Bill C-233

An Act to amend the Export and Import Permits Act

This enactment amends the Export and Import Permits Act to more fully align it with the Arms Trade Treaty and to remove exemptions for specific countries by, among other things,
(a) clarifying that parts, components and technology necessary for the assembly or use of arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war are included in the meaning of those terms;
(b) preventing exemptions from the Export Control List for arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war based on their country of destination;
(c) preventing the issuance of general export permits for arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war;
(d) preventing the issuance of general brokering permits for arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war;
(e) enhancing the considerations that the Minister must take into account in issuing a permit to export or broker arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war;
(f) providing that the Minister must require end-use certificates from the government of a country to which arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war are being exported if doing so would sufficiently mitigate a substantial risk of war crimes or violations of international humanitarian law or international human rights law; and
(g) requiring the Minister to prepare and table in Parliament an annual report on the export of arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war and Canada’s compliance with the Arms Trade Treaty.

Export and Import Permits Act

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-233, An Act to amend the Export and Import Permits Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my private member's bill, an act to amend the Export and Import Permits Act, otherwise known as the no more loopholes act. I want to thank my colleague, the member for Winnipeg Centre, for seconding this bill.

Canada signed on to the Arms Trade Treaty with the promise that we would not allow our arms exports to contribute to war crimes or the violations of human rights. However, promises are not enough. Words are not enough. We need to close loopholes. We need accountability and we need transparency.

Canada and arms exporters based here should never be complicit in fuelling war crimes, human rights abuses or the suffering of innocent people, yet right now, loopholes in our laws allow weapons, parts and technologies made here in Canada to end up in the hands of regimes that violate international law, commit atrocities and devastate communities. When Canada signed on to the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019, the government exempted all exports to the United States from scrutiny. This loophole has become a back door for Canadian weapons, components and technologies to fuel some of the bloodiest conflicts on earth.

This week on Parliament Hill, installations of children's shoes are on display as the names of children are read out to commemorate the deaths of 20,000 Palestinian children in Gaza. This bill is about closing those loopholes. It would make sure no country is exempt and that weapons, in part or in whole, cannot be exported under blanket permits. It would strengthen the criteria the minister must apply before approving any exports, would require clear end-use certificates and would bring in transparency by enhancing public reporting to Parliament.

This legislation is about standing up for peace, human rights and justice. It is about making sure that Canadian weapons are never used to harm the very values we claim to defend, and it is about showing the world that Canada will live up to its commitments.

Civil society organizations and legal experts have been calling for this legislation. I urge all members of the House to support this bill, because when it comes to protecting human rights and preventing war crimes, there can be no exceptions, no excuses.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)