Moved second reading of Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act.

She said: Honourable senators, I am pleased to introduce you today to Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act.

Colleagues, this is an important bill — a bill with a connection to a long and disquieting domestic and international history, and a bill with enduring relevance in our ever-shifting world order.

Ahmet Uzumcu, past director general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said:

We did not reach the heights of our modern civilization by technology alone. We were only able to do so because of our commitment to shared norms and values such as equality, justice and human dignity for all.

The shared international desire to forge new pathways toward a more peaceful, secure and humane future lies at the heart of actions taken by the United Nations and continues to guide Canada’s commitments abroad.

Bill S-2 is a simple yet crucial bill. Bill S-2 essentially amends Canada’s Chemical Weapons Implementation Act in order to clearly align our act with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons, otherwise known as the Chemical Weapons Convention, or CWC.

This is accomplished by amending our act to remove the old list of prohibited chemicals appended to our act, and making it clear that the correct, up-to-date list of prohibited chemicals is the one maintained by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is easily accessible on their public website.

This work on the prohibition of chemical weapons is part of Canada’s overall disarmament effort. Chemical weapons are often labelled weapons of mass destruction, along with nuclear and biological weapons.

Okay, now let’s step back for a minute or two to look at what led us to the convention in the first place, and the establishment of Canada’s Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act.

Next Wednesday, people will gather —