Canadian arms exporters to Israel with permits approved before Jan. 8 can proceed with the transaction, even as Canada’s House of Commons passed on March 18 a measure temporarily halting such sales over human rights concerns from Tel Aviv’s military actions in Gaza.
The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, however, still wants specific rules on the export freeze. In an email to Defense News on Monday, CADSI President Christyn Cianfarani pointed out that the government has yet to publish the exact details of the policy change.
Government officials earlier stated that the ruling was only temporary and some sales will still proceed but they did not indicate when the freeze will be lifted.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly informed reporters that the Canadian government stopped granting permits on exports to Israel as early as Jan. 8 because of the Gaza human rights issue. Her office further advised on March 20 that export permits approved before the date are still in effect, Reuters reported.
In January 2023, CADSI’s Cianfarani also decried Ottawa’s lack of a framework to ramp up arms production to meet the heightened demand arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a CBC report.