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NEWS RELEASES

April 19, 1999 (3:00 p.m. EDT) No. 85

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TABLES RESPONSE TO

CANADA AND THE NUCLEAR CHALLENGE

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and National Defence Minister Art Eggleton today renewed the Government of Canada's unequivocal commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as they tabled the government's response to a standing committee report on the subject. The response includes a comprehensive government policy statement entitled Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation: Advancing Canadian Objectives, which will guide Canada's approach to the "nuclear challenge."

"The government today reiterates its long-standing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation policy, and pledges to work consistently to reduce the political legitimacy and value of nuclear weapons in order to contribute to the goal of their progressive reduction and eventual elimination," said Mr. Axworthy. "In light of global challenges and our obligation to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Canada reaffirms its goal of a world free of nuclear weapons."

Canada and the Nuclear Challenge: Reducing the Political Value of Nuclear Weapons for the Twenty-first Century was released by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) last December, following extensive hearings. The report made 15 recommendations, each of which the government has addressed in the response tabled today in the House of Commons.

"In responding to the Committee's report, the government has adopted a balanced approach - one that furthers Canada's international disarmament and non-proliferation goals while upholding our security and Alliance commitments as a member of NATO," said Mr. Eggleton. "I am confident that this renewed policy will enable Canada to continue working for a more secure and peaceful world."

Most of the Committee's recommendations reflect and support the government's long-standing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation policy, and the promotion of international, regional and human security. The government's statement strengthens these policy directions. Some notable examples include:

• the government's commitment that Canada will continue to resist any movement to validate nuclear weapons as acceptable currency in international politics;
• the government's reaffirmation that Canada's primary objectives are to promote and support universal adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, nuclear disarmament and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, while ensuring that Canadian nuclear exports do not contribute to the development of any nuclear explosive devices;
• a pledge to work with like-minded states to reinforce and enhance the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and to actively promote the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty;
• the government's support for the Committee's recommendation to hold an annual meeting with non-governmental organizations, and a commitment to involve Canadians further in discussions with respect to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation issues;

• the government's resolve to work actively to halt proliferation, to roll back the nuclear weapons programs in India and Pakistan, and to urge the nuclear-weapon States to pursue energetically nuclear disarmament activities and the elimination of nuclear weapons, sooner rather than later.

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The government response to the SCFAIT Report and the government policy are available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site at www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca under Sites of Interest and What's New. Copies will also available from DFAIT's InfoCentre at 1-800-267-8376.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca