Join MP Jenny Kwan's Fight to Stop Canadian Weapons from Fuelling War

Canada must close the loopholes that let our arms end up in the hands of human rights abusers.

Jenny Kwan is closing Canada’s “arms embargo loophole” that allows Canadian arms to flow through the US without accountability. Currently, Canadian weapons can reach global conflicts, contributing to human rights abuses despite international law.

Her Private Member’s Bill strengthens monitoring and disclosure standards to prevent Canadian arms from being used in war crimes or harming civilians. This legislation reflects Canada’s commitment to peace, justice, and human rights, including situations of impunity such as in Gaza being perpetrated by Israel.

✍️ Sign the Parliamentary Petition →

Canada Must Not Be Complicit in War and Repression

Right now, loopholes in Canada’s arms export laws allow Canadian-made weapons and components to end up in the hands of governments accused of war crimes and human rights abuses.

That’s wrong.

On September 19th, Jenny introduced a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament to close these dangerous loopholes and make sure Canadian weapons are never used to harm civilians or fuel repression abroad. There will be a vote in Parliament in February 2026. We need your help to mobilize your friends and neighbours!

The Problem

When Canada joined the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019, it left out one big exception — exports to the United States.

The U.S. is the largest buyer of Canadian military goods. Once there, those Canadian-made parts can be built into weapons systems and shipped to countries accused of bombing civilians or violating human rights — with no transparency, no accountability, and no oversight.

Reports from Amnesty International and Arms Embargo Now have shown that Canadian components have been used in conflicts like Gaza and Yemen.

This must stop.

What Jenny’s Bill Will Do

✅ Apply export controls to all arms, parts, and technology — no exceptions.
 Remove exemptions for the U.S. and other countries.
 Ban blanket export permits for weapons and munitions.
 Require end-use certificates to prevent diversion to human rights abusers.
 Mandate annual public reports to Parliament on Canada’s compliance with the Arms Trade Treaty.

Jenny's Private Member's Bill is Supported By:

Oxfam Canada, Canadians for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Independent Jewish Voices, National Council of Canadian Muslims, and the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council — all standing together for peace, accountability, and human rights.

 

Latest Update

Speaking with reporters on Parliament Hill, NDP MP Jenny Kwan discusses her private member’s bill (C-233) aimed at tightening Canada’s arms-export controls. She is joined by representatives from several civil society groups.

Click image or link to watch the video - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mp-jenny-kwan-discusses-arms-loopholes-bill--march-10-2026?id=511640c6-ba7b-4bd3-8ac6-96d85185d3cb

As Ottawa publicly defended its largely permit-free procedure to send Canadian arms and munitions to the United States, the Crown corporation overseeing international transfers conducted a review of the final destination of those shipments, CBC News has learned.

Obtained through an access to information request, the assessment's main text is mostly redacted — including its conclusions.

But 288 of its 300 footnotes are not.

Of those, 210 directly reference Israel and Palestine, dozens of them focusing on reports about Gaza, news stories about U.S. arms shipments to Israel and documents from the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

The online publication The Maple first reported on the documents last year.

In the review's opening pages, one of the few unredacted paragraphs refers to Parliament's non-binding motion passed in March 2024 about ceasing further arms transfers to Israel, and also to a statement by then foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly saying no Canadian arms should be sent, directly or indirectly, "for use in Gaza."

One report by the United Nations Human Rights Office cited from February 2024 says the U.S. is "among the largest arms exporters" to Israel, and urges all states to stop those exports. A Human Rights Watch report from March 2024, also cited by the document's authors, says Israel's assurances it is using U.S. arms legally "are not credible."

Called "Human Rights Assessment–Indirect Transfers," the assessment was written by the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC)'s internal human rights body on Dec. 6, 2024, and updated on March 24, 2025.

An annex lists at least 30 U.S. military contracts, primarily linked to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada, with a few to a smaller company based in Brantford, Ont.: Patriot Forge.

Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/probe-canadian-arms-us-israel-9.7074373

Now, a private member’s bill tabled in the House of Commons aims to address this issue. Bill C-233 (the End the Loopholes Act) was introduced by NDP MP Jenny Kwan. The bill would amend the Export and Import Permits Act to ensure that weapons, components and explosives exported to the United States receive the same level of oversight as those sent anywhere else. Its premise is simple: Canadian standards should be consistent and universal.

Opponents argue that Bill C-233 would cripple Canada’s defence industry. It would not. The bill does not restrict manufacturing, sales or innovation. It merely standardizes reviews so that exports to the United States undergo the same process as all others. Factories will continue to operate, jobs will remain secure, and responsible oversight will strengthen – rather than weaken – confidence in the sector.

Others claim the bill would weaken Canada’s role in NATO. This, too, is mistaken. Nearly every NATO country is a party to the ATT, and many apply oversight to all exports, including those to the United States. Canada’s blanket exemption is the outlier, not the norm. Aligning Canadian practice with that of our allies would reinforce our credibility and commitment to shared principles.

Some suggest the bill would hinder military aid to Ukraine. It would not. Assistance to Ukraine is delivered through a separate, expedited process in the Department of National Defence. Bill C-233 affects only commercial exports to the United States, not transfers to Europe or Ukraine. Conflating those systems is misleading.

Nor would the bill, which would govern exports and not imports, affect how the Canadian Armed Forces procure equipment.

Are you ready to take action?

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