Canada

Canada has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) meetings on autonomous weapons systems since 2014. Canada has not yet declared its position on the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems, though it has expressed in a mandate letter on December 13, 2019 that it would like to ‘advance international efforts to ban the development and use of fully autonomous weapons systems’.^[1]Government of Canada, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mandate Letter, Office of the Prime Minister, December 13, 2019, … Continue reading.

In December 2025, Canada voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/57 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Mindful of the challenges and concerns autonomous weapons systems raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, Resolution 80/57 stresses the urgent need for the CCW to address the challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties of the CCW to ‘work towards completing the set of elements for an instrument being developed within the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts, with a view to future negotiation.’

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Canada voted in favour of Draft Resolution L.77 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Draft Resolution L.77 raises concerns about the ‘negative consequences and impact of autonomous weapon systems on global security and regional and international stability’ and stresses ‘the importance of the role of humans in the use of force to ensure responsibility and accountability and for States to comply with international law.’ It also notes ‘the repeated calls by the Secretary-General to urgently conclude negotiations of a legally binding instrument with prohibitions and regulations for autonomous weapons systems, in line with a two-tier approach.’ The Resolution will convene open informal consultations in 2025 over two days in New York, ‘to consider the report of the Secretary-General in full complementarity with and in a manner that supports the fulfilment of the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts in order to further the international community’s understanding of the issues involved by discussing the full range of views received, including proposals and relevant aspects raised in the report that may thus far not have been discussed in detail in the Group of Governmental Experts.’

Canada made a submission to the UN Secretary-General pursuant to Resolution 78/241 on autonomous weapons systems in May 2024.

In December 2023, Canada voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Resolution 78/241 stressed the ‘urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems’, and mandated the UN Secretary-General to prepare a report, reflecting the views of member and observer states on autonomous weapons systems and ways to address the related challenges and concerns they raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force.

Earlier in the 2023 UNGA First Committee, Canada stated that ‘in order to be able to keep pace with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, we cannot wait for emerging threats to become current threats to address their potential ramifications. The moment to take collective measures has arrived.’^[2]Statement by Canada, UNGA First Committee, 03 October 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/3Oct_Canada.pdf Canada also reiterated that it will ‘work with partners’ in the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to ‘ensure that this group builds on the nearly ten years of discussions to date.’^[3]Statement by Canada, UNGA First Committee, 23 October 2023, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_Canada.pdf 

At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Canada stated that ‘it will continue its participation in the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons’, and noted that ‘all weapons used in armed conflict must be compliant with International Humanitarian Law.'^[4]Statement by Canada, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 19 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/19Oct_Canada.pdf

At the 2019 CCW Meeting of the High Contracting Parties, Canada said that it ‘believes that the debate on legal questions related to LAWS should center on compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including the obligation for all States to ensure the lawfulness of their weapons, means and methods of warfare’.^[5]Statement by Canada, Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the CCW, 13 November 2019, … Continue reading