Apply export licensing to U.S. military

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to apply to U.S. military exports the same licensing and Arms Trade Treaty risk assessments used for other countries. The government responds that Canada already applies such controls.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled WHEREAS Trump's military is blowing up small boats and their crews in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, claiming without presenting evidence that they are narco-terrorists attacking the USA, and Whereas such actions are illegal, and Whereas Canadian equipment is being used in these extrajudicial executions and illegal activities, and Whereas licenses for Canadian exports to the U.S. military are exempted from the regulation that they not be used for illegal actions and against civilians, as is the case with other countries, and Whereas Canadians respect the rule of law. Therefore we, the undersigned, request that the Canadian government require the same rules of licensing of Canadian military exports to Trump's military that are applied to other countries, because Trump's War Department is using them in illegal activities and extrajudicial killings.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Signed by Parliamentary Secretary Rob Oliphant Canada's export control regime is one of the strongest in the world, and respect for human rights is at its foundation. Export permit applications for controlled items are evaluated under a robust risk assessment framework that draws on experts across the government and diplomatic missions abroad to ensure consideration for local and regional security risks. Canada reviews destination countries based on factors such as the strength of their export controls and the risk of diversion, consistent with the approach used by our allies. Under Canada’s export control system, items covered by [Article 2(1) of] the Arms Trade Treaty are controlled for export by Canada under the Export and Import Permits Act and the Export Control List and cannot be exported from Canada without authorization. For exports of most Arms Trade Treaty items to the United States, this authorization is provided through a general export permit (General Export Permit No. 47). In 2025, 15 Arms Trade Treaty items were exported to the United States under this General Export Permit. This is not an absence of control, but a long-standing, internationally recognized mechanism that governs low risk exports items, with clear rules and conditions. When making use of a general export permit, exporters must abide by all associated terms and conditions, including all pre-notification, record-keeping and reporting requirements. General export permits are an internationally recognized mechanism in regular use by Canada and our like-minded allies and partners including the United Kingdom, Australia, the European Union and many others. Individual export permits are required for exports to the United States for the most sensitive categories of goods on the Export Control List, including a limited number of Arms Trade Treaty items, specifically prohibited firearms, including automatic weapons, and certain munitions such as bombs, missiles and rockets under Group 2 (Munitions) for end-use by military or police agencies. Under the Export and Import Permits Act, there is a legal requirement that export permit applications for arms, ammunition, implements or munitions of war must be assessed against mandatory criteria, which include the Arms Trade Treaty criteria. This is the case for both individual and general export permits. In particular, Canada’s regime carefully assesses potential human rights violations. Under Canadian law, the Minister of Foreign Affairs must deny an export permit for military items if, after considering available mitigating measures, they determine that there is a substantial risk that the proposed export would result in any of the negative consequences referred to in the Arms Trade Treaty assessment criteria, including serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law. Canada came into full compliance with the Arms Trade Treaty with the passage of Bill C-47 on December 13, 2018. Canada’s already strong export control system was enhanced in rigour and transparency by amendments to Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act that implemented the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019, going beyond the Treaty’s requirements in terms of the scope of covered goods and technologies. In fact, Canada had tabled annual public reports on military exports to Parliament for more than 30 years before it became a legal requirement in 2019. The House of Commons recently had the occasion to debate expanded measures related to arms exports in Private Member’s Bill C-233, but this proposed legislation was defeated at Second reading. The Government of Canada maintains a strong export control system to prevent the misuse of weapons and other controlled strategic goods and technologies. Canada assesses destination countries based on a number of factors such as the strength of their export control systems and the potential risk of diversion, consistent with how our allies operate. Canada cooperates with other states to uphold the responsible export of military equipment and prevent diversion, including through its active membership in the four main multilateral export control regimes, which include the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Australia Group.