text of the NATO presentation by RI President Peggy Mason

Recommendation 21 That the Government of Canada take a leadership role within NATO in beginning the work necessary for achieving the NATO goal of creating the conditions for a world free of nuclear weapons. [...] That this initiative be undertaken on an urgent basis in view of the increasing threat of nuclear conflict flowing from the renewed risk of nuclear proliferation, the deployment of so-called tactical nuclear weapons, and changes in nuclear doctrines regarding lowering the threshold for first use of nuclear weapons by Russia and the US. [...] As noted by the aforementioned group of CSOs who wrote to the then Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, the National Defence Committee had identified a constructive and timely approach for Canada to begin a long-overdue conversation within NATO on how to move away from the nightmare of mutually-assured destruction (or even worse, the lunacy of nuclear war-fighting) toward the vision of sustainable. [...] The actions of the USA and NATO – that is their military restraint - put the lie to NATO’s doctrine of flexible response and to the absurd notion of nuclear war- fighting with so-called tactical nuclear weapons. [...] So the immediate work is for Canada to initiate or to enhance the dialogue within appropriate NATO NACD forums so as to “begin the work necessary for achieving the NATO goal of creating the conditions for a world free of nuclear weapons…” including moving to no first use and eschewing tactical nukes.