Canada has failed to implement a meaningful arms embargo on Israel

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently dodged a direct question about Canada’s arms exports to Israel, pivoting instead to his standard rhetoric that "Israel has a right to defend itself." This deflection speaks volumes as Ottawa continues to allow weapons shipments to Israel through American loopholes, despite public claims to the contrary. After meeting with South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly stated that the government is urging Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s orders to prevent genocide in Gaza, and insisted arms sales had been halted. However, her assurances ring hollow against the backdrop of Ottawa’s continued export of arms to Israel through existing permits and loopholes, revealing a troubling hypocrisy. A recently uncovered escape clause exposes millions of dollars' worth of Canadian explosives produced at a General Dynamics factory in Quebec are being routed to Israel via the United States. In March 2024, Parliament passed a non-binding motion to cease arms exports to Israel, a response to the violence in Gaza that has claimed over 40,000 Palestinian lives, most of them women and children. Yet, despite this clear pledge, Ottawa’s failure to halt these deals not only undermines Parliament and our nation's global standing, but also erodes confidence within Trudeau's own ranks. For months, Canadians have been calling for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. On Aug. 20, during the "Arms Embargo Now" Day of Action, thousands participated in protests, letters, and calls demanding decisive action to end the flow of all military goods to and from Israel. In response to Trudeau's handling of Gaza, 52 Liberal staffers have boycotted the LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, Que., byelection, demanding that the prime minister revoke existing arms export permits to Israel, and close the loopholes that allow these exports to continue. As Israeli forces bomb schools, hospitals, and refugee camps in Gaza, Canadian-made parts are used in these attacks. The ongoing bloodshed, with its ever-rising death toll, underscores our country's complicity in this violence. The call for an arms embargo is more urgent than ever. UN experts have named Canada as a military exporter potentially liable for aiding war crimes, and the UN Human Rights Council has urged all nations to impose an embargo on Israel. Yet, our government's refusal to cancel existing arms export permits and its continued purchase of Israeli weapons show a blatant disregard for these demands. Under the Arms Trade Treaty, Canada is required to halt military exports when there’s a substantial risk of serious violations of humanitarian or human rights law. Given Israel’s systematic assaults on Gaza, this risk is undeniable. Under the Genocide Convention, Canada is legally obliged to “prevent and punish” the crime of genocide. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that there is a “plausible” case that Israel is committing acts of genocide in Gaza, and that Palestinians face a “real and imminent risk” of genocide. This ruling puts Canada on notice that, as a party to the Genocide Convention, our government must take all necessary actions to prevent genocide in Gaza. Yet, our country's actions—or lack thereof—are stark. Between October and December 2023, Canada approved $28.5-million in military exports to Israel, a figure surpassing annual totals for the past three decades. Since Trudeau assumed office in 2015, Canadian firms have exported an estimated $150-million in military goods to Israel, effectively weaponizing the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) operations against civilians in Gaza. Those figures exclude the majority of Canada’s military exports to Israel, which exploit a loophole that allows them to be exported, untracked, and unreported, to the U.S. before being sent to Israel. Such exports include Canadian-made components for Lockheed Martin’s F-35s, Boeing’s F-15s, and Apache helicopters—among the primary weapons systems used by Israel to bomb Gaza. Canada imported over $130-million in arms from Israel between 2018 and 2022, making it Israel’s sixth-largest arms customer. In December, even after Israel had massacred nearly 20,000 Palestinians, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced a $43-million deal to purchase Spike LR2 missiles from Israeli state-owned Rafael—the same missiles the IDF is using in Gaza. By funding an industry complicit in these attacks on Gaza and violations of international law, Canada deepens its involvement in these atrocities. Canada’s failure to implement a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel is not just a policy failure—it is a betrayal of its legal obligations, its commitments to Canadians, and its moral responsibility to protect innocent lives. Canada must halt all shipments from previously approved exports, cancel existing permits, and close loopholes allowing arms to reach Israel via the U.S. The time for half-measures and excuses is over. Canada must take immediate and decisive action to stop the flow of arms to and from Israel and uphold the principles of justice and human rights it claims to stand for. Anything less is an endorsement of the ongoing atrocities. Taha Ghayyur is the executive director of Justice for All Canada, a human rights and advocacy organization dedicated to preventing genocide. Rachel Small is the Canada organizer for World BEYOND War, a global movement advocating for the abolition of war and the replacement of violent conflict with just and sustainable peace. The Hill Times

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Canada has failed to implement a meaningful arms embargo on Israel

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