The release of Global Affair Canada’s (GAC) Report on the Export of Military Goods from Canada—2017 provided the most authoritative and comprehensive account of Canadian military exports on record.
A failure to launch: FMCT negotiations and the CD stalemate
Briefing 16-2 Published January 20, 2016 Author Philip MacFie “Failure to launch” is perhaps the best way to describe the state of the proposed fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT). Such a treaty would ban “the [further] production of fissile material for nuclear weapons” (p. ix), effectively freezing a state’s stockpile of weapons-grade nuclear material. In 1994, the Conference on Disarmament …
After Paris: Examining resilience
Briefing 16-1 Published January 19, 2016 Author Jessica West With bravery and kindness, through art, music, and social gatherings—the response to terrorism in Paris has been inspiring. But expressions of resilience and solidarity, in France and beyond, have been accompanied by a hard, excluding edge and the erosion of fundamental values, exposing an underlying fragility and fear. As democratic societies …
Trading principles: How Canada’s pursuit of military exports has left a trail of secrecy and lax standards
Briefing 15-1 Published February 5, 2015 Author Cesar Jaramillo On paper, Canada has “some of the strongest export controls in the world” (FATDC 2014). However, even if the provisions of Canada’s export safeguards are stringent, recent developments make them seem like little more than paper tigers. The sale of Canadian manufactured light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is only the most …
Nuclear disarmament: Time to focus on differences
Briefing 14-2 Published July 15, 2014 Author Cesar Jaramillo The final report from the 2013 Open-Ended Working Group to take forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations stated that “in order to move forward on nuclear disarmament and ultimately to eliminate the risk of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences from the use of nuclear weapons, the international community should focus on common ground …
Nuclear weapons ban on the horizon
Briefing 14-1 Published February 26, 2014 Author Cesar Jaramillo A development of historic dimensions is beginning to energize the otherwise lethargic nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation regime. Nearly seven decades after nuclear bombs obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an international process to achieve a legal ban on nuclear weapons is starting to take shape. Click on attachment to view document (168KB)
Canada and the brokering provisions of the Arms Trade Treaty
Briefing 13-2 Author Kenneth Epps Canada will join other UN member states for the “final” negotiations of an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in March 2013. Canadian opposition to a brokering provision of the draft treaty text undermines its international commitments to control brokering and ignores related national regulatory standards. Canada’s particular concern about “extraterritorial” jurisdiction would be addressed by …
Principles for a Mali-first security strategy for Canada
Briefing 13/1 Author John Siebert Media reports indicate Canadian Parliamentarians will have the opportunity to debate the merits of Canada’s military and other assistance to the UN-sanctioned intervention in Mali. The cautious approach of the Canadian government to date is welcome: send a heavy lift transport plane to assist the French-led military mission, but emphasize non-military Canadian contributions going forward. …
Five Reasons to Reconsider the F-35
Briefing 12-1 Author Kenneth Epps In the face of a daily barrage of critical media reports on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, the Canadian government has adamantly stood by its 2010 decision to purchase 65 of these aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force. But cracks in the edifice are starting to appear. Canada participated in two March …
Libya and R2P
Briefing 11-2 Author John Siebert The NATO implementation of a no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians, which began on March 19, has now explicitly morphed into regime change by bombing runs. The intensive daylight bombing of Tripoli on June 7 and recent statements by Canadian government ministers confirm the fundamental confusion between the goals of civilian protection and regime change. …