Saudi deal defies Canada’s own export control rules: critics
OTTAWA— A group of peace and human rights organizations is renewing a call on the Trudeau government to rescind export permits for the sale of Canadian-made, light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.
The group, which includes Amnesty International, Project Ploughshares and the Rideau Institute, say the deal flies in the face of a Liberal government pledge to reinvigorate Canada’s standing on the world stage.
In an open letter to the prime minister, the organizations say the $15billion arms deal breaks both the spirit and the letter of Canada’s export controls and international laws.
“We urge you to consider seriously whether our export controls have served their intended purpose with the authorization of this deal,” the letter reads.
So far, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has maintained that cancelling the deal, brokered by the previous Conservative government, would give Canada a bad trading reputation. He has also pointed out that a lot of Canadian jobs are at stake.
But the organizations argue that going ahead with the deal undermines public trust in the export control system and the core values that define Canada’s character as a nation.
“This is not ‘sunny ways,’ ” Rideau Institute president Peggy Mason told a news conference in Ottawa.
“We believe deeply that the integrity and the credibility of Canada’s export control regime has been utterly compromised with the authorization to proceed with this deal,” said Cesar Jaramillo, the executive director of Project Ploughshares.
The agreement to sell the vehicles, known as LAV3s, was made by the Harper government in February 2014, giving General Dynamics Land Systems a 15-year contract to manufacture them for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
It’s estimated the contract is worth about 3,000 jobs in southwestern Ontario.
The machines are not weaponized in Canada, but can be equipped with a range of heavy weapons, including guns capable of firing anti-tank missiles.