Reports of Saudi abuses using Canadian vehicles cause concerns

The Canadian government expressed deep concern Friday over reports out of Saudi Arabia that the kingdom is using Canadian-made armoured vehicles against its own people.

Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland “is deeply concerned about this situation and has asked officials to review it immediately,” a department spokesman said in a statement. “If it is found that Canadian exports have been used to commit serious violations of human rights, the Minister will take action.”

Spokesman John Babcock said the government “is actively seeking more information about Saudi Arabia’s current efforts to deal with its security challenges, the reports of civilian casualties, and the reports that Canadian-made vehicles have been used by Saudi Arabia in its current security operations.”

He added that Canada expects “the end user of any and all exports to abide by the end use terms in issued export permits.” Saudi Arabia was the largest non-U.S. importer of Canadian-made military goods in 2016, receiving $142 million in exports — nearly 20 per cent of all Canadian military exports.

Military goods are exported under the condition that they not be used to commit human rights violations. Amnesty International Canada last year called for an end to arms exports to Saudi Arabia, citing their possible use to commit war crimes in the conflict in Yemen.

“Mounting tensions and conflict in eastern Saudi Arabia, about which the Canadian government has rightly expressed public concern, further indicate how fraught it is for Canada to have authorized the sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia at this time,” Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, said in a statement Friday.

Citing reports from community activists, Reuters reported Thursday that at least five people had been killed in eastern Saudi Arabia in recent days, as security forces began an operation to flush out suspected Shiite militants in Qatif province. The oil-producing province, home to some of the country’s Shiite Muslim minority, has seen occasional militant attacks against security forces since the 2011 Arab Spring protests.

In a statement Thursday, Global Affairs expressed concern about escalating violence that led to casualties among civilians and security forces in eastern Saudi Arabia. “We recognize that Saudi Arabia faces security challenges, but we urge local authorities to work with all communities to defuse tensions,” the department said. “All such challenges must be addressed in a manner that abides by international human rights law.”

As concerns about Saudi rights violations mounted, the Liberal government faced criticism last year for refusing to cancel a London, Ont., company’s $15-billion sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The deal had been approved by the previous Conservative government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argued that cancelling it would jeopardize Canada’s ability to conduct business around the world, sending a message that signed deals would not survive a change in government. During the 2015 election campaign, Trudeau had dismissed concerns about the sale, saying Canada was just shipping “jeeps” to the Saudis.