Which side are you on?
Banning the bomb discussed by local group at CBU
Canada’s place in the worldwide debate on whether to eliminate or proliferate the use of nuclear weapons was up for discussion at Cape Breton University on Monday.
‘Banning the Bomb: Which Side are We On?’ was organized in part by Peace Quest Cape Breton and concerned students to bring attention to a nationwide campaign to persuade Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the side of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
“Canada has traditionally been a strong advocate of nuclear disarmament but that’s always been a contradiction to its role in NATO. It’s reaching a point where the country has to choose,” said Sean Howard, an event organizer.
“This is the dilemma that Trudeau has and we just want to maximize as much public opinion as possible on the side of disarmament and not on the side of NATO’s nuclear weapons, which we don’t believe makes Canada safer at all.”
The local event was held on the United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Organizers hope it will also draw attention to a UN resolution calling for negotiations to open next year on a convention banning all nuclear weapons.
“A lot of people assume it is not really an issue any more,” said Howard. “It’s one of those things that got people very exercised in the 80s and before that but it is now not really an issue. Unfortunately that’s not true.”
The first of two sessions on Tuesday attracted about two dozen students and some members of the general public.
Tony Rizzetto, a student at CBU, was surprised at the lack of media coverage on the issue of disarmament.
“Maybe at some point in time there might have been a reason for (nuclear weapons), but it’s 2016 and there are other ways to find resolutions,” he said.
“It just seems to be at point now especially if a war was to happen these massive countries have all these weapons and it won’t last very long.”
Part of Monday’s session asked students to write a letter to the prime minister and Rizzetto was considering it.
Howard said the nationwide letter-writing campaign is about four weeks old and student interest, locally, is encouraging and growing. “It’s a very grave threat and it is getting worse at the moment,” he said. “That’s why information is so important. If people know, then I find in my experience young people start to care a lot very quickly.
“It is their future after all.”