In a fast-moving battle Canada would not necessarily be consulted before nuclear weapons
were used. We would not have the power within NATO to stop their use in any case. The
final decision to use battlefield nuciear weapons would be made on the battlefield by U.S
commanders. But Canada would be party to their use.

"Eirst Use" and International Law

Opinion is growing among lawyers that using nuclear weapons, and especially using them
first, would be a criminal act. One of the most serious crimes of war is the killing of

civilians. But a nuclear war in Europe would kill between 10 and 100 civilians for every
soldier.

The Nuremburg Charter outlaws the “wanton destruction of cities and towns.’ But nuclear
weapons are indiscrimately destructive. They can destroy entire cities, killing millions of
people. Their radiation is deadly for years. If used in large numbers they would
permanently destroy the giobal environment, perhaps all human life.

Countries have a right to self-defence, and as Canadians we are committed to helping to
defend Europe. But nuclear weapons, just like chemical weapons, are not legitimate means
of defence. To use nuclear weapons would be to violate the spirit and letter of virtually the
whole body of the international laws of war.

legal But Necessary?

As well as being illegal, Canada's nuclear first use policy is also not smart. Resorting to
nuclear weapons would not be an act of defence, it would be the prelude to global
destruction. Even military planners admit that a nuclear exchange, once started, would be
hard to control and could escalate rapidly into all-out nuclear war.

Nuclear weapons are the only weapons which pose a real danger to Canada. We are
siding, incredibly, with the use of the one weapon that can directly threaten us.

NATO claims its policy of nuclear first use is needed to offset Soviet superiority in
conventional weapons. Many reliable analysts, like the London international Institute for
Strategic Studies and even one U.S. Congressional committee, say NATO's claims of
Soviet superiority are highly exaggerated. But even if they were true, this still could not
Justify the use of weapons in a way prohibited by international law.

The Soviet Union and China have unilaterally pledged never to be the first to use nuclear
weapons. Canada and NATO should do no less.