Canada can do better on banning weapons exports

Re Canada bans military-style firearms, but what about handguns? May 1

I agree with the Star’s Editorial Board that ‘Banning a range of military-style firearms is an important first step for Canada.’

Along with the issue of handguns, there is also the glaring problem of Canada increasingly exporting weapons that are designed to kill the most people in the shortest amount of time. The federal government’s official figures also indicate that Canada’s arms exports doubled in 2018 to $2.069 billion, up from $1.031 billion in 2017.

It’s also troubling that Canada announced on April 10 that it “fully supports” the United Nations’ call for a global ceasefire so nations can focus on fighting the pandemic, but the day prior it announced it was ending a temporary suspension of the approval of permits for new arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

Brent Patterson, Peace Brigades International-Canada, Ottawa