Canada reviews helicopter deal; Palace unfazed
OTTAWA – Just one day after signing a $233-million agreement to sell 16 helicopters to the Philippines, the Canadian government on Wednesday ordered a review of the deal amid concerns the aircraft could be used to fight rebels.
Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said that the deal – formally signed on Tuesday – had been struck in 2012 on the understanding the helicopters would be used for search-and-rescue missions.
Philippine Major-General Restituto Padilla, military chief of plans, told Reuters on Tuesday the helicopters would be used for the military’s internal security operations, adding they could also be deployed in search-and-rescue and disaster relief operations.
“When we saw that declaration ... we immediately launched a review with the relevant authorities. And we will obviously review the facts and take the right decision,” Champagne told reporters, without giving more details.
The Bell 412EPI helicopters were due be delivered early next year as the Philippine military prepares to step up operations against Islamist and communist rebels.
Philippines presidential spokesman Harry Roque yesterday said the military “will consider the possibility of procuring from other sources,” if Canada did not want to sell, while Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed bemusement at news of Canada reviewing the deal.
“I met with the Bell people in Singapore two nights ago and they have not indicated any hitch in the project,” Lorenzana said in a text message to reporters.
Lorenzana said the aircraft will primarily be used for the transport of personnel and supplies, ferrying wounded and injured soldiers, and the conduct of humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.
“They are not attack or close support aircraft. While they may be used in support of Internal Security Operations or ISO, their role is limited to those that I mentioned,” he said. “As its designation ‘Combat Utility Helicopter or CUH’ connotes… its mission is to save lives.”
Lorenzana noted that should the Canadian government choose to discontinue the sale, the government will procure from another source.
For his part, defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said that although it is the prerogative of the Canadian government to subject the purchase deal to a review, “I think it is unfair to equate internal security operations in general with human rights violations.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asked later whether he was concerned the helicopters might be used against Filipino citizens, replied “Absolutely.”
Canada has very clear regulations about to whom it can sell weapons and how they can be used, he said during a question and answer event at the University of Chicago.
“We are going to make sure before this deal or any other deal goes through that we are abiding by the rules ... that Canadian governments have to follow,” he said.
In November, Philippines President Duterte publicly criticized Trudeau at a regional summit in Manila for raising questions about his war on drugs, calling it an “official insult,” adding that he “would not answer to any other bullshit, especially (from) foreigners.”
Nearly 4,000 Filipinos have been killed by police in the campaign since June 2016. Human rights groups accuse police of carrying out illegal killings, staging crime scenes and falsifying reports, a charge they deny.
“Human rights is a key element of our foreign policy and of our trade policy,” said Champagne.
In 2016, the Liberal government was criticized for deciding to honor a contract to sell light armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia, despite human rights concerns. Like the helicopter contract, the deal had been arranged by Canada’s former Conservative administration. –