Ukraine and five other countries leaving Canada-led treaty that banned landmines
Ukraine and five other European countries are leaving an international treaty that bans the production and use of landmines. Nearly 30 years ago, Canada played an integral part in the creation of what's known as the Ottawa Treaty, which is starting to unravel in the face of Russian aggression.
'Right now, Ukraine is becoming, without a doubt, the most corrupted part of the world in terms of the number of landmines being planted, certainly by Russia and by Ukraine itself,' former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy said in an interview with CTVNews.ca.
'And I think if these other Baltic countries continue on their borders, you're going to have what will clearly be an area of huge risk to civilians for the next half-century.'
Axworthy took a leading role in creating the treaty while serving as Canada's top diplomat under former prime minister Jean Chretien between 1996 and 2000. The treaty was signed in Ottawa in 1997, a year after Axworthy publicly challenged the world to ban the weapons, which can remain dormant and deadly for decades and have been shown to disproportionately maim and kill civilians.
'The thing about landmines is it's not just a risk in the immediate term – a landmine's sitting around for 75, 80, 100 years,' Axworthy, now 85, said from Ottawa.
This year, Ukraine, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all announced plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, becoming the first signatories to do so. All six nations share borders with Russian territory. While Russian use of landmines in Ukraine has been widespread, Ukraine has responded by planting landmines of its own – despite ratifying the treaty in 2005.
Axworthy fears the recent withdrawals could put the Ottawa Treaty and other international arms control measures at risk.
'I think Zelenskyy's decision to actually withdraw from the treaty is a serious one,' Axworthy said. 'I'm afraid that could be a catalyst for further resignations.'
Lloyd Axworthy
Former Liberal cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy looks on before being presented with the 30th Pearson Peace Medal during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. (Fred Chartrand/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Although more than 160 countries have adopted the Ottawa Treaty, about three dozen never signed it, including the United States, Russia, China, Israel, Iran and both North and South Korea.
'At the time, we came very close to having Bill Clinton sign the treaty, but he got pushback by the Pentagon,' Axworthy recalled. 'But in so doing, they made a very clear commitment that the United States would continue to honour 90 per cent of the standards in the treaty, and also continue to be a major supporter of demining and aid to victims.'
The U.S. stance shifted in 2024, when the Biden administration authorized the transfer of landmines to Ukraine in response to Russian use. Since then, the dismantling of USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) under the Trump administration has hobbled demining efforts overseas.
Recent landmine use has also been documented in Myanmar, Iran and North Korea. Germany, Japan, Norway, Canada and others have spent millions on efforts to clear landmines from affected countries, but in heavily contaminated places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Cambodia, civilians are still losing their lives and limbs, years after wars have ended.
Advocacy group Mines Action Canada describes landmines as 'indiscriminate weapons from the 1900s.'
'In this century, landmines are a weapon of choice for those like Russia and ISIS who want to terrorize civilians or a weapon of desperation for non-state actors with no other options,' executive director Erin Hunt said in a written statement. 'The moves by Ukraine, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, will put the citizens at increased risk of death or injury for decades to come because it is impossible to use an indiscriminate weapon responsibly.'
Mines Action Canada is a member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.
Widely considered a major diplomatic achievement for Canada, the Ottawa Treaty is officially known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.
While Axworthy would like to see renewed leadership from Ottawa, he says government support for landmine work has waned over the past decade.
