Council Space Treaty Vote: Word Document

  Petition on Missile Defence / Weapons in Space: RTF document
   To the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

In December of 2002, two members of WILPF (Women's International League for Peace & Freedom) Nanaimo asked Nanaimo City Council to endorse the Space Preservation Treaty, which outlaws the weaponization of space. There is growing international concern that the stated military aims of the USA explicitly include US militarization and domination of outer space. Discussion of this issue has been blocked at the UN Committee on Disarmament (CD) for some years.

Nanaimo Council decided to write to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence for advice. Both responded, and reiterated Canada's long-standing opposition to the weaponization of outer space. Given the stated support by Prime Minister Chrétien, Foreign Affairs Minister Graham, Defence Minister Mc Callum and Prime-Minister-in-Waiting Paul Minister for joining the US BMD (Ballistic Missile Program), which many informed observers see as inextricably linked to US weaponization plans, United for Peace and Justice Nanaimo (UPJN) brought together a coalition of local groups to endorse a brief on the subject to City Council. In the meantime, Victoria City Council voted unanimously to support the treaty call. The Nanaimo brief was drafted, circulated and endorsed. Councillors were lobbied to ask for support.

On September 29, 2003, Nanaimo City Council voted to urge the federal government to take leadership action in pursuing a treaty similar to the treaty on land mines now known as the Ottawa Convention. The Nanaimo brief is a single page, annotated and referenced to about 20 pages of background information. This brief is tailored for presentation to Canadian municipalities.