(Ottawa) Ammunition manufactured in Quebec could be shipped to Israel via the United States.
The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed that the US Congress approve a contract to sell 50,000 munitions worth up to US$61 million.
If this transaction were approved, the vast majority of these cartridges would be manufactured on Quebec soil.
“The prime contractor will be General Dynamics Defense Products and Tactical Systems, located in Quebec, Canada,” the U.S. Department of Defense press release said.
Deliveries would begin in 2026, it also reads.
The Canadian government assures that no lethal military equipment has been sent to Israeli forces since October 7.
And since January 8, Canada has stopped giving the green light to the export of non-lethal military equipment, for fear that it could be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law.
Call for cancellation of sale
The possibility that Canadian arms manufacturers are circumventing the rules by contracting in countries like the United States has often been raised by peace and pro-Palestinian groups.
And according to them, Canada must block this proposed transaction with the United States.
“This sale must be cancelled,” Michael Bueckert of the group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said in a statement released Thursday.
“Canada is trying to help the United States ship 50,000 Canadian-made mortars to a state that is actively committing genocide,” he said.
The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has not yet provided any comment on this matter.
General Dynamics Defense Products and Tactical Systems also did not comment.