Canada's Military Exports
By Richard Sanders, Coordinator, COAT

    The Government of Canada is deeply complicit in crimes against peace, crimes against humanity and war crimes.  Various government departments, but especially the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and Industry Canada, are blatantly aiding and abetting these international crimes by actively promoting the export of a wide variety of Canadian military hardware to governments that are widely known to be engaged in war and/or that are violently repressing domestic human/labour rights. 
   

This issue of Press for Conversion! is the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade's annual report in which evidence from various sources is juxtaposed to demonstrate Canada's complicity in international crimes including: (1) the latest DFAIT military export report, (2) summaries of human rights and labour rights abuses committed by recipient governments and (3) DFAIT and IC promotion of arms bazaars and other "business opportunities." The U.S. has probably backed more coups, wars, invasions and military interventions than any other nation in history!  This rogue superpower is, by far, the world's largest military spender and exporter. But, DFAIT puts no restrictions on Canadian military sales to the U.S.!  Export permits for such sales are not even required.  Many Canadian military components are assembled into U.S. weapons systems that are  then either used in U.S. military adventures or are re-exported to repressive and warring regimes. Military firms are, of course, not the only ones profiting from the unjust global economic system.  Our government encourages Canadian corporations to take advantage of the cheap labour and resources available in many Third World countries.  For instance, our government helps link Canadian  companies to export processing zones where trade unions, collective bargaining and strikes are strictly forbidden.  Canadian firms then import inexpensive products from sweatshops where protests, strikes and non-violent movements for social change are suppressed by police and military forces that are armed by Canadian corporations!

Cover Up by DFAIT

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) recently released its tenth annual report, Export of Military Goods from Canada 1999, giving data on exports to 50 foreign governments.  One country,  however, is still conspicuously missing.  Although the U.S. buys about 60% of Canada's military exports, this data is still not included in DFAIT's annual reports. Several loopholes ensure that many other military exports are also not disclosed by DFAIT, as was the case with supposedly civilian helicopters sold to Colombia's Air Force. Military export figures that DFAIT did release show an increase of about 3% from $422 million in 1998, to $434 million in 1999. However, actual Canadian military exports are probably more than twice the amount admitted by DFAIT!  A Canadian Defence Industry Association report ("Canadian Defence Industry 1999"), reveals that military exports in 1998 (other than to the U.S.) were about $851 million, although  DFAIT's report only listed   about $421 million in arms exports for 1998!

DFAIT's reports "cover up" more than just the amount of Canada's military exports.  This is shown in Industry Canada's online database of military firms.  It includes data on Canadian military corporations with "export experience" to many countries that have never been listed in DFAIT's military export reports, including: Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Congo, Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan.

Take Action!

Education: Buy extra copies of this issue of Press for Conversion! for distribution to friends, colleagues, NGOs, schools, libraries, politicians and unions, etc.
Media: When a military firm or warring/repressive country is in the news, contact the media to make the links exposed in this issue of Press for Conversion!.
Politicians: Urge local, provincial, federal and international politicians to deal with issues discussed here.
Military firms: Citizens can: (a) boycott civilian products made by military firms, (b) avoid investing in, and urge pension funds, banks and churches to divest from, military firms, and (c) protest local military firms.
Existing campaigns: Support efforts listed in the "Take Action" sections (pp. 8-39).  If they don't already do so, urge these groups to incorporate opposition to militarism and the arms trade into their campaigns.