According to a Saturday report in Anadolu, Canada’s Department of International Affairs announced Friday that it is reviewing a report that found Canada continues to ship munitions to Israel via a U.S. weapons factory, despite Ottawa freezing permits that could be used against the Gaza Strip.
“Global Affairs is aware of this report and is reviewing it,” spokesperson Samantha Lafleur told Anadolu in a statement. “Canada has not approved any new permits to Israel since January 8, 2024, for items that could be used in the current Gaza conflict.”
The report, “Exposing U.S. Loopholes: How Canadian F-35 Parts and Explosives Reached Israel,” released Tuesday, said the report provided “details of hundreds of shipments from Canadian munitions manufacturers to U.S. arms factories that make Israel’s main fighter jets, bombs, and artillery shells.”
“This report also reveals for the first time Canada’s role as a critical transit corridor for shipments of hundreds of European TNT bound for bomb makers in the United States, and damning evidence that Canadian F-35 parts were being shipped to Israel just days after arriving at a U.S. facility.”
Canada has long been criticized by rights groups for its alleged role in the global arms supply chain related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with advocates warning of gaps in oversight and loopholes in export routes.
“Let’s be clear: Despite our government’s efforts to placate us, to create the illusion that they have addressed Canada’s taxing and arming of Israel, we now know that Canadian munitions continue to flow into Israel,” World Beyond War’s Rachel Small told reporters on Tuesday.
Haneen Muhanna of the Palestinian Youth Movement echoed those concerns, saying the “US loophole” is one that “allows arms trade to continue to pass through the US unchecked while the government continues to maintain its innocence.”
New Democratic Party lawmaker Jenny Kwan also emphasized that the Liberal government can no longer claim ignorance or distance.