Defence Minister David McGuinty says the government intends to rearm the military with more conventional weapons.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Canada’s Defence Minister says the Carney government has no interest in acquiring nuclear weapons as Western countries grapple with whether to develop such a deterrent.
Retired general Wayne Eyre, the country’s former top soldier, told an Ottawa defence forum on Monday that while he doesn’t advocate incorporating such weapons into the country’s arsenal, Canada should “keep our options open.”
Defence Minister David McGuinty, however, said Tuesday the Liberal government will stick to rearming Canada with more conventional weapons.
“Canada has absolutely no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons,” he told reporters.
He said the government is committed to the international Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which Canada signed and ratified in the late 1960s.
“Canada has been a non-nuclear proliferation state for a long time,” Mr. McGuinty said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney last year injected more than $84-billion into Department of National Defence to be spent over a half decade. It’s believed to be the biggest short-term cash infusion for the military since the Korean War.
The new spending, which helps Canada meet a higher NATO spending target, will fund pay raises, precision-strike capabilities, upgrades to aging infrastructure and cyberdefences, among other things.
Mr. McGuinty said Canada plans to rebuild and rearm its military, but not in a way that contravenes the international treaty.