Mr. Speaker, with respect to the issue of nuclear weapons, the committee's proposal was that the committee call on the Government of Canada to urge a review of NATO's strategic concept. It is not a particularly revolutionary concept.
Some of us on the committee wanted to go further. Some of us clearly suggested that Canada should show leadership within that review process and urge an end to the policy of first use of nuclear weapons. The World Court ruling, the International Court of Justice ruling was a very compelling and very powerful argument in support of that. It was a very compelling and very powerful argument in support of negotiating a nuclear weapons convention.
What Canadians are absolutely appalled by is the position of the Reform Party which is that NATO should not even review its strategic concept on nuclear weapons. That is absolutely unbelievable. That is the position of the Reform Party. That is the position of the member. It was not even do not call for an end to first use of nuclear weapons. The Reform Party with its head in the sand, back in the cold war, said “Forget about that. We do not think NATO should be reviewing its strategic concept at all”.
If we want to talk about a failure of leadership on the part of the government, that is an abject and shameful failure of leadership by the Reform Party of Canada.