``The report's leading recommendations would, if implemented, put Canada squarely in the body of mounting world opinion that the time has come to move away from the Cold War doctrine of nuclear deterrence,'' Senator Douglas Roche, the former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament said in a statement.

The Canadian government has 150 days to respond to the legislative recommendations.

The Canadian parliamentary enterprise convulsed US nuclear and strategic officialdom which had barely managed to put a lid on Germany's initiative in the same direction last fortnight, while it delighted Indian officials. Many of the Canadian proposals are what originated from India, especially before its pre-nuclear statusdays.

``This is exactly what we have been saying for years now. No one listened to us,'' a key Indian official said on hearing of the Canadian parliamentary initiative.

Significantly, one of recommendations of the committee is that the international community should go ahead and ensure the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) even if India and Pakistan refuse to accept the treaty unconditionally. The US and other nuclear powers have made it binding on India and Pakistan (the main recalcitrants among 44 countries) to sign the treaty for it to be formalised.

Urging Canada to play a `strong role' at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, the committee calls on its government to support the establishment of a nuclear arms register to cover both weapons and fissile material as proposed by Germany in 1993. It also wants Canada should support the call for the conclusion of a nuclear weapons disarmament convention.

While the report has originated from a Canadian parliamentarycommittee, it is said to buttress the outlook of the country's foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy, who is viewed with suspicion in Washington. Axworthy, a known peacenik, faces opposition from within his government, including objections from defence minister Art Eggleton and others who do not want to upset the US and NATO nuclear outlook.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee, William Graham said his aim was ``not to start a huge dispute with the United States,'' but simply to encourage a serious review of a NATO nuclear doctrine that many defense analysts consider outdated.

The parliamentary proposals reflect the Canadian public sentiment and opinion polls reflect it. According to one poll commissioned by the Canadian Peace Association, the nuclear downscaling proposals are supported by 92 per cent of the people in Canada.

Another poll shows that while 70 percent of Canadians support the country's membership in NATO but 93 percent expect it to take a lead role in eliminating nuclearweapons.

Canada's stand, be it though through it legislature, has stunned the US, which was shaken last week with Germany's chutzpah emerging from its new Green-backed government.

``Minister Axworthy is pursuing a course that could lead to a growing and dangerous rift within the (NATO) alliance. This is very troublesome for us,'' one US official was quoted as saying.

Both Canada and Germany are key NATO allies, although they are non-nuclear, unlike France and Britain.