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Selected Key Themes Addressed in IPU Assemblies

Anti-Personnel Mines

Anti-personnel mines are perhaps the most indiscriminate and inhumane class of weaponry ever deployed. They cannot distinguish between the footstep of a soldier and that of a child. Millions of these indiscriminate killers lie strewn across more than 70 countries, adversely affecting the daily lives of civilian populations in every region of the world. They hinder economic development and poison otherwise fertile soil by making land inaccessible to farmers and crop growers. They make post-war reconstruction particularly difficult, as they remain hidden in the ground long after the wars for which they were originally planted have ended. — Senator Sheila Finestone, 2001

At successive assemblies, Canadian delegates have promoted disarmament as a key step towards achieving lasting peace. In particular, during the 1990s they won a reputation among their IPU colleagues as persistent champions of a global ban on anti-personnel mines (landmines).

Advocating for a Ban

In 1995 (Madrid), the entire Canadian delegation voted to select a Belgian proposal on banning landmines as a supplementary item. Although it was not the selected item, the issue was considered at a standing committee and the resulting resolution called for a universal ban on anti-personnel mines. At the following assembly (Bucharest), Senator Peter Bosa spoke in favour of a complete ban on landmines during the general debate.

In 1996 (Istanbul), Beryl Gaffney, MP, and Senator Bosa again raised the issue and urged IPU members to support a global ban on anti-personnel mines. At the following assembly (Beijing), Senator Bosa spoke on the resolution item on landmines, co-sponsored by Canada and Germany. The Canadian Group’s report noted its efforts to gain support for the resolution: it had prepared copies of the draft resolution in English, French, Spanish and Arabic and had sent letters requesting support to the leaders of the other geopolitical groups, as well as to all ambassadors in Canada seeking the support of other national IPU groups. The assembly adopted the resolution.

You may recall that I urged delegates to work with their respective governments to adopt stricter laws about the use of anti-personnel mines and to support clearance programs. The issue of anti-personnel mines and the incredible damage inflicted by them is so great that I have chosen to speak once more about this major international problem. ... There are now over 110 million anti-personnel mines deployed throughout 69 countries — most of them in the developing world. An additional 100 million land mines remain in national stockpiles. There are now at least 250,000 land mine-disabled people in the world. ... More than 90 percent of land mine victims are civilians, many of whom are children. — Senator Peter Bosa, 1996

In 1997, Canada and 121 other countries signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, known as the Ottawa Convention. The signing of this treaty was an important step, but states also had to ratify it in order to bring it into effect in their country. During IPU assemblies, the Canadian Group used various opportunities, both formal and informal, to lobby for ratification.

Promoting Ratification

In 1998 (Windhoek), the Canadian Group encouraged countries to ratify the convention. In some instances, parliamentarians were unclear about the differences between signature and ratification, or about the ratification procedures. In others, a parliament had passed the required legislation but had not deposited the treaty documents with the United Nations. Canadian delegates met with several IPU colleagues to explain the procedures and provide material on the ratification process.

The Canadian delegation also took opportunities afforded by subsequent IPU assemblies – in 1999 (Brussels and Berlin), 2001 (Havana), and 2003 (Santiago and Geneva) – to host meetings and other gatherings to promote awareness of the Ottawa Convention among parliamentarians and encourage its ratification.

We were preparing for our next conference in Windhoek when Minister Axworthy reminded us that some countries had not ratified the landmines treaty. He asked us to talk with parliamentarians of these countries to see what could be done. Many of them from developing countries and countries involved in war did not know that their parliament had to ratify it to have the treaty come into effect. This work helped in increasing the ratification of this international treaty. … Ministers should more often use this opportunity and recognize what can be done by the IPU. — Marlene Catterall, former MP, 2012