Canada’s silence on the latest U.S. plan to sell Canadian-made weapons to Israel says more than the government probably intended. On the surface, Ottawa insists it has stopped approving new arms export permits to Israel. But in practice, Canadian-made weapons are still finding their way into the Israeli military’s arsenal just by taking a detour through the United States.
The deal in question involves Quebec-based General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc, which is set to supply tens of thousands of mortar cartridges to Israel in a U.S.-brokered sale worth more than $61 million. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026, well after the current war in Gaza may be over but the principle here is what matters. Canada claims it wants no part in fueling Israel’s assault, yet allows Canadian arms to flow to Tel Aviv through the back door.
That contradiction exposes Ottawa’s position for what it really is: political theatre. By touting a ban on new permits while refusing to revoke old ones or address the loophole with U.S. transfers, the government gets to claim moral high ground without taking meaningful action. Rights groups, from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to the National Council of Canadian Muslims, see it clearly Canada risks complicity in war crimes, if not genocide.
And they’re not alone. The International Court of Justice has already ruled there is a “plausible” risk of genocide in Gaza. Under the Arms Trade Treaty, which Canada signed, arms exports should be halted where there’s a clear risk of facilitating atrocities. By ignoring that standard, Canada undermines both international law and its own credibility.
The Trudeau government may believe it can navigate this by staying quiet and letting Washington take the heat. But Canadians are not fooled. Advocacy groups, legal experts, and even opposition parties have demanded accountability, and their voices are only growing louder. When over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, when hospitals, journalists, and aid workers have been repeatedly targeted, silence and half-measures are not neutrality they are complicity.
If Canada truly intends to stand for human rights, it must shut down the loopholes and stop hiding behind technicalities. Anything less isn’t just hypocrisy it’s a betrayal of international law and of the values Canada claims to uphold.