'I've been told in the meetings I've been holding … that right now there's no particular interest,' Axworthy said. 'One senior diplomat told me that to be effective, it has to have a political champion, and I don't think there's anybody, right now.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
14 minutes ago
- CTV News
Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes enter third day
SURIN, Thailand — Thailand and Cambodia traded accusations Saturday of fresh attacks as deadly border clashes entered a third day, leaving at least 33 people dead and more than 168,000 displaced, as international pressure mounted on both sides to reach a ceasefire. Artillery fire and gunshots were reported near several border villages, expanding the area of the fighting that flared again Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Cambodian and Thai officials claimed to have acted in retaliation. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia. Cambodian authorities reported on Saturday 12 new deaths, bringing its toll to 13, while Thai officials said a soldier was killed, raising the deaths to 20, mostly civilians. The regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is under growing pressure to defuse the situation between its two members. During an emergency meeting on Friday, members of the UN Security Council called for de-escalation and urged ASEAN to mediate a peaceful solution. The 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Fresh attacks and rising tension Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it said was an expanded Thai offensive early Saturday after five heavy artillery shells were fired into multiple locations in the province of Pursat, calling the attack an 'unprovoked and premeditated act of aggression.' Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said tensions flared in the province of Koh Kong, where four Thai naval vessels were reportedly stationed offshore and four others en route. She said the naval deployment was an 'act of aggression' that risked further escalation. Maly Socheata said seven civilians and five soldiers were killed in two days of fighting. Earlier, one man was reported dead after a pagoda he was hiding under was hit by Thai rockets. The Thai army had denied targeting Cambodian civilian sites and accused Phnom Penh of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Meanwhile, Thailand's navy, in a statement Saturday, accused Cambodian forces of initiating a new attack in the province of Trat, saying Thai forces responded swiftly and 'successfully pushed back the Cambodian incursion at three key points', warning that 'aggression will not be tolerated.' Thai authorities also alleged several Cambodian artillery shells had landed across the border in Laos, damaging homes and property. Lao officials have not publicly responded to the claim. The conflict has so far left thousands displaced. Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday the clashes had forced 10,865 Cambodian families, or 37,635 people, in three border provinces to evacuate to safe locations, while Thai officials said more than 131,000 people had fled their border villages. Call to protect civilians amid claim of cluster bomb use Human Rights Watch urged the UN Security Council and concerned governments to press the Thai and Cambodian governments to abide by international humanitarian law and take all steps to protect civilians. Children have been harmed and Thai authorities have closed at least 852 schools and seven hospitals for safety reasons, the rights group said in a statement Saturday. Both sides have employed rocket and artillery attacks, and after initially denying Cambodian claims that internationally prohibited cluster munitions were being used, a Thai military spokesperson in a statement Friday said that such weapons could be utilized 'when necessary' to target military objectives. HRW condemned the use of cluster munitions in populated areas. Neither Thailand nor Cambodia is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of the weapon and Thai authorities had previously used them during a border dispute with Cambodia in February 2011 that left 20 people dead. 'Neither Thailand nor Cambodia appears to be paying attention to international humanitarian law at great expense to civilians,' John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 'Diplomatic efforts underway need to prioritize protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.' Thai officials also acknowledged the use of F-16 jets and drones to launch airstrikes. UN urges ASEAN bloc to mediate The UN Security Council didn't issue a resolution on the crisis during its Friday emergency session, but Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday all 15 member countries called on both sides to exercise restraint, halt attacks, and resolve the dispute peacefully. They also supported ASEAN's role in mediating between its two member states, he said. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country is the current ASEAN chair, had earlier said Thailand and Cambodia were open in principle to his ceasefire proposal. Malaysian media said Anwar has tasked the country's foreign minister to mediate peace talks to halt the fighting. Maris said Saturday his country agreed in principle to the proposal, but insisted that Cambodia must first show sincerity and cease hostilities, adding that Thailand would continue to engage constructively with Malaysia. 'Thailand reaffirms its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully and in accordance with international law,' he said, urging Cambodia to 'return to the negotiating table with sincerity and in good faith.' Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Sopheng Cheang reported from Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia. Jintamas Saksornchai And Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press
CTV News
44 minutes ago
- CTV News
Auditor general to study hiring, promotion of public servants with disabilities
OTTAWA — The federal auditor general is planning to study the recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information indicate that the audit is expected to be tabled in the spring. Claire Baudry, a spokesperson for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, said in an email that while auditor general Karen Hogan expects to table the report in Parliament in 2026, the audit is in the planning phase and any comment on its scope or timelines now would be 'premature.' Hogan's office sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Board Bill Matthews on March 7 notifying him of the upcoming study. The most recent employment equity report for the public service says that since March 2020, the number of people with disabilities has increased steadily in the core public service — the federal government departments and agencies that fall under Treasury Board. But that number remains below the rate of 'workforce availability' — the metric used by the government to measure the share of the national workforce that is eligible for federal public service work. As of 2024, 21,089 people with disabilities were working in the federal public service, up from 17,410 in 2023, 14,573 in 2022 and 12,893 in 2021. The report also found that representation of people with disabilities among government executives was above the rate of workforce availability. As of March 2024, 9.7 per cent of federal executives were people with disabilities, up from 4.6 per cent in March 2019. The employment equity report also looked at promotions in the core public service. It found that 2,517 federal public servants with disabilities were promoted in 2024. The report also tracked 1,642 promotions of Indigenous public servants, 1,788 promotions of Black employees, 8,115 promotions of members of visible minorities and 19,578 promotions of women in the core public service. Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said he hopes the report will take into account the impact of the government's return-to-office mandate on people with disabilities. The government has gradually increased the number of days public servants must be in the office since the end of the pandemic. As of last fall, most public servants are expected to work in-office at least three days per week, while executives are required to be there at least four days per week. 'We hope to see from the report a snapshot before and after the forced return to office took place to see how many workers with disabilities are leaving the federal public sector and taking their expertise with them, while other workers struggle with increasing workload and now cuts — all when we had an easy and workable solution in front of us this whole time,' Prier said. 'During the pandemic we saw on a large scale how telework worked well for so many workers with disabilities, and we've been disappointed to see that, since the forced and mismanaged return to office, those same people have not been getting accommodations or have been made to jump through hoops in a long, drawn-out process,' he said. Rola Salem, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, said in an email that the Government of Canada has committed to building an accessible and inclusive public service and, in 2024, exceeded its goal of hiring 5,000 people with disabilities. Salem said the secretariat welcomes the opportunity to work with the Office of the Auditor General on the planned audit. The Employment Equity Act defines 'persons with disabilities' as people who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment or believe that an employer is likely to consider them disadvantaged. The definition also includes people whose limitations have been accommodated in the workplace. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
CTV News
44 minutes ago
- CTV News
Most Canadians think the country is making progress on reconciliation: poll
A dancer wears beaded regalia as they prepare to compete in the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival's 2024 Competition Pow Wow at Madahoki Farm in Ottawa on Sunday, June 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — Most Canadians believe the country is making good progress on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, a new poll from Leger suggests. 'The extent to which people feel progress on reconciliation is being made or not has an important bearing on how they feel about the country,' said Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies, which commissioned the poll. The survey of 1,580 respondents was conducted between June 20 and 22. A margin of error cannot be associated to the survey because online polls are not considered to be truly random samples. Forty-seven of the respondents self-identified as Indigenous. Jedwab said that small number and the lack of regional breakdowns of the numbers means the poll should be interpreted with caution. But the poll still shows where Canadians are 10 years after the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was released, he said. 'There's several attempts to measure progress on reconciliation by virtue of the extent to which we, collectively, have met the conditions of the various calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation (Commission's) report,' Jedwab said. 'But we're not really taking, up to now, the pulse of Canadians in terms of whether or not they feel progress is being made. 'It's sort of a proxy for helping us understand how Canadians feel about their relationships.' Fifty-five per cent of poll respondents said they believe Canada is making good progress on reconciliation, but their answers vary widely between age groups — 40 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 24 said Canada was making progress, while 67 per cent of respondents 65 and older said the same. Jedwab said he was surprised to see such a large number of respondents reporting progress, given the many issues in the Crown-Indigenous relationship still unresolved. 'The survey suggests there's something to build on with respect to the relationship, with respect to reconciliation and with respect to how people feel about the country,' he said. The survey also asked whether Canadians trust other Canadians — the vast majority of respondents said they do. But respondents aged 18 to 24 reported being the most trusting of others, at 77 per cent, while those aged 35 to 44 were the least trusting at 52 per cent. Roughly six in ten non-Indigenous respondents said they trusted Indigenous people. Reported trust in Indigenous people is highest in Nova Scotia (71 per cent) and Ontario (64.3 per cent) and lowest in Saskatchewan (38.3 per cent), P.E.I. (43.8 per cent) and Manitoba (44.8 per cent). The survey also suggests respondents who said they are proud of Canada's history are more likely to report Canada is making good progress on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, at 68 per cent. Of those who reported they're not proud of Canada's history, just 39.3 per cent said they believe Canada is making good progress. Pride in Canada's history seems to be strongly correlated with the age of respondents. Just 36 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 24 reported feeling proud of that history, while 78 per cent of those 65 and older said the same. Francophone youth reported being more proud of Canada's history (59 per cent) than anglophones (35 per cent) — a finding Jedwab said he was surprised by, given the persistence of the province's separatist movement. Jedwab said while the poll found most Indigenous respondents reported feeling pride in Canadian history, it can't be taken at face value because the sample size was so small. 'There's a need to actually pursue further research in this area to get a better idea of how Indigenous Peoples feel,' he said. 'We need to be more attentive to that diversity in terms of drawing conclusions about the views of Indigenous Peoples … We do need to better understand what the nature of the relationship is right now, how people feel about whether progress is being achieved or not and how we go forward together.' The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2025. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
