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Canada Rules Out Nuclear Weapons, Reaffirms NPT, Focuses on Conventional Rearmament

The government signals a conventional buildup under NPT constraints.

Chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre waits to appear before the Standing Commitee on National Defence in Ottawa on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. The country's top soldier and outside experts agree cutting almost $1 billion from the Department of National Defence budget will affect the Armed Forces' capabilities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
National Defence Minister David McGuinty speaks with media before attending cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill, Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
FILE - In this image provided by the U.S. air force, Senior Airman Jacob Deas, 23, left, and Airman 1st Class Jonathan Marrs, 21, right, secure the titanium shroud at the top of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on Aug. 24, 2023, at the Bravo 9 silo at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
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Overview

  • Defence Minister David McGuinty said Canada has absolutely no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, citing longstanding non-proliferation policy.
  • McGuinty reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and said policy will not contravene it.
  • Retired general Wayne Eyre’s suggestion to keep options open on a future nuclear deterrent, delivered at Ottawa’s Rideau Club, did not call for immediate acquisition.
  • Ottawa is channeling a major funding boost into conventional capabilities, with last year’s plan reported at more than $84 billion for pay, precision-strike tools, infrastructure upgrades and cyberdefences.
  • The exchange unfolds as the New START treaty is set to expire on Thursday and as debates in Europe, including Swedish discussions with France and the U.K., reassess nuclear arrangements, with domestic figures such as Bloc Québécois Leader Yves‑François Blanchet backing the government’s stance.