Working Groups
Working Groups & Research Areas
Science for Peace conducts research and education, including self-education, through its two working groups and three research areas.
Working Groups (WGs) generally hold Zoom-based meetings on a monthly basis during the academic year. Research Groups (RGs) are ad hoc groups that meet occasionally to work on a report or Fact Sheet pertaining to the group's theme.
Together, the WGs and RGs define the research and educational goals of the organization. If you are interested in joining a working group or research area please visit the Support Us page for more information on membership.
Nuclear Weapons
Working Group
Who We Are
The Nuclear Weapons and Alliances Working Group consists of academics, the wider public, and students. As part of Science for Peace's public peace education services, they critically examines the roles and policies surrounding nuclear weapons and war.
Purpose
Developing fact sheets, articles and prospective SfP statements for curriculum development.
Dr. Arnd Jurgensen
Chair, Nuclear Weapons Working Group
International Relations specialist,
University of Toronto
E-mail: arnd.jurgensen@utoronto.ca
Research on
Nonviolent Resistance
Who We Are
We explore the viability of civilian defence, the role of civil disobedience, and the extension of norms of nonviolent conflict resolution.
Purpose
We advance public education on effective strategies of nonviolent action by means of webcasts, lectures and articles. We intend that these resources be interesting and accessible to people without prior knowledge of the subject.
Dr Richard Sandbrook
Chair, Research on Nonviolent Resistance
Political Scientist, Professor Emeritus
University of Toronto
E-mail: richard.sandbrook@utoronto.ca
Climate Change & Militarism Working Group
Who We Are
This Working Group consists of academics, the wider public, and students. It examines militarism and the climate crisis, and their intersection.
Purpose
Developing fact sheets, articles and prospective SfP statements for curriculum development.
Dr Richard Sandbrook
Chair, Militarism & Climate Change Working Group
Political Scientist, Professor Emeritus
University of Toronto
E-mail: richard.sandbrook@utoronto.ca
Research on
NATO and Geopolitics
Who We Are
We take a critical view insofar as we hold NATO accountable for its actions that do not advance the cause of peace.
Purpose
We advance public education onNATO's activities by means of webcasts, lectures and articles. We intend that these resources be interesting and accessible to people without prior knowledge of the subject.
Dr Jorge Filmus
Chair, NATO and Geopolitics Research Area
Bio-medical scientist, retired, Sunnybrook Hospital
E-mail: jefilmus@gmail.com
Our Right to Know Timelines
Who We Are
The Our Right to Know Timelines research group documents obstacles that scientists and scholars face doing research and sharing their findings. It is organized by date and has separate sections for provincial, federal, and international events. It started when the Harper government eliminated some research entities, destroyed archived data and created obstacles. We continued to this day because challenges, even within Canada, have not disappeared.
In addition to the timelines, we have created a petition that requests the government to limit oil production permits in synch with the reduction of world and domestic oil consumption.
See the minister's response to our petition
Timeline Updates Get Involved
If you come across an article that you think should be added to one of our timelines, send the link and a brief description to gillesfecteau@rogers.com with the subject "Suggested timeline update"
Gilles Fecteau
Chair, Right to Know Timelines
Senior Scientist (Ret.), IBM Toronto Software Lab
E-mail: gillesfecteau@rogers.com
Newsletters
Science for Peace also produces a monthly newsletter:
Fact Sheets
Statements
Response to Trump’s Threats against Canada’s Sovereignty and Economy
Donald Trump has declared that he wants to incorporate Canada as the 51st state of the United States, driven in part by his desire to control Canada’s critical resources. Canada must resist this encroachment with all nonviolent means...
Science for Peace Statement
on the Israeli -Hamas War
Members of Science for Peace, along with worldwide communities and organizations, are appalled and horrified by the killing and suffering in Israel and Palestine. The murderous attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, which has caused such trauma in that country and generated...
CPDS Statement on the
Israeli -Hamas War
The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel War. War is never the answer. We condemn the brutal and indiscriminate killing of civilians on all sides and the taking of hostages. Both are morally unacceptable..
Joint Statement:
World Says No to War on Yemen
Ending the War in Ukraine
Videos
Hope in the era of Trump
Apr 7, 2025
Douglas Roche is an author, parliamentarian, and diplomat who have devoted his 50-year public career to peace and human-security issues. His latest book is Keep Hope Alive (2nd ed.) The Hon. Roche will address themes from his most recent book. He asks: What is the basis for hope concerning a more peaceful and sustainable world in this tumultuous time?
Palestine: Is there a Role for Non-Violent Action?
Mar 15, 2024
Jonathan Kuttab is an international human rights attorney and author who lives in East Jerusalem. He was the head of the legal committee that negotiated the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO. He is the co-founder of several important organizations that are committed to human rights protection or non-violent action: the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, Sabeel in Jerusalem and North America, and Non-violence International, with its headquarters in Philadelphia. He is also President of Holy Land Trust. He is the author of Beyond the Two-State Solution.
Should NATO Exist ?
Oct 22, 2024
Dr. Walter Dorn is Professor of Defense Studies at the RMC and Canadian Forces College. As an “operational professor,” he participates in field missions and assists international organizations, especially the UN. He has represented Science for Peace at the UN since 1983. Dr. Arnd Jurgensen teaches international relations at the University of Toronto. He has written on topics ranging from US foreign policy and Sustainable development to regime change and democratization in Latin America. Arnd is a board member of Science for Peace.
Climate Crisis and Capitalism: Is System Change the Answer?
Feb 27, 2024
Professor Emeritus of Political Science at U of T and Vice-President of Science for Peace Sandbrook identifies the impasse in reformist and radical approaches to resolving the climate crisis. He proposes a radical-reformist paradigm that might dissolve the impasse by offering a just, viable and feasible pathway to climate stability.
How To Stop A Nuclear War: Reflections on Daniel Ellsberg
May 20, 2024
Paul Jay is a journalist and filmmaker. He was the co-executive producer of Face Off and counterSpin, nightly prime-time debate programs that ran for ten years on CBC Newsworld. He is currently working on a documentary titled "How to Stop a Nuclear War" based on Daniel Ellsberg’s book “The Doomsday Machine,” featuring acclaimed actor Emma Thompson as narrator.
Palestine through the lens of international law
Jan 18, 2024
Michael Lynk is Professor Emeritus of Law, Western University, London, Ontario, where he taught international and Canadian human rights law, labour law, and constitutional law. Between 2016 and 2022, he served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, delivering regular reports to the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.