An Act to amend the Export and Import Permits Act
Bill C-233 would close a loophole in Canada's arms export laws that allows Canadian-made weapons and weapon components to be exported to the United States without the same oversight applied to other countries — meaning they can then be re-exported to third countries with poor human rights records.
Sponsor · Jenny Kwan
Canadian-made weapons parts have reportedly been found in conflict zones like Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen. This bill would require the same human rights checks for arms sent to the U.S. as for any other country, making it harder for Canadian weapons to end up in war zones.
The debate · 6 points
Supporters say
- Canadian-made weapon parts have reportedly been found in conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen — a current loophole allows arms exported to the U.S. to be re-transferred to conflict zones without the same oversight applied to direct exports to those countries.
- Canada signed the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019, committing to prevent arms transfers where there is a substantial risk of use in war crimes or human rights abuses. The current U.S. exemption is seen as undermining that commitment.
- Community groups and witnesses, including members of the Sudanese Canadian community, say Canadian-made weapons have ended up in the hands of militias committing atrocities, and closing this loophole would prevent Canada from being complicit in those acts.
Critics say
- The Liberal government has not publicly endorsed the bill, suggesting concern that removing the U.S. exemption could complicate Canada-U.S. defence and trade relationships at a sensitive time.
- Some argue that existing export controls and diplomatic channels are sufficient to address the issue without changing the legislative framework for the Canada-U.S. defence relationship.
- Critics of the bill's framing suggest that arms re-transfers are already subject to U.S. export control laws, and that unilaterally removing the exemption could harm the bilateral defence industrial base without meaningfully reducing arms reaching conflict zones.
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