The Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA), Canada’s largest umbrella peace organization, congratulates the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) on the work that culminates in its report, Canada and the Nuclear Challenge, released today.

"SCFAIT bites dog!" says Judith Berlyn, Co-Chair of the CPA, "The report is strong. It has principle, substance, and vision. The recommendations, if implemented, will make Canada a leader in the international effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons." This is what 92% of Canadians want according to the Angus Reid opinion poll commissioned by the Canadian Peace Alliance which is referred to in the report.

The already-controversial report has resulted in powerful political pressure being brought to bear on committee members and Canadian diplomats by western nuclear weapons states. Canada does not stand alone. In a stunning rebuke to the nuclear club, Canada and 11 other NATO allies abstained on a UN vote calling for disarmament negotiations, despite American, British and French pressure to oppose the resolution.

"This is a sea change," says Tryna Booth, Coordinator of the CPA, "There is a world-wide movement afoot -- everyone from civilian, military and church leaders to movie stars have said the time has come for these horrific weapons of mass murder to be eliminated. We can no longer tolerate the threat of untold suffering or annihilation as acceptable forms of foreign and defence policy."

The Canadian Peace Alliance was among the NGOs that made submissions to the Committee which reviewed Canada’s non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament policies over the past two years. SCFAIT Chair, Bill Graham, commented that the Committee received more mail on this issue than on any other it dealt with.

"Now, the Government of Canada should use the report’s 15 recommendations to continue moving this issue forward in the international arena," says Berlyn. "This report can push Canadian policy towards the abolition of nuclear weapons, and we will do whatever we can to support government initiatives towards that goal."

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