The Liberal government has so far prided itself on reversing the legacy of the previous Conservative government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has done everything from promoting a gender-equal cabinet, committing to cut methane emissions by 45 per cent, personally welcoming Syrian refugees, reaffirming Canada’s pursuit of a seat on the UN Security Council, and beginning the process of a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.
But the prime minister has been silent about the deal in which Canadians manufacture weapons and vehicles for Saudi Arabia, an authoritarian state known for human rights violations. Those concerned about the deal believe these Canadian-made weapons could be used by the Saudi regime against their own citizens in instances of dissent.
When asked about this discrepancy, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion told The Globe and Mail that Canada can learn from the ill-advised Saudi weapons deal by “ensuring that the equipment that we sell [in future deals] is not misused … [and] we will do it with more rigour than ever before.”
As for the rationale on maintaining the arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Trudeau was less clear. He told The Globe and Mail, “Canada is a country of the rule of law, a country of democratically elected government, and regardless of how we may feel about a previous government, the fact is they were democratically elected. They signed on to a contract and we are bound to respect that.”
This rationale would have been acceptable if it did not contradict the prime minister’s desire in every other department to peel back other staples of the Harper legacy, such as the unpopular National Household Survey, the raised annual limit for tax-free savings accounts, and income-splitting for families. Trudeau’s explanation is in fact, only saying “this deal serves our national interest.” While this is frustrating for human rights observers to accept, Trudeau has a point.
Canada’s arms deal with Saudi Arabia is worth $15 billion, and represents the livelihood of 3,000 Canadians annually, according to the CBC. It is not only bureaucratically difficult to dismantle a deal signed by a previous government, but it isn’t economically beneficial to cancel a deal worth so much to the Canadian economy. The Liberal government already plans to run $30-billion into the red with its inaugural budget released March 22, and does not wish to trigger further spending.
Even so, the Liberals were elected on a promise of increased transparency and accountability. The previous Conservative government found itself in hot water when it was discovered it was not tracking the human rights record of Saudi Arabia.
The government should be more transparent about the details of the deal. How long is the contract in effect? Is the new government ensuring these weapons will not be used against government dissidents by tracking violations of Saudi human rights? What about debating amendments to the deal in Parliament?
If the Liberals wish to shed the perception of a secretive government, they must follow through on their promise of transparency.
