Fonds P259 - Citizens for Nuclear Responsibility fonds

Citizens for Nuclear Responsibility (CFNR) was a non-profit, non-partisan activist group founded in 1984 as the Citizens for Social Responsibility. The group was inspired by a conference which took place at Champlain College and Bishop’s University from February 27 to March 1, 1984, called “In the Shadow of the Bomb.” The event included panels, films, workshops, and other activities centered around the theme of nuclear war.

The group opposed the nuclear arms race and supported legal and peaceful means to prevent nuclear war. They sought to examine issues of peace and conflict resolution; increase public awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons; establish a dialogue with Members of Parliament and other governmental and non-governmental institutions; and encourage their community to work actively for peace.

The first meeting of the Citizens for Social Responsibility was held on March 8, 1984 at 27 Belvidere Street in Lennoxville. Some of the group’s longtime members included: Michael Benazon, Ellen Legault, Kay Kinsman, Margaret Medland, Dick Medland, Dinah Duffield, Michael Grayson, Joyce Booth, and Tom Vandermeulen. By August 1, 1984, the group was renamed the Citizens for Nuclear Responsibility. Their mailing address was originally 115 Queen Street in Lennoxville. By 1987, the CFNR was meeting weekly on Wednesdays at the CLSC in Lennoxville (then situated at 219 Queen Street).

The group undertook several initiatives to promote peace and discourage the use of nuclear arms in the Eastern Townships and beyond. One of their greatest achievements was petitioning the Town of Lennoxville to become a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ) — backed by the signatures of over 700 concerned citizens. Lennoxville was designated a NWFZ in 1986, followed soon by Ascot Township and the municipality of Ascot Corner.

As of 1993, the group still met regularly but their activity greatly diminished over the rest of the 1990s, with no mention of the group after 2002.