Canada’s efforts on responsible AI must include ban on autonomous weapons
BY Branka Marijan During a week of virtual sessions hosted in September at the Geneva offices of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, Canada remained silent. Not once in the last year has Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs focused on autonomous weapons when explaining Canada’s foreign... [Read More]
The risks of hypersonic weapons
BY Mark McWhinney More states are investing in hypersonic weapons capabilities. These weapons have the potential to travel faster and farther than current intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with the added benefit of increased manoeuverability. While not all hype around hypersonic missiles is justified, the pursuit of such capabilities... [Read More]
Rethinking arms control: A Canadian perspective
BY Branka Marijan With a global pandemic and a still undecided U.S. election forming a dramatic backdrop, on November 6, the German Foreign Office hosted a virtual conference, “Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control.” This event, combined with an experts’ preparatory workshop on November 5, were used to shine a... [Read More]
Export suspension exposes flaws in Canada’s arms controls
BY Kelsey Gallagher On October 24, Radio Canada International reported that Canadian-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) had suspended the export of aircraft engines to “countries with unclear usage.” This action followed reports that these engines were being used in Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that Turkey... [Read More]
Joint Statement on Outer Space
BY Jessica West This statement was drafted on behalf of civil society by Project Ploughshares Senior Researcher Jessica West. Dr. West presented it to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for Disarmament and International Security on October 13, 2020. [Read More]
Canada remains silent on illegal Canadian weapons in Libya
BY Kelsey Gallagher On October 5, under mounting pressure from civil society and the Armenian diaspora community, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) suspended exports of Canadian-made L3Harris WESCAM surveillance and targeting sensors to Turkey. These sensors had been found on Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones)... [Read More]
The making of Killer Optics
BY Tasneem Jamal Ploughshares Communications Officer Tasneem Jamal spoke with Kelsey Gallagher about the genesis of Killer Optics, the impact of its publication, and the role of open-source data in tracking arms transfers. [Read More]

Project Ploughshares is a Canadian peace research institute with a focus on disarmament efforts and international security, specifically in the areas of the arms trade, emerging military and security technologies, nuclear weapons, and outer space security.

Analysis & Commentary

Canada’s efforts on responsible AI must include ban on autonomous weapons

January 4, 2021

During a week of virtual sessions hosted in September at the Geneva offices of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, Canada remained silent. Not once in the last year has Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs focused on autonomous weapons when explaining Canada’s foreign policy priorities.

Rethinking arms control: A Canadian perspective

November 30, 2020

With a global pandemic and a still undecided U.S. election forming a dramatic backdrop, on November 6, the German Foreign Office hosted a virtual conference, “Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control.” This event, combined with an experts’ preparatory workshop on November 5, were used to shine a light on the transformational capabilities of new technologies on both “old” issues of arms control, such as nuclear weapons, and new ones, including autonomous weapons and drone swarms.

Export suspension exposes flaws in Canada’s arms controls

November 30, 2020

On October 24, Radio Canada International reported that Canadian-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) had suspended the export of aircraft engines to “countries with unclear usage.” This action followed reports that these engines were being used in Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that Turkey had sent to support Azeri forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Video: The Future of Peace and Conflict: Nuclear Arms, Space and Robotics

September 29, 2020

On September 28, Ploughshares Senior Researchers Jessica West and Branka Marijan participated in an online panel on the future of peace and conflict hosted by the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Event description From the invention of the machine-gun, to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, to the use of armed drones, technological advances in war craft have transformed geopolitical rivalries ...

Webinar: Killer robots

Want to learn more about killer robots? Are you in university or high school? Join us for an interactive discussion! Killer robots, or autonomous weapons, are a very real concern for international security. We will discuss the issue of autonomous weapons, where the international discussion stands, Canada’s role and what civil society organizations are doing.

Recent Publications

The risks of hypersonic weapons

December 3, 2020

More states are investing in hypersonic weapons capabilities. These weapons have the potential to travel faster and farther than current intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with the added benefit of increased manoeuverability. While not all hype around hypersonic missiles is justified, the pursuit of such capabilities is changing the defence landscape and raising concerns about the future of nonproliferation and arms-control regimes.

The Ploughshares Monitor: Winter 2020

November 26, 2020

Volume 41 Issue 4 A quarterly publication of Project Ploughshares Please click on attachment to view document:

Joint Statement on Outer Space

November 25, 2020

This statement was drafted on behalf of civil society by Project Ploughshares Senior Researcher Jessica West. Dr. West presented it to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for Disarmament and International Security on October 13, 2020.

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