With experts cautioning that humanity stands nearer than ever to disaster, Prime Minister Carney is opting to align Canada with Donald Trump’s military goals — escalating nuclear threats rather than resisting them
Last month, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists advanced the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight, a symbol representing the imminent dangers to human civilization, with midnight marking total global catastrophe. The clock now reads 85 seconds to midnight, the closest level ever recorded.
Founded in 1945 by scientists and engineers reacting to the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Bulletin introduced the Doomsday Clock two years later to alert the public on the grave peril nuclear weapons represent. Initially, it was set to seven minutes before midnight.
In the last 20 years, the Bulletin has broadened its threat analysis to cover the climate crisis and emerging disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). These interconnected risks—nuclear, environmental, and technological—compound one another. Experts express concern about the involvement of AI in military tech potentially triggering a nuclear escalation, as noted here.
At present, nine nations hold a total of 12,321 nuclear warheads, most of which are stored in active military reserves for deployment via missiles, planes, ships, and submarines. These states continue modernizing their nuclear forces. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approved last December, allocates $60 billion toward upgrading the U.S. nuclear triad—land, air, and sea systems—and injects billions more into new AI-based military technologies.
Alarmingly, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the final major nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, expired on February 5. According to the Arms Control Association, Russia has proposed a one-year extension, but the U.S. has yet to respond.
Both the U.S. and Russia maintain arsenals exceeding 5,000 nuclear weapons each, with only a fraction deployed. New START had capped deployments at 1,550 warheads and 700 delivery platforms per country. With the treaty’s expiration, legally enforceable limits on these two powers’ vast nuclear stockpiles have vanished.
In a statement regarding the treaty’s end, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked, “This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time – the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades.”
The Bulletin also voices concern over an accelerating arms race as a result of President Trump’s announcement of “Golden Dome,” a multilayer missile defense system launched from space. This system may serve offensive purposes, facilitating ‘first-strike’ nuclear attacks. The Bulletin urges nations to “avoid destabilizing investments in missile defense.”
“The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer. Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time.”
Rather than easing nuclear threats, Canada is intensifying them. Prime Minister Carney has confirmed that Ottawa intends to participate in Trump’s costly “Golden Dome” program, potentially burdening Canadian taxpayers with $71 billion USD in expenses. Furthermore, Canada’s procurement of F-35 fighter jets fuels nuclear concerns, as these aircraft are designed to carry the B61-12 tactical nuclear bomb, as detailed in the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review. Canada is expected to soon receive the initial shipment from its 88-jet F-35 fleet, with pilots currently training on these warplanes at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
In a recent address in Ottawa, retired Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre provocatively advocated that Canada should obtain a nuclear deterrent to reinforce its sovereignty. Although Defence Minister David McGuinty dismissed the prospect of strategic weapons acquisition, he reaffirmed Canada’s plans to boost its conventional forces within NATO, the U.S.-led nuclear-armed alliance.
Canada also declines to join the United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), despite widespread public support and ratification by 74 countries. The federal government has also failed to send representatives to observe TPNW meetings, even as the treaty celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Tensions involving nuclear-armed nations are intensifying. The U.S. and NATO allies supply arms to Ukraine, prolonging the conflict with Russia. Over six months, Canada has delivered an additional $2 billion worth of ammunition, missiles, and drones. The NDAA also commits funds for further weaponry destined for Kyiv.
At the same time, the U.S. has deployed its Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, including nuclear submarines and nuclear-capable bombers and F-35 fighters, into the Arabian Sea, positioning for a possible strike alongside Israel against Iran—an act with severe regional ramifications.
Alexandra Bell, President of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, cautioned, “The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer. Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time.”
The Canadian government should capitalize on its newly claimed “middle power,” as described by Prime Minister Carney in his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, to advocate for nuclear disarmament and foster diplomatic solutions to reduce threats and resolve ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. Canadian peace organizations have urged the federal government to translate words into meaningful action.
Canada ought to cease weapons shipments to Ukraine and help broker a lasting peace deal with Russia that tackles the conflict’s root causes. Rather than joining Trump’s risky Golden Dome plan, the government should sign onto the TPNW. In April, the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will convene at the UN in New York. As one of the 191 signatories to the NPT, in force since 1970, Canada should send a robust delegation including civil society experts and demonstrate stronger international cooperation on nuclear disarmament in line with Article 6.
Reversing the Doomsday Clock requires urgent public pressure and political resolve for peace and nuclear disarmament.
Original article: ricochet.media
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