Category: Petitions

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Petition to the Government of Canada: Attend, as an observer, the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Pétition au gouvernement du Canada: Assister, en tant qu’observateur, à la première réunion des États parties au Traité sur l’interdiction des armes nucléaires

[Note that a paper version of this petition has collected the requisite 25 signatures.]

[Notez qu’une version papier de cette pétition a recueilli les 25 signatures requises.]

We the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, profoundly concerned about the increasing risk to humanity posed by nuclear weapons and mindful of the leadership role Canada has historically played on arms control, call upon Canada to Join our allies, Germany and Norway, in attending the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW as an observer.

Nous, soussigné.e.s, citoyen.ne.s et résident.e.s du Canada, profondément préoccupé.e.s par le risque croissant que représentent les armes nucléaires pour l’humanité et conscient.e.s du rôle de leader que le Canada a historiquement joué en matière de contrôle des armements, appelons le Canada à se joindre à nos alliés, l’Allemagne et la Norvège, pour assister à la première réunion des États parties à la TIAN en tant qu’observateur.

Petition-Canadas-attendance-at-the-First-Meeting-of-States-Parties-to-the-TPNWDownload
CNANW-Petition-Canadas-attendance-at-the-First-Meeting-of-States-Parties-to-the-TPNW-French-1Download

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Petition House of Commons 2011

Petition Canada to Invite States to Discuss a Global Legal Ban on Nuclear Weapons

This petition calls “upon the House of Commons to issue an invitation for all states to gather in Canada to begin discussions needed for a global legal ban on nuclear weapons”.

Here is some general information on handling the petition:

1. Print the petition: The petitions (English and French versions) are formatted for 8 x 14″ paper so all 25 signatures can go on one page. If you must convert it to 8 x 11″, kindly observe the rules for doing so set out here. The petitions can be accessed from the bottom of this page.

2. Seek out signatures. They must be clearly written – for the Clerk won’t certify the petition their office have checked each name against a phone book to ensure each person exists.

3. Once signed, the Petition should be sent to your Member of Parliament with a request that he or she arrange for certification by the Clerk of Petitions (who checks every name to ensure the person exists) and then that the M.P. present the petition during Routine Proceedings. You could ask the MP’s assistant to advise you of the date of the petition presentation so that you may find the presentation noted in the Debates and the Journal.

To find names of MPs, go to the centre column here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsMembers.aspx?Language=E
The address for all MPs is House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
No postage required.

Is your MP required to present your petition? The rules state:
“Members are not bound to present petitions and cannot be compelled to do so; [53] nevertheless, it is evident that many Members consider it a duty to present to the House petitions brought forward by citizens. [54] The Member, whose role it is to make the presentation on behalf of the petitioners, is not required to be in agreement with the content of any petition he or she may choose to present, and no such inference is to be drawn. [55] “

If your MP won’t present, please ask for the petition to be returned and send it to Mme. Hélène Laverdière, Foreign Affairs Critic for the NDP or to M. Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Critic for the Liberals. I’m sure either would be happy to assist with the tabling of these petitions.

4. Note that the Government must respond to each Petition within 45 days of it being presented. The instructions say:

” Government responses to petitions are generally tabled in the House during Routine Proceedings, under the rubric “Tabling of Documents”, but may also be deposited with the Clerk. [78] Petitions receive individual responses. Any Member who has presented a petition is provided with a copy of the response at the time it is tabled. After being tabled in the House, government responses to petitions (unlike the petitions themselves) become sessional papers.” [79]

• Petition in English here:
pdf: https://cnanw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/petitionNWC2011en.pdf
doc: https://cnanw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/petitionNWC2011en.doc

• Petition en français ici: https://cnanw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/petitionNWC2011fr.doc

• Backgrounder (English): Parliamentary Forum on Nuclear Disarmament:
Implementing the Unanimous Motions in the House of Commons and Senate
Here in rich text format: https://cnanw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BKDec5CNWCen.rtf

• Backgrounder (French): Forum parlementaire sur le désarmement nucléaire :
Mise en œuvre de motions unanimes à la Chambre des communes et au Sénat
Ici [“rich text format”]: https://cnanw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BkDec5CNWCFfr.rtf