of addressing the challenge of more intense nuclear proliferation and the progress of and opportunity for nuclear disarmament;

(c) endorse the 2008 five point plan for nuclear disarmament of Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations and encourage the Government of Canada to engage in negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention as proposed by the United Nations Secretary-General;

(d) support the initiatives for nuclear disarmament of President Obama of the United States of America;

(e) commend the decision of the Government of Canada to participate in the landmark Nuclear Security Summit and encourage the Government of Canada to deploy a major world-wide Canadian diplomatic initiative in support of preventing nuclear proliferation and increasing the rate of nuclear disarmament.

A slightly different version of the same motion was adopted by the Senate earlier this year, meaning that both houses of Parliament have now expressed their strong support for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The motions are not binding on the government, so it remains to be seen what, if any, action the government will take in response to Parliament’s views.

Tags: Bill Siksay, House of Commons, Nuclear disarmament, nuclear nonproliferation, Nuclear Security Summit, Nuclear weapons, Nuclear Weapons Convention, Order of Canada, Senate