United Church Social Policy Positions

THAT the 30th General Council:

1. AFFIRM the United Nations' proposal for a mutual verifiable freeze on the development, testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons and delivery systems of vehicles, urging our government to vote at the United Nations in favour of the freeze;
2. ASK the government of Canada to present a resolution to the United Nations, declaring the possession of nuclear weapons, as well as their use, to be a crime against humanity and that part of the resolution include description of processes for mutual, consistent disengagement from such weapons systems;
3. URGE the government of Canada to declare Canada a nuclear weapons-free zone in the same way as various municipalities have declared their jurisdictions nuclear-free zones;
4. INFORM the government of Canada that we are ready to live without the protection of weapons of non-discriminating effect and mass destruction;
5. BASE a policy of Canadian security upon the pursuit of mutual understanding and confidence-building, rather than on the development of nuclear warfare civil defence measures;
6. The United Church of Canada UNDERTAKE to educate our members to the urgency of delegitimizing nuclear weapons and the falseness of the deterrence option.

General Council: 30th General Council, 1984

Record of Proceedings Page Ref. 1984 ROP, pp. 57–58.