Today the Montreal Chamber of Commerce presented the conference “Together and the Challenges of Our Times” with Canada’s Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from Germany to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war’s implications on energy, food prices, and other topics.
Neither Canada or Germany have signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). But Germany attended the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022 as an observer. This was in line with the terms of the agreement made by three political parties in November 2021 for the formation of a coalition government.
During the conference, Minister Baerbock explained the position of Germany regarding the TPNW and NATO. According to Baerbock, Germany supports “disarmament initiatives like the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”. However, Germany also supports and endorses the position of various alliance statements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of which it is a member. In an increasingly complex world, Germany’s position stands out completely from the other G7 countries.
Minister Joly didn’t explain the Canadian position regarding the TPNW and missed an opportunity to support Germany in its approach with the TPNW. Canada would win support from a lot of countries by following Germany’s example and becoming an observer member of the TPNW.
