"It’s a real thing," Joly confirmed to the Canadian newspaper Toronto Star on March 19.
Canada, although a minor supplier of arms to Israel, has faced scrutiny over its arms exports in recent months. Pro-Palestinian and human rights advocates filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking to halt Ottawa's authorization of military goods and technology exports to Israel. Pro-Palestinian advocates claim Canada has authorized at least CA$28.5 million ($21.1 million) worth of new permits since the deadly Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.
The motion, which passed with a vote of 204 in favor and 117 against, was introduced by the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP), the coalition partner of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party, and garnered support from the Liberals, Greens and Bloc Quebecois. (Related: Poll: Majority of Americans oppose sending weapons, supplies to Israel.)
Initially, the motion called for a suspension, but this was later amended to a full ban after the NDP and other parties became frustrated with how Trudeau's government was doing very little to protect civilians in Gaza.
The motion aims not only to cease arms sales but also calls for the recognition of a Palestinian state and proposes sanctions on Israeli officials. However, compromises led to a toned-down version of the motion.
Moreover, Canada has halted the approval of new arms export permits to Israel since Jan. 8, with the freeze set to continue until Ottawa can ensure compliance with Canadian law. Meanwhile, export permits approved before Jan. 8 remain valid.
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"Canada has one of the most rigorous export permit regimes in the world. There are no open permits for exports of lethal goods to Israel. Since Jan. 8, the government has not approved new arms export permits to Israel, and this will continue until we can ensure full compliance with our export regime," the government said in a statement.
Canadian law prohibits arms exports if they could be used in "a serious violation of international humanitarian law" or "serious acts of violence against women and children." Additionally, Ottawa must evaluate whether the arms would contribute to peace and security or undermine it.
Israel reacts harshly to Canadian government's decision
In response, the Israeli government condemned the motion and construed it as an attack on Israel’s "right to self-defense" against Hamas.
"It is unfortunate that the Canadian government is taking a step that undermines Israel's right to self-defense against the Hamas murderers who have committed terrible crimes against humanity and against innocent Israeli citizens. History will judge the Canadian government's current move harshly," said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs lobby group has issued a similar statement and criticized the decision as "misguided and disingenuous."
"It will not effectively address the humanitarian crisis. It will not liberate Gazans from the tyrannical rule of the Iranian proxy, Hamas," said the lobby group. "It will not promote peace. It is shameful that the Liberal government has drawn moral equivalence between Israel, a declared democratic ally, and Hamas, a Canadian government-listed terrorist entity."
Watch this clip asking which to support: Israel or Hamas?
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