Personally, I can only agree wholeheartedly. More transparency would give Canadian citizens a better understanding of our agreements with our various trade partners, both within the alliance and elsewhere.
Not long ago, we discussed the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. I use Saudi Arabia as an example because it is a rather blatant case. It was also the biggest military contract ever signed by Canada. It was for light armoured vehicles that Canada sold and exported to Saudi Arabia.
It shows how difficult it is to strike a balance between the need to export products and exporting them to a trade partner that does not have many shared values with Canada in terms of human rights. This is clear from its behaviour. We were told that the weapons were being used in the conflict in Yemen, on the Arab Peninsula.
Canada's decision on April 12 to suspend the export of weapons to Turkey is the right decision. It sends a signal that Canada acts upon concerns like these and does not want to be associated with repression or with the illicit or inappropriate use of such weapons.
Combined with what Mr. Boucher was saying, measures like these are also a very good approach. They send a signal that Canada does not want to be associated with repressive movements.