Join us for an interactive discussion on the importance of digital literacy for ordinary citizens as well as practical ways to address the era of alternative facts.
More clarity on Canada’s views on military applications of artificial intelligence needed
Canada appears to be leading the way in the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) with a number of initiatives and guidelines intended to to ensure that AI applications are based on sound reasoning and common values. However, largely absent in its discussions of strategy and risk are military applications of AI—in particular, the growing autonomy of weapons systems. Canada …
Event: Conflicts in Space: Preventable or Unavoidable?
With input from a geographically diverse panel of distinguished experts, this roundtable aims to foster dialogue on this critical question for our time.
Canada’s reluctant participation in peacekeeping in Mali: What it reveals
When Canada announced that it would not be extending its commitment to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali beyond one year, few were surprised. But many are perplexed that Canada is reportedly unwilling to consider a UN request to extend its mission until a replacement Romanian contingent arrives in October, a mere three-months extension. On April 5, a House …
Where does the world stand on killer robots? The view from recent UN meetings on autonomous weapons
From March 25 to 29, the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons met at the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva, Switzerland.
Canada’s future role in UN peace operations
It has been almost three decades since Canada was among the leading contributors of troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions. In late 2017, the government announced Canada’s return to peace operations and, in March 2018, Canada deployed an Air Task Force to the UN mission in Mali. With the one-year period allotted for the Canadian mission coming to an end …
The new disarmament advocates?
Over the past year, tech-worker movements have illustrated the rising awareness of this group of their role—for good and ill—in technology’s impact on society. Just look at the employees’ protest against Google’s involvement in the U.S. Pentagon’s Project Maven. Project Maven, also known as Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team, launched in April 2017 to improve the ability of the U.S. Department …
Looking ahead: Trends shaping space security in 2019
The world has entered a Second Space Age, marked by an intensification of our interactions and reach into outer space. A core part of the international Space Security Index project, managed by Project Ploughshares, is to look holistically at how states, companies, and people around the world access and make use of this domain. Looking to the year ahead, five …
Canadian Council of Churches urges Ottawa to support nuclear ban treaty
December 21, 2018 The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2 Email: pm@pm.gc.ca Re: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Dear Prime Minister Trudeau We, the undersigned, representing all 26 member denominations of The Canadian Council of Churches, write to urge that the …