New Brunswick MPs reject bill to close loophole on U.S. arms exports

A private member’s bill that aimed to close a loophole exempting the United States from Canada’s arms export controls was defeated last week in Ottawa, with all New Brunswick MPs voting against the legislation.

Canada’s weapons control regime doesn’t apply to most shipments to the U.S., which is the largest importer of Canadian military goods.

Activists have drawn particular attention to the role of Canadian companies in the production of weapons ultimately used by the Israeli military.

For example, rallies have taken place at Apex Industries in Moncton opposing the company’s involvement in the supply chain for Lockheed Martin’s F-35.

The fighter jet has been used in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, a military campaign widely condemned as genocidal. 

The Liberals implemented limited restrictions on Canadian arms exports to Israel starting in early 2024, but activists have called for a total weapons embargo.

On Wednesday, Bill C-233, dubbed the “No More Loopholes Act,” failed to pass second reading, with 295 votes against and 22 in favour.

The NDP legislation garnered support from the six New Democrats in the House of Commons, along with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and 15 Liberals who broke ranks with the government.

The bill faced opposition from almost every representative from Atlantic region, including all nine Liberal and Conservative MPs from New Brunswick.

Liberal MP Sean Casey of Charlottetown, P.E.I., cast the only vote in support of the legislation from any of the four Atlantic provinces.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand called the bill “irresponsible,” saying it would “decimate Canada’s defence industry, weaken Canada’s role in NATO and jeopardize the capabilities of our Canadian Armed Forces.”

NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who sponsored the bill, noted that it had received support from former Liberal Cabinet ministers Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock.

In an op-ed for the Globe and Mail in February, Axworthy and Rock argued that closing the loophole was “especially urgent because of Donald Trump’s military recklessness.”

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, via the Local Journalism Initiative.