Government uses NATO as an excuse not to sign treaty Why Won’t Canada Back a Nuclear Weapons Ban? The UN nuclear ban treaty becomes international law on January 22, but the Trudeau government won’t sign, By Bianca Mugyenyi 17 Jan 21, In a win for the long-term survival of humanity, the United Nations’ treaty banning nuclear weapons was ratified by the 50th country, Honduras, allowing the pact to pass. But any celebration in Canada should be muted by embarrassment at our government’s indifference to the threat nukes pose to humankind. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was negotiated at a 2017 UN conference, creating a legally binding agreement that would ban nuclear weapons and lead toward their total elimination.