Our Objectives
- Encourage vocal and active Canadian support for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
- Contribute, through work with likeminded organizations, in Canada and abroad, to international policies that support a more efficient and effective nuclear non-proliferation regime.
NATO Nuclear Policy
- Encourage vocal and active Canadian support for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
- Contribute, through work with likeminded organizations, in Canada and abroad, to international policies that support a more efficient and effective nuclear non-proliferation regime.
- 25 of the 28 member states of NATO, including Canada, are defined as being non-nuclear-weapon states in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
- NATO regards nuclear deterrence as a key part of its military doctrine
This contradiction has long undermined attempts by the international community to take serious steps towards nuclear disarmament.
Project Ploughshares supports the call for a clear reversal of NATO's policy of continuing commitment to nuclear weapons and nuclear-use strategies.
Ballistic Missile Defence
Project Ploughshares responded to the ballistic missile defence issue when it re-emerged in the early 1990s, providing information and analysis, and in particular proposing alternatives for dealing with the threats that the ballistic missile system is intended to address.
Ploughshares continues to monitor global ballistic missile issues as they arise.
Recent Posts on Nuclear Weapons
Whatever happens in Ukraine, keep nuclear weapons out
March 3, 2022On the second day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin warned the West of “consequences greater than you have faced in history” for any interference. Many observers saw a troubling, if veiled, reference to Russia’s nuclear arsenal. By day four, any lingering ambiguity about Putin’s willingness to invoke nuclear weapons dissipated: he ordered Russian nuclear forces to be placed on high alert and broadcast the decision for the world to see.
A new era in U.S.-Russia strategic stability?
September 15, 2021During the Trump administration, relations between the United States and Russia deteriorated significantly, leading to the death of major arms control treaties, escalating cyberattacks, and retaliatory measures. On June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of his first foreign trip as U.S. President, Joe Biden met privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin to revive strategic stability talks. The meeting, which concluded with a joint presidential statement that calls for “ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war,” could mark the beginning of a new era of arms control diplomacy.
Discarding deterrence: What Canada must do to help achieve nuclear disarmament
September 15, 2021"You can ignore reality,” said Russian-American author Ayn Rand. “But you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.” Canada needs to heed this warning. While it continues to support the policies of nuclear-weapon states, the multilateral policy landscape on which nuclear disarmament negotiations occur is being reshaped. And all parties that continue to shelter under a nuclear umbrella will be increasingly isolated.