"Canada opts out of U.S. missile shield"
Many Canadians believe plan could escalate arms race
When President Bush visited Canada in December, he surprised Ottawa with several unsolicited pitches for support of the defense shield, which has been testing interceptors capable of taking out incoming missiles targeted at the North American continent.
However, polls indicate that most Canadians are opposed to the scheme. Many believe that the umbrella, when fully implemented, could lead to an international arms race.
Prime Minister Paul Martin, who leads a tenuous minority government, has said that Ottawa would not support what he called the “weaponization of space.â€