ABSTRACT
In 2017, when negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) were under way, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the exercise “useless.” Then, when 122 states adopted the treaty at the United Nations, government spokespeople dismissed it as “premature.” Now Global Affairs Canada says: “We acknowledge the widespread frustration with the pace of global efforts toward nuclear disarmament, which clearly motivated the negotiation of the TPNW.” While not a clear-cut endorsement of the treaty, the statement is a diplomatic expression of a shift in policy and a modest nudge forward for the process of nuclear disarmament.
