Montreal, Canada – The Canadian government has refrained from commenting on a proposed arms deal involving Canadian-made weapons being sold from the United States to Israel. The agreement has faced criticism from human rights advocates, who warn that the weapons could contribute to human rights violations against Palestinians.
In a brief statement to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Canada’s foreign ministry, Global Affairs Canada, indicated that they “will not speculate on a potential foreign military sale from the U.S.” The ministry further added that “since January 8, the Canadian government has not approved new export licenses to Israel, and this remains the federal government’s approach.”
Earlier this year, the Canadian ministry announced that it would not issue new export licenses for arms to Israel amid widespread protests regarding the country’s war in Gaza, where over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past 11 months. However, human rights advocates have pointed out that Canada has not revoked existing export licenses, and that the ban does not affect Canadian weapons and components that are first sent to the U.S. before being transferred to Israel. These transfers to the U.S. are difficult to trace due to a decades-old trade relationship that facilitates military exchanges between the North American neighbors.
Last Tuesday, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that a company based in the Canadian province of Quebec would be the main contractor in a potential agreement to send weapons to Israel valued at $61.1 million. The company, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Inc., is expected to supply tens of thousands of “M933A1 120mm high explosive mortar rounds and related equipment,” with deliveries anticipated to begin in 2026.
Michael Bueckert, vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), spoke to Al Jazeera, stating that the Canadian government “has a responsibility” to halt these transfers. “If Canada allows arms to be transferred to Israel while claiming to stop such activities, it completely undermines their credibility,” he said.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), another advocacy group, has also urged Canada to prevent the transfer. “Any other decision would render the government’s previous arms ban meaningless,” said their executive director, Stephen Brown, in a statement.
On Monday, the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) publicly opposed the sale, expressing shock at Canada’s involvement. “Canada must not aid the ongoing genocide in Gaza with Canadian-made weapons,” stated Heather McPherson, a member of the Canadian Parliament and foreign policy critic for the NDP. “By refusing to stop arms sales to Israel, including allowing loopholes to send weapons through the U.S., Canada could potentially be complicit in war crimes.”
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, the Canadian firm involved in the sale, has not immediately responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
Legal experts have noted that Canada is overlooking its obligations under international law by permitting arms transfers to countries where there is a significant risk that the equipment could be used for human rights violations. For example, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a United Nations agreement signed by Canada, prohibits transfers if states are aware that the weapons could be used for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other breaches of international law.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s principal judicial body, has already stated that there is a “plausible” risk that Israel may commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Human rights organizations have also documented numerous Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians, journalists, and humanitarian workers in the enclave since the conflict began.
In this context, a group of Palestinian Canadians and human rights advocates have filed a lawsuit against Canada concerning the export of military equipment to Israel. “We seek to hold Canada to its own standards and to its international obligations,” said Henry Off, a board member of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), one of the groups involved in the lawsuit. “We do not want the Canadian government to contribute to the massive hunger and bombings in Gaza.”
However, as Israel’s war in Gaza continues, human rights advocates have urged the government to close the “loopholes” allowing the country to send weapons to the U.S. with less oversight and fewer reporting requirements. Bueckert commented that the Canadian government has failed to take citizens’ concerns seriously, or to take real steps to address their calls to halt arms sales to Israel. “I think they have been very dismissive and condescending regarding the concerns Canadians have about the very real and dangerous transfer of military goods to Israel,” Bueckert stated.
“I do not believe Canada is taking the legal consequences of its complicity in genocide seriously.”