“Concrete action” needed for world without nuclear weapons: Jaramillo

Three of four opposition parties in Canada’s Parliament support the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty, according to party statements obtained by the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day Coalition (PeaceQuest is a member). But in its statement through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Liberal Party continues to ignore the new international treaty, officially called the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Considering that the Liberals are a minority government, and need the support of at least one opposition party to continue to govern, how might this tri-party support for the Nuclear Ban Treaty impact the next Parliament, which will reconvene in late September?

I put these questions to one of Canada’s top experts on nuclear weapons, Cesar Jaramillo. Cesar is the Executive Director of Project Ploughshares, and he played a key role as a non-governmental representative when the negotiations for the treaty were completed successfully in 2017.

Interview with Cesar Jaramillo, Project Ploughshares

Steve Staples, PeaceQuest: What is your reaction to the various party statements as a whole?

Cesar Jaramillo, Project Ploughshares: “Cross-party support for nuclear disarmament is certainly welcome, but it is far from sufficient. Declaratory statements must be translated into top policy priorities as well as persistent national and global advocacy for nuclear disarmament. Virtually every nuclear disarmament stakeholder in Canada and abroad welcomes the pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons—in principle. But this objective will only be achieved through concrete action that truly reflects the gravity of the nuclear weapons threat and the urgency of concrete steps toward abolition.”

Steve Staples, PeaceQuest: How might we move forward regarding the TPNW in Canada?

Cesar Jaramillo, Project Ploughshares: “The complete and irreversible elimination of nuclear weapons is not an eventual, ethereal objective, but an urgent and achievable one. Regrettably, while a growing majority in the international community has embraced the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, Canada continues to embrace NATO’s overt nuclear deterrence policy as a legitimate security doctrine, effectively validating the weapons held by its nuclear-armed allies.”

What do you think?

Read the statements from the parties, and then write your comment and join the conversation.