Dear Prime Minister Harper,
I write to commend to you the attached letter signed by the leaders of all 23 member churches of The Canadian Council of Churches. We urge you to personally endorse a vision of the world without nuclear weapons by publicly and prominently recommitting Canada to the energetic pursuit of the early elimination of all nuclear weapons.
We believe that the world is ready for, indeed is deeply in need of, an approach to global security that safeguards the well-being of the human community and of our fragile planet through international cooperation and the rule of law rather than the destruction that is promised by the world’s nuclear arsenals.As Canadians we are proud that Canada has in the past made significant and constructive contributions to disarmament and durable international peace and security. We believe there continue to be obligations and opportunities to undertake such efforts in the current context.
We therefore urge your Government to
– encourage the United States and Russia to persist in disarmament efforts,
– ensure that the International Atomic Energy Agency has the resources it needs to carry out its critically important monitoring and inspections work,
– add Canada’s voice to those insisting that NATO end its erroneous claim that nuclear weapons are “essential to preserve peace”, and
– mount a vigorous new effort to set out the technical and legal details for total nuclear disarmament, a world without nuclear weapons.Please be assured that churches across Canada continue to hold you and your government in our prayers.
The Rev. Bruce Adema
President
The Canadian Council of Churches