A petition for Canada to leave the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), created by a PhD student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, is ready for the House of Commons after closing on May 20 with more than 600 signatures.

Global governance researcher and activist Tamara Lorincz said she initiated petition e-7317 “to bring public and parliamentary attention” to Canadians opposing the military alliance, raising concerns over its environmental and geopolitical impact. The petition received 623 signatures, meeting the 500 signature threshold required for certification and potential tabling in the House of Commons by its sponsor, Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger.

Lorincz said Chagger sponsored the petition to bring forward a constituent’s concerns. The MP’s office clarified in an emailed statement that “in authorizing a petition’s online publication, a member does not endorse or oppose the views or information set out in the petition.” The office also stated that although no standing orders require an MP to table petitions within a certain timeframe, “Bardish will ensure petition e-7317 is tabled so it can receive a government response” when suitable.

The petition also demands the removal of more than 2,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel from their mission in Latvia, reducing military spending and holding public consultations to re-evaluate Canada’s foreign policy.

Lorincz’s petition cites NATO’s Defence Expenditures report, noting that Canada’s military spending more than doubled to $44 billion in 2024, up from $20 billion a decade earlier. She criticized Carney’s initiative to meet NATO’s 2 per cent of GDP defence spending target, which brought Canada’s 2025-2026 military budget to $63 billion, and cautioned against his pledge to increase spending to 5 per cent of the GDP by 2035. There are “more pressing needs for Canadians at this time” she argued. “According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Canada ranked 16th highest in the world for military spending,” Lorincz said. “So we spend a tremendous amount of money on our military.”

Lorincz also raised concerns about NATO’s carbon impact. “The militaries are the largest consumers of fossil fuels, and because of us, [are] increasing military spending,” she commented. “We’re going to be buying even more of these fossil fuel-powered armoured vehicles… fighter jets… warships and missile launchers.”

Lorincz said pushback against initiatives like hers has largely come from groups supported by weapons manufacturers, naming the NATO Association of Canada. Despite pushback, she said she will “continue to struggle” against “greater militarization and war.” Lorincz plans to host a talk and film screening about “the climate and environmental impacts of the military” on June 5 in the UW Arts Lecture Hall.

Robert Baines, president of the NATO Association of Canada, said he was previously unaware of Lorincz’s petition, but described it as “curious” considering a geopolitical climate of “little predictability.” Baines said Canada’s past military spending mentioned in the petition represents a “low-end,” echoing criticism that “Canada and Europe have been freeloading off of the United States defence spending,” which allowed Canada to develop economically in a “secure environment.” Baines argued that NATO is essential to Canada’s security and that leaving NATO would be a “sure-fire recipe” for diminishing Canadian sovereignty. “The best way to maintain peace is peace through strength,” he said.