National Defence Minister David McGuinty speaks with media before attending cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb 3, 2026. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
Defence Minister David McGuinty says Ottawa remains uninterested in acquiring nuclear weapons after the former chief of the defence staff said Canada should remain open to the possibility.
“Canada has absolutely no intention to pursue nuclear weapons,” McGuinty told reporters in French on Feb. 3. He noted Canada is a signatory to international treaties that prohibit it from acquiring nuclear weapons, and that Canada has long been a non-nuclear-weapon state.
