Canada says will clamp down on arms exports amid rights concerns

[webfact]

Canada says will clamp down on arms exports amid rights concerns

By David Ljunggren

 

FILE PHOTO: Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland gestures during a joint news conference with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Mexico City, Mexico February 2, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero

 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada plans to clamp down on arms exports to ensure the armaments it sells abroad are not used to commit human rights abuses, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday.

 

Freeland told legislators that Canada would not allow the export of a weapon "if there were a substantial risk that it could be used to commit human rights violations."

 

She made her remarks a day after Ottawa said it was reviewing the sale of 16 helicopters to the Philippines amid concerns the aircraft could be used to fight rebels.

 

Current regulations mean governments need only carry out a study of the general risks that might be involved in a sale.

 

"This is a significant decision. It will mean changes in how Canada regulates selling weapons ... I want us to hold ourselves to a higher standard," said Freeland.

 

A Canadian government source estimated that the clamp down could shave three percent off annual sales. Foreign ministry figures for 2016 show Canada exported military goods and technology worth C$718 million (£409.6 million).

 

According to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Canada placed 15th on the list of arms exporters in the period from 2012-2016, accounting for 0.9 percent of global sales. The United States was first with 33 percent and Russia second with 23 percent.

 

In 2016, Canada's Liberal government was criticized for deciding to honour a contract to sell light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns about human rights.

 

Freeland told legislators that a probe by foreign ministry officials had found no conclusive evidence that Canadian-made vehicles were used in human rights violations.

 

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Sandra Maler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-09

[isaanbanhou]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

According to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Canada placed 15th on the list of arms exporters in the period from 2012-2016, accounting for 0.9 percent of global sales. The United States was first with 33 percent and Russia second with 23 percent.

Canada accounts for  0.9 percent of global sales. The United States was first with 33 percent and Russia second with 23 percent.  Less than 1%  of global sales?  If Canada wanted to stop an export to  further mankind ( sorry mr prime minister)  personkind, the export of Nicleback and Justin Beiber would be stopped.

 

[Leo999]

9 hours ago, isaanbanhou said:

If Canada wanted to stop an export to  further mankind ( sorry mr prime minister)  personkind, the export of Nicleback and Justin Beiber would be stopped.

Beiber is bad enough but please don't threaten us with Nickelback!!! They are much harder to face than arms dealers! As to the main point Canada is just virtue signaling here. Heaven forbid they should help fight Isluumic extremists... errr... I mean "rebels" in the Philippines.

[GOLDBUGGY]

I think the Government of Canada should concern itself with increasing Exports, and thus increasing local jobs. Rather than reducing that by deciding if a Democratic Elected Govenment, and Ally, like the Philippines, can buy our weapons based on how they might use them. That is like selling a new car but only if the driver promises to keep the speed within the speed limits. Which he may not do anyway!

 

The big problems with this government is they keep trying to prove to the World how good they are, and at the cost of jobs and money back home. Stop! You are not that good! In fact you are doing a terrible job and you won't be re-elected. So instead ask the Philippines, will that be cash or credit card?  It is not like you are the only act in town and the only place to buy weapons.  

[pegman]

On February 10, 2018 at 2:45 AM, GOLDBUGGY said:

I think the Government of Canada should concern itself with increasing Exports, and thus increasing local jobs. Rather than reducing that by deciding if a Democratic Elected Govenment, and Ally, like the Philippines, can buy our weapons based on how they might use them. That is like selling a new car but only if the driver promises to keep the speed within the speed limits. Which he may not do anyway!

 

The big problems with this government is they keep trying to prove to the World how good they are, and at the cost of jobs and money back home. Stop! You are not that good! In fact you are doing a terrible job and you won't be re-elected. So instead ask the Philippines, will that be cash or credit card?  It is not like you are the only act in town and the only place to buy weapons.  

฿100 says he gets another majority. It wouldn't bother me if we stopped shipping armoured personal carriers to the terrorist exporting unelected thugs in Saudi. I've toured the London plant and know they have a great product with a heavy order book. There would likely be no layoff of workers should that order be cancelled.

[GOLDBUGGY]

5 hours ago, pegman said:

฿100 says he gets another majority. It wouldn't bother me if we stopped shipping armoured personal carriers to the terrorist exporting unelected thugs in Saudi. I've toured the London plant and know they have a great product with a heavy order book. There would likely be no layoff of workers should that order be cancelled.

As the article says, the USA and Russia sells much more weapons and miltary equipment than anyone else in the World. Making them both steep competition. I think we both can also agree that you can't keep guns out of the hands of crimnals, or they would have done this a long time ago. So perhaps they should try a different approach to this. 

 

If you don't want "Thugs in Saudi Arabia" buying weapons then perhaps they should stop giving them the money to do so. Saudi Arabia still sells a lot of Oil to the United States and elsewhere. So maybe it would be better if the United States, and the rest of the World, bought more of it's Oil from more Friendly Countries, like Canada, thus giving them Thugs less money to buy arms??? 

 

Just a Thought!