Canada halts arms sales to Israel following House of Commons vote

Canada has decided to halt future arms sales to Israel following a non-binding vote in the House of Commons, with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly confirming the decision

Canada has announced it will cease future arms sales to Israel in the wake of a landmark non-binding vote in the House of Commons.

Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, confirmed the government would suspend future arms shipments, describing the decision as “a real thing”.

The move comes after a parliamentary motion, brought forward by the New Democratic Party (NDP), urged the governing Liberals to halt future arms exports to Israel.

Canada pursues establishment of state of Palestine

Expressing dissatisfaction with what they perceive as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s insufficient measures to safeguard civilians in Gaza, the New Democrats, who are backing Trudeau’s minority government, spearheaded the motion.

The motion, which passed 204-117, garnered support from Liberals, Bloc Quebecois, and the Green Party. It called for the cessation of arms exports and advocated for Canada to actively pursue the establishment of the state of Palestine.

The successful vote on Monday night culminated in a last-minute agreement between the Liberals and the NDP, which had previously demanded the government to “recognize the state of Palestine.”

However, the vote does not signal a shift in Canada’s stance that Palestinian statehood should result from a negotiated settlement with Israel.

Full commitment from Canadian government

Previously, Canada had implemented a temporary suspension on export permits for military goods and technology.

However, there was some confusion as Global Affairs Canada continued to receive applications for arms exports to Israel, which were assessed on a case-by-case basis. Trudeau has reiterated his belief in Israel’s right to self-defense, 

Minister Joly reiterated that following the Monday vote calling for the weapons ban, the government opted to fulfill the commitment.

Defense Minister Bill Blair stated that Minister Joly would determine the implementation of the ban.

“There are many existing contracts that are already in place, but this was a going-forward basis, I think that’s how the minister’s looking at it,” Blair told the Star. He further added, “There has been a lot of concern expressed with respect to … lethal military sales to Israel during the conflict.”

Source: Newsroom

#haber#