Will you help Ceasefire.ca to build support for a ban on nuclear weapons?

We are seeking energetic supporters across Canada to become volunteer campaigners for Ceasefire.ca’s Louder Than the Bomb campaign in support of a new initiative by our friends at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

If you are passionate about making a positive change in the world by helping to ban nuclear weapons then please sign up to be a Ceasefire.ca volunteer campaigner.

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ICAN’s new international initiative is the Global Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban. ICAN is collecting signatures from parliamentarians all over the world, and they have asked Ceasefire.ca to help collect the signatures of parliamentarians in Canada who support the appeal.

Ceasefire.ca’s aim is to build support in Canada for an international treaty to outlaw nuclear weapons that will lead to their complete eradication. We hope that we can reach a majority of MPs, and as many members of provincial governments as possible.

But we need your help to reach out to people in your community and encourage them to ask their MP to endorse the global Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban.

What are we asking parliamentarians to endorse?

The most important part of the ICAN appeal says this:

We call upon all national governments to negotiate a treaty banning nuclear weapons and leading to their complete eradication. A global ban on nuclear weapons is a humanitarian imperative of the highest order. It is necessary, feasible, and increasingly urgent. (see the full text)

Who can endorse this appeal?

Any current member of a national, state/provincial, or regional parliament or congress may endorse the appeal. It is open to parliamentarians from all countries.

Ok, what is the plan?

Our plan is to have Ceasefire.ca supporters like you reach out to people in your community and, together, encourage your MP or provincial representatives to endorse the ICAN Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban.

The campaign will launch during Nuclear Abolition Week on July 8, 2013, and will continue throughout the summer.

We’re hoping that you will reach out to people in your community at events, in your workplace, or at your school.

The anniversaries of the terrible atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945 are August 6 and August 9, and at this special time many cities hold ceremonies to remind everyone of the need to eliminate nuclear weapons. The anniversaries would be great opportunities to raise awareness.

How will the parliamentarians’ signatures help ban nuclear weapons?

All of the signatures will be sent to ICAN, which is a terrific global organization with a proven track record. The parliamentary appeal will be presented to various intergovernmental meetings in 2013 and 2014 aimed at promoting nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

In Canada, the endorsed parliamentary appeal can be scanned and emailed to:

info@icanw.org

Or sent through the mail to:

ICAN Parliamentary Appeal
c/o 63 Sparks Street, Suite 608
Ottawa ON K1P 5A6 Canada

Or fax to 613 249 – 7091

Also, please send a copy of completed printed petitions to this address.

So, are you in?

Here’s what you need to do in 4 easy steps:

1. Sign up to be a Ceasefire.ca volunteer campaigner. You’ll receive a volunteer campaigner’s kit by email or mail if requested.

2. Then, encourage your neighbours, friends, and people in your community to sign a petition that asks all parliamentarians to endorse ICAN’s Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban.

3. Send a letter and a copy of the ICAN Global Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban to your Member of Parliament (or Provincial Representative), asking him or her to endorse and send it to ICAN.

If you have collected signatures of constituents on a paper petition, be sure to send it to your MP (and be sure to send a copy of the paper petitions to us, too, so we can follow up with people who have signed).

4. Educate people about nuclear weapons everywhere you go!

This is your chance to work together with other Ceasefire.ca volunteer campaigners across Canada.

Did you know that in 2010 the House of Commons passed a unanimous resolution committing Canada to work with the international community to facilitate global nuclear disarmament? Let’s hold our representatives to their word by reminding them of their admirable commitments.

To become a Ceasefire.ca volunteer campaigner, and receive our exclusive campaign kit, please sign up right away.

Everyone who signs up will receive the Louder Than the Bomb Volunteer Campaigner Kit, which includes:

• A campaign cover letter describing our campaign
• A letter you can send to your MP or provincial representative asking him or her to endorse the ICAN Global Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban, and a copy of the ICAN appeal itself.
• A petition addressed to Parliament encouraging all MPs to endorse the appeal.

Our campaign will begin during Nuclear Abolition week on July 8 and run through the summer, so please sign up right away. We hope to have as many MPs as possible sign when Parliament returns in September.