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Canadian National Authority to the Chemical Weapons Convention

Canada implements the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) through the Canadian National Authority. The Canadian National Authority serves as the liaison with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and other states parties.

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Canada’s obligations

The CWC prohibits the development production, acquisition, stockpiling, transfer and use of chemical weapons (Article I).

It requires each state party that has declared possession of chemical weapons and/or chemical weapon production facilities under its jurisdiction and control to destroy them.

Canada’s actions

The Canadian National Authority has many responsibilities, including:

We fulfill our CWC obligations through the following acts and regulations:

No chemical weapon production in Canada

Canada has no chemical weapons or chemical weapon production facilities.

In line with provisions of the CWC, we continue to produce and retain chemicals for domestic riot control purposes. We also maintain facilities and material for use in protective research, such as the development and testing of the following:

Declarations

Canada made an initial declaration to the OPCW, following the entry into force of the CWC. We also submit to the OPCW:

Chemicals listed on the CWC’s schedules of Discrete Organic Chemicals (DOCs) and related facilities, are subject to data monitoring and on-site inspections. Companies or organisations whose business involves these chemicals must make appropriate declarations to the Canadian National Authority. The National Authority is responsible for making national declarations to the OPCW. Declarations also include information on the export and import of scheduled chemicals.

Inspections

The declarations provided by Canada to the OPCW form the basis for on-site inspections. If verification thresholds are exceeded, Canada and other states parties are also obligated to receive international inspectors from the OPCW to verify declarations submitted under Article VI. 

OPCW inspectors may also come to Canada to verify the destruction of chemical weapons found and reported under Article IV. The CWC also provides for challenge inspections to investigate suspected violations of its obligations.

Your obligations

For further information on the Chemical Weapons Convention and its implementation in Canada, including your obligations as a Canadian entity who works with scheduled chemicals or DOCs, please consult the following links:

Information

Obligations

Contact us

Canadian National Authority to the Chemical Weapons Convention (IGN)
Global Affairs Canada
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ont.
K1A 0G2

E-mail: cna-anc@international.gc.ca

Phone: (343) 203-3180

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