Canada remains anti-nuke, but its potential path to the bomb is getting shorter
Experts suggest that while Canada maintains a non-nuclear policy, its history with CANDU reactor technology gives it a technically feasible path to developing nuclear weapons. The article explores the geopolitical implications of Canada's nuclear capabilities and its historical exclusion from post-WWII nuclear cooperation.
Why it matters
Examines the intersection of civilian nuclear energy infrastructure and the potential for military weaponization, highlighting global non-proliferation challenges.
The Pickering Nuclear Power generation station near Toronto is pictured in May, 2024. The facility was built with eight CANDU reactors. (Patrick Morrell/CBC News) Social Sharing For decades, Canada’s official policy on nuclear weapons has been that they shouldn’t exist, and there is no sign that principle is about to be abandoned.
But for reasons of history and geography, Canada is also one of the world's non-nuclear countries with the easiest technical path to a nuclear weapon. And because of the particular design of its CANDU reactors, it would also be one of the countries best-positioned to produce weapons-grade fissile material without tripping international alerts — although such a move would carry huge geopolitical risks.
Technological changes that are expected in the coming years will likely make Canada even more of a threshold nuclear arms power than it is today, whether it chooses to cross that threshold or not.
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