Canada's 2023 Military Goods and Technology Exports
Edmonton, June 8, 2024
Canada's membership in NATO is used to promote more and more spending on the military and increased integration of Canada into the U.S. war machine and war economy in the name of peace, security and other fabrications. Canada's role in the manufacture and export of weapons worldwide is a matter of serious concern for working people in Canada and Quebec. They do not want their productive capacity to be used in wars of destruction and for the killing of working people and peoples all over fighting for their right to be, the wrecking of the social and natural environment or to benefit those who seek to enrich themselves from wanton killing and destruction.
Based
on the latest available information from the Canadian
government, in
2023 Canada exported more than $4 billion worth of military
goods and
technology, with at least half of this going to the U.S. Besides
the
U.S., Canada issued a total of 2,353 export permits to 97
countries. Of
these, 1,987 permits were utilized by 78 countries. By far, the
greatest number of permits were utilized by Israel, 348. The
next four
highest were the UK with 305; Germany, 210; France 110; and
Australia,
94. By value, the five highest recipients of Canadian military
exports
besides the U.S. were Saudi Arabia, $904,557,860.32; Ukraine,
$416,742,800.09; Germany, $111,190,177.50; UK, $106,943,589.16;
and
Qatar, $73,075,125.33.
This information comes from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) which recently released its report 2023 Exports of Military Goods and Technology. The first paragraph of the report states that it "is tabled annually in the Parliament of Canada to promote transparency around Canadian exports of military items. The report provides information on the export of military goods and technology (including parts and components) from Canada in a given calendar year."
Once again, the government's use of the word transparency is fraudulent. It is commonly used by official circles to divert attention from the essence of any matter. In the case of weapons exports, the government's definition of transparency applies only to those goods that require export permits, while arms exports to the U.S., for example, take place under a different framework and those figures are not provided in the report.
The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), once known as War Supplies Ltd., has as one of its aims to assist Canadian arms makers to sell their goods to the U.S. It states on its website that the U.S. Department of Defense "relies on Canadian exports for a vast array of military goods and services -- everything from technologies and transportation to manufacturing and R&D -- to the tune of more than $2 billion a year. Some of the most sought-after solutions include search, detection, navigation and guidance technologies ($506 million), aircraft parts and auxiliary manufacturing ($263 million), aircraft manufacturing ($61 million) and small arms ammunition and manufacturing ($60 million)."
The CCC says of Canada's role to supply the U.S. war machine: "As the world's largest military spender, the U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. DoD) is on the radar of defence companies worldwide. Thanks to the Defence Production Sharing Agreement (DPSA) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), Canadian firms enjoy a unique relationship with the U.S. DoD market that allows them to compete on equal footing with American firms. [...]
"The DPSA views Canadian companies as vital to North America's industrial base and puts their bids on equal footing with those of U.S. firms. While it opens the door for the U.S. DoD to buy from Canadian companies, the actual laws and regulations that govern purchases are detailed in a different document called the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).
"U.S. DoD procurement regulations also contribute to Canada's advantage in accessing the largest defence market in the world. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) helps U.S. DoD procurement specialists understand how they should treat Canadian bids and how they should contract with Canadian suppliers."
This
separate system for export of military goods and technology to
the U.S.
-- the largest arms supplier and military funder of Israel --
further
disproves Canada's claim that it has now stopped arms shipments
to
Israel. A case in point is the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets
that
are relentlessly bombing Gaza, which include many components
made in
Canada.
This shows that the export control system implemented by Global Affairs Canada is reflective of which countries are considered hostile and which are considered allies according to U.S./NATO hegemonic aims and Canada's self-promotion as a so-called defender of human rights. This is evident in which countries are subject to export controls or are outright banned from receiving Canadian military goods or technology. For example, the high level of exports to Saudi Arabia in 2023 directly implicates Canada in the U.S.-backed Saudi war on Yemen. So too, the extent of Canada's military support for Zionist Israel is presented as purely a business affair, while the large amount of public funds sent to Ukraine is more often than not touted as humanitarian aid. Since February 2022, besides $4 billion in military assistance, Canada has donated Leopard 2 battle tanks, anti-tank weapons, M777 howitzers, artillery ammunition, winter clothing, and more to Ukraine.
The Department of National Defence issued a press release on June 12, which announced that "the first four of 50 new Armoured Combat Support Vehicles (ACSVs) built by Canadian workers for donation to Ukraine are departing for Europe, where members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will be trained in their use this summer. The first 10 of these vehicles being donated are the ACSVs ambulance variant."
Defence Minister Bill Blair and Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London North Centre, visited General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada "to see the initial tranche of departing vehicles and to thank the workers who built them. The vehicles are being transported from London, Ontario for delivery to Europe." The implication that London workers support wars of destruction and wanton killing because they build these vehicles is a cheap shot because Canadians have no say whatsover on these matters.
Canada is investing $650 million over three years to provide Ukraine with these Armoured Combat Support Vehicles. "These state-of-the-art armoured vehicles will fulfil a wide variety of roles on the battlefield -- including transporting troops, providing secure locations for command and control, and enabling medical evacuations. These ACSVs, also used by the Canadian Army, provide a high degree of manoeuverability and protection to their crews and payloads, DoD says. "The ambulance variant of ACSVs is equipped with medical equipment and an internal layout that will allow for the treatment of a wide range of injuries."
After saying "members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will be trained in their use this summer," the DoD press release says, these initial 10 vehicles "will be delivered to Ukraine by the fall and will enable the AFU to safely evacuate wounded personnel from combat zones."
In the absence of being honest about what Canada is doing in Ukraine or what its support for Israel and membership in NATO are all about, to suggest that Global Affairs' report on export of weapons is transparent is absurd. It brings Global Affairs no credibility whatsoever.
The report betrays the outlook of the ruling circles, namely that the integration of Canada's economy and foreign policy into the U.S. war machine is a fact of life about which Canadians and Quebeckers are not permitted to have any say whatsoever, which is why peace-loving people use every opportunity to oppose the arms shows and sales which take place as part of the militarization of all of life.
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 37 - June 18, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54373.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca