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From the CJPME email newsletter of Friday, Mar 22, 2024:
The passing of the NDP motion this week, despite its heavy amendments by the Liberal party, shows that months of pressure and campaigning by CJPME, civil society and Canadians across the country works!
While the final motion failed to include big steps such as recognizing the State of Palestine, it brought Canada one step closer to a full arms embargo on Israel. Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly confirmed on Tuesday that she will no longer grant permits for the transfer of arms to Israel! This is definitely a step in the right direction!
With Monday’s motion, CJPME updated its Frequently Asked Questions: Arms Embargo on Israel to provide answers on the impact of the NDP Motion. See immediately below for a summary of these updates.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Arms Embargo on Israel
Did Parliament vote for an arms embargo on Israel?
Yes, Parliament has voted for a one-way embargo on military exports to Israel. On March 18, 2024, the House of Commons voted to adopt a non-binding NDP Opposition Day motion which called on Canada to “cease the further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with Canada’s arms export regime.”
The motion was passed with 204 in favour and 117 against. It was moved by the NDP with the support of the Bloc Québécois, Greens, and almost all Liberal MPs, including Prime Minister Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Joly. Only the Conservatives and three other MPs voted against it.
The text of the motion passed by Parliament calls for a stop to both the “authorization” and “transfer” of further exports to Israel. This is very comprehensive language, as it indicates the need for a ban on new export permit approvals as well as the revocation of existing permits that have already been approved. From March 18 forward, any further transfer of military goods to Israel would be in violation of the will of Parliament.
The final motion adopted by Parliament was watered down from the original text moved by the NDP, which initially called on Canada to “suspend all trade in military goods and technology with Israel.” Whereas the original called for a two-way arms embargo, the final version only addressed exports only. The NDP, Bloc, Greens, and several Liberal MPs had expressed support for the original motion and a full two-way embargo.
Is the government serious about respecting the motion’s embargo?
Although it was a non-binding motion, it appears that the Trudeau government intends to implement it, at least in part. The day after the vote, Minister Joly claimed that the ban on arms exports was “a real thing,” and added that the ban would continue “until we can ensure full compliance with our export regime.” Canada had already temporarily ‘paused’ new export approvals since January, but this would formalize this as a matter of policy.
Unfortunately, Minister Joly has also tried to implement the policy in a very limited way, putting in loopholes that significantly reduce its effectiveness.
First, Joly said that export permits approved before January 8 “remain in effect.” Global Affairs Canada defended this position by saying that “given the nature of the supply chain, suspending all open permits would have important implications for both Canada and its allies.” Yet allowing exports under previously approved permits would be an extreme violation of the motion’s intent. In the three months following Oct. 7, Canada approved a record-breaking volume of arms exports to Israel (see more below). Allowing these permits to stand would dramatically contradict the embargo that the motion sought to put in place. As such, it is important that Canada immediately revoke these permits before the weapons reach Israel.
Second, according to the NDP, when Joly made a deal to get the motion passed, she promised that she would issue a notice to exporters. Nevertheless, it is not yet clear what exactly will be communicated to exporters. To respect the will of Parliament, the Trudeau government should communicate that permits for military goods to Israel will not be approved and that the submission process is now closed. For the time being, Joly’s office has said that “companies can still apply for permits to export military goods, but Ottawa won’t issue decisions for the time being.” This is not good enough.
CJPME is also concerned that Minister Joly may try to limit the embargo to only supposedly “lethal” goods or full-system weapons, rather than the full range of controlled military goods (see below for a debunking of these talking points). Fortunately, initial statements from Global Affairs Canada officials indicate that the ban will correctly apply to “all military goods and technology subject to Canadian permit rules, such as radars or cameras.”
Has Canada exported military goods to Israel since October 7?
Yes. Canada approved $28.5M worth of military exports to Israel between October and December 2023. In comparison, Canadian companies exported $21.3M to Israel in military goods in 2022, and $27.8M in 2021. This means that Canada approved more exports of military goods to Israel in just the first three months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza than in any single year in the last 30 years. Since Trudeau has been in power (2015-2023), Canadian companies have exported an estimated $150 million in military goods to Israel overall. These exports involve private companies profiting by obtaining approval from Global Affairs Canada for export licenses.
On previous occasions, Joly has said that Canada paused military exports to Israel after January 8, 2024. Joly explained that this was because of Canada’s “inability to confirm that human rights are being upheld and, of course, that our export regime requirements would be met.” Following the adoption of the motion by Parliament, one would expect Minister Joly to turn this temporary pause on approvals into a formal ban.
To read more about Canada’s arms trade with Israel click here.
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