Should Canada Ratify the NPT?

Despite recent criticism and calls for the termination of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Canada has a domestic and international responsibility to support efforts towards a strengthening of the NPT. The main difficulty in arguing otherwise, is that one is then left with the formidable task of suggesting a more effective alternative. It cannot be denied that the NPT is flawed. The regime is not as effective as it needs to be, and it is inherently unfair. It is this second weakness that appears to cause the most tension among non-nuclear weapons states (NNWS) and nuclear weapons states (NWS). If a NWS is entitled to possession, why not any state? This is an especially strong argument when NWS fail to uphold their end of the agreement that entitled them to possession in the first place. However, as flawed as the NPT might be, a viable alternative has yet to be suggested to the international community. Some critics, such as Michael Wesley, claim that an acceptance of "managed limited proliferation" is the necessary road to travel. The immediate problem with this ideology is that it is impossible to guarantee limited proliferation. …