Activists are urging the federal lawmakers to take action over concerns about how Canadian-made weapons are being exported abroad.
On Tuesday, February 17th, a group of activists rallied outside Victoria MP Will Greaves office to call for action on the unregulated flow of Canadian-made weapons ending up in conflict zones.
The rally was organized by the grassroots groups Arms Embargo Now, Independent Jewish Voices and Labour 4 Palestine, who are calling upon Greaves to support Bill C-233, also known as the “No More Loopholes Act.”
This bill was introduced in September of last year by Jenny Kwan, NDP MP for Vancouver-East.
According to a recent article by CBC, it is unclear whether Canadian guns and munitions have been ending up in conflict zones, such as in Israel, or in the hands of ICE agents through a loophole in gun export laws.
A human rights assessment conducted by the federal government’s arms-export Crown corporation found that many munitions exports are unregulated when they are routed through the United States.
From there the guns, ammunition and weapons could be integrated into the US weapons systems and end up in conflict zones that Canada has no involvement in.
The organizers of the Victoria rally claim that this loophole allowed for Canadian-made armoured vehicles to be used in recent executions committed by ICE agents in the United States, and Canadian components to be used in the US attack on Venezuela which led to the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“Canada cannot claim to stand for human rights while continuing to arm the US’s unabashed warmongering and Israel’s unceasing genocide,” said Larry Hannant, a local organizer with Arms Embargo Now – Victoria.
“This loophole has allowed Canadian-made arms to fuel war crimes and mass civilian suffering. Today, we’re demanding that our MP pick a side: human rights and international law, or continued complicity in war crimes.”
As of this publication, Will Greaves has not announced either his support, or his opposition for the No More Loopholes Act.
He did however put out a media release advising constituents to avoid his office on the day of the rally.
“MP Greaves supports the right to peaceful protest, and he will continue to speak clearly and consistently in Parliament on international peace, conflict, and justice,” said Greaves.
Greaves did not attend the rally to hear out the activists’ concerns.
There were no incidents during the rally and no one was injured.
The Victoria rally at Greaves’ office was one of 40 actions taken across Canada calling on lawmakers to support the No More Loopholes Act.
