Canada’s rationalizations for continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia fly in the face of UN Expert Reports, evidence from Canadian and international NGOs working in Yemen and the far more restrictive practices by most of our western allies.
We welcome Canada’s long overdue accession to the global Arms Trade Treaty. But it will only be meaningful if it is accompanied by concrete action to end our complicity in the suffering of innocent Yemeni civilians by suspending the export of Canadian-made LAVs to Saudi Arabia.
We call on the Canadian government to re-invigorate dialogue with Iran, prioritize support for the INF Treaty and ensure prompt accession to the global Arms Trade Treaty.
Let Foreign Minister Chystia Freeland know that Canada’s Arms Trade Treaty accession legislation, Bill C-47, is just not credible without the inclusion of Canadian military exports to the United States.