In the year since the United Nations resolution that approved the UN Arms Trade Treaty (April 2, 2013), 118 countries have signed the treaty, 31 have ratified it, but Canada has done neither, even though it voted for the resolution in 2013.
The goal of the treaty is to “Establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating or improving the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms; Prevent and eradicate the illicit trade in conventional arms and prevent their diversion.”
Project Ploughshares is a non-governmental organization that works with churches, governments and civil society. It along with other groups in Canada is concerned by the fact that Canada is not one of the signatories of the treaty. The treaty would prevent countries from supplying weapons to governments which, for example, use them against their own citizens.
The organizations also continue to be concerned by the export of Canadian manufactured arms and defence equipment to countries with questionable human rights records.
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda spoke to Kenneth Epps, Senior Program Officer at Project Ploughshares about the Arms Trade Treaty and why Canada has so far not signed or ratified the treaty.
ListenMore information:
United Nations – Arms Trade Treaty – here
Project Ploughshares – ATT ratifications climb with no help from Canada – here
Postmedia News – Government touts $10 billion contract to arm Saudi Arabia amid human rights concerns – here
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.