Trudeau asks UN to step up sanctions

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned North Korea’s latest nuclear weapon testing and is urging the United Nations to take further steps to contain the country’s nuclear proliferation efforts.

North Korea’s nuclear test and “aggressive” missile testing program “represents a clear and present threat to the safety and security of its neighbours and the international community,” Trudeau said in a statement released Sunday.

He said North Korea is only further isolating itself by the continued testing.

The statement called on the UN Security Council “to take further decisive action to effectively constrain North Korea’s proliferation efforts.”

North Korea announced this weekend that it had detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear test yet, which it declared a “perfect success.”

Trudeau also stated that Canada would continue to work with allies including South Korea, Japan and the U.S., but did not provide more details on his government’s involvement.

Erin O’Toole, the Conservative foreign affairs critic, said last week that North Korea’s increased capability to potentially reach North America with a long-range missile changes the conversation, and that Canada should consider joining the U.S. ballistic missile defence shield.

Former Liberal senator Roméo Dallaire has also said that he thinks Canada should join.

Trudeau has said that Canada would not get involved in the missile defence shield, a stance that was criticized by several other politicians.

Canada was invited to join the American continental missileshield system more than a decade ago, but then-prime minister Paul Martin opted against it in 2005 following an extremely divisive national debate.

The Tory government under Stephen Harper was also unwilling to reopen the debate, despite having supported Canada’s participation in ballistic missile defence in opposition.