Canada revealed as second biggest arms dealer to the Middle East
Large numbers of armoured war vehicles being sold to Saudi Arabia has resulted in Canada becoming the second largest arms exporter to the Middle East.
Research by IHS Jane’s has placed Canada second only to the USA, having previously been the sixth-largest exporter. In 2015 the country sold $2.7 billion to the Middle East, a huge proportion of the total $3.11 billion of arms it sold to the world.
This revelation has drawn criticism to the Trudeau government, namely because of the dire human rights record in Saudi Arabia.
In response to questions asked by The Globe and Mail, a spokesperson for the government said: “The government of Canada remains firmly committed to introducing more transparency and rigour in export controls.”
The deal with Saudi Arabia for combat vehicles is reportedly worth around $15 billion.
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