Cape Breton Regional Municipality Joins Global ‘Cities Appeal’ for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World;

Council unanimously calls on Canada to Sign the New Nuclear Ban Treaty.

At its monthly meeting in Sydney on December 11, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) unanimously endorsed the ICAN ‘Cities Appeal,’ a new initiative by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons to encourage governments around the world to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the ‘Ban Treaty’ adopted by 122 states at the UN General Assembly last year.

Council’s move came after a November 28 request from Peace Quest Cape Breton (PQCB) for CBRM to endorse the Appeal “as a responsible, progressive, peace-loving member of the Canadian municipal community.” The resolution – entitled ‘Support for the ICAN Cities Appeal,’ and tabled and proposed by Earlene MacMullin (District 2) on behalf of Amanda McDougall (District 8) – reads in full –

Whereas; in 2013, CBRM joined ‘Mayors for Peace,’ a coalition of over 7,000 municipalities from over 160 countries working to build a nuclear-weapon-free world;

And Whereas; in 2017, Council passed a resolution calling on the Government of Canada to sign the new United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (the Ban Treaty);

And Whereas; Noting that, on November 7 this year, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), winners of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, launched a ‘Cities Appeal,’ a “global call from cities and towns” to support the Ban Treaty;

And Whereas; Noting further that the Cities Appeal was immediately supported by Toronto and other major cities in the US, Australia, and other countries yet to sign the Treaty;

And Whereas; The Municipality is deeply concerned about the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world. We firmly believe that our residents have the right to live in a world free from this threat;

And Whereas; Any use of nuclear weapons, whether deliberate or accidental, would have catastrophic, far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for people and the environment;

Be It Therefore Resolved: That Mayor Cecil P. Clarke and CBRM Council warmly welcome the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the United Nations in 2017, and we call on our national government to join it.

PQCB applauds the Mayor and all Councilors for standing in solidarity with Councils around the world in taking this small but symbolically significant step in the direction of human security and even survival. We now hope other municipalities in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada take note and follow suit.  

The Ban Treaty will enter into force when 50 states ratify it; currently, 69 states have signed, and 19 ratified. To the dismay of many former Canadian diplomats and experts, however, this country – as a member of NATO, the world’s only nuclear-armed alliance – is among the minority of powerful, military-industrial states refusing to join.

For more information on the ICAN Cities Appeal, see http://www.icanw.org/campaign-news/manchester-ican-cities-appeal/.