Canadian weapons in Saudi Arabia
- Details
- Published on Friday, 18 August 2017 15:00
- Written by editor
Images on social media show the Saudi military is using Canadian-made military equipment to kill its own citizens. Sign the petition to block any more weapons shipments to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabian government is murdering their own citizens using weapons they bought from Canada. [1]
According to videos circulating on social media, the Saudi military is using Canadian-made armoured vehicles as part of violent attacks against Shia civilians -- a persecuted religious minority. [2] We have to act now to block the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia before any more Canadian weapons are used to commit atrocities against civilians.
Last year Trudeau defended an arms contract with the Saudis by promising to cancel the deal if the equipment was being used to commit human rights abuses.[3] Now, faced with evidence that they are being used against civilians, the government must take immediate action to cancel arms export permits to Saudi Arabia so this can never happen again.
Pressure is building on Trudeau to take action. A massive public outcry could create enough of a public relations nightmare that Trudeau has no choice but to cancel the contract, or risk damaging his reputation as a leader on human rights.
This isn’t the first time the Saudi military has committed atrocities against civilians. In 2016 -- before the Liberal government approved the Saudi arms deal -- we learned that the Saudis were bombing schools, funeral homes, and weddings in nearby Yemen. [4]
Human rights groups warned the Liberals that if they allowed the sale of Canadian-made arms to Saudi Arabia, it would only be a matter of time before they were used to slaughter civilians.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs rubberstamped the Saudi Arms deal anyways, but promised to cancel export permits for military equipment to the country if Canadian-made equipment was used in human rights abuses. [5]
Now, the government is launching an investigation, but they haven’t promised to block arms exports to Saudi Arabia. [6] Other countries like Germany and Belgium have cancelled export permits for weapons bound for Saudi Arabia - and it’s time for Canada to prove we are also ready to stand up for human rights.
The outcry is growing - over the last few days this has been a top story in the media, and human rights organizations and experts are calling on the government to ban the exports. Now we need to tip the scales definitively with a huge petition that the government can’t ignore.
Add your name now - a huge petition could be the final thing needed to force Trudeau to ban arms sales or exports to Saudi Arabia.
Add your name: https://act.leadnow.ca/saudi-arms/
Thanks for all you do,
Jolan and Logan, on behalf of the entire Leadnow.ca team
[1-2] Ottawa calls for probe into apparent Saudi use of Canadian-made armoured vehicles against citizens (The Globe and Mail). https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/saudi-arabia-appears-to-be-deploying-canadian-made-armoured-vehicles-against-its-own-citizens/article35831864/
[3] Justin Trudeau defends Saudi deal — ‘We’re not a banana republic’ (The Star): https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/06/10/trudeau-defends-saudi-deal-were-not-a-banana-republic-wells.html
[4] U.S.-backed Saudi coalition bombs Yemen school, killing 10 children, wounding 28 (Salon). http://www.salon.com/2016/08/14/u-s-backed-saudi-coalition-bombs-yemen-school-killing-10-children-wounding-28/
[5-6] See 1-3 above
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