DND helped market armoured vehicle sales
Former Conservative government sanctioned pitches to Persian Gulf neighbours: reports
OTTAWA — The Canadian military has been asked on three occasions since 2012 to provide a light armoured vehicle and crew in order to help the Canadian manufacturer market its wares to two of Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf neighbours.
The LAV demonstrations in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, were sanctioned at the highest levels of the former Conservative government, part of a determined effort to capitalize on a controversial $14.8-billion arms sale to the oil-rich kingdom.
A series of reports and docu- ments obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act show the tests took place in 2012, 2013 and 2014, with the cost to taxpayers repaid by the manufacturer, based in London, Ont.
The depth of co-operation between the company and National Defence worries some human rights groups, who say there should be more transparency in how Canadian arms deals are brokered.
The tests involving Kuwait took place before the company was added to the foreign affairs registry of countries eligible for Canadian arms exports. The UAE has yet to be added to the list, but the idea is being studied by Global Affairs, despite concerns some groups have about alleged human rights violations in the emirates.
The Liberal government has been criticized for allowing the Saudi deal — brokered under the Conservative government — to proceed in light of kingdom’s recent execution of 47 people, including a prominent Shiite cleric.
National Defence says its total cost to support all three demonstrations was about $3.39 million.
Asking to rent one of the 26-tonne armoured fighting vehicles is not as unusual as it may sound, said General Dynamics spokesman Doug Wilson-Hodge. “From time to time, General Dynamics Land Systems Canada seeks the support of the government of Canada through provision-of-services agreements, through which the government of Canada fully recovers all its incurred costs from General Dynamics,” he said.
Neither country has yet said what they intend to do. In the case of the UAE, which had cool relations with the Harper government for a few years, the purchase is meant to build on the acquisition in 2013 of lightly armoured patrol vehicles, a deal worth $816 million US.
The LAV, equipped with a 25-mm chain gun, was the Canadian Army’s principal fighting vehicle in Afghanistan.
“Due to competitive sensitivities General Dynamics Land Systems Canada’s policy is not to provide comment or status on our business pursuits,” said Wilson-Hodge.
Cesar Jaramillo, the executive director of Project Ploughshares, said in light of the former Conservative government’s mantra of economic diplomacy, he’s not surprised the army was repeatedly asked to act as a facilitator.