We have heard a lot about Liberal values, about Canada being back on the world stage as a leader in peaceful diplomacy, and about a more open, sensitive, responsive government. To be fair, we have witnessed these changes to a considerable extent – although that is partly because the bar was set so low during the dark years of the previous administration. I also readily acknowledge that dealing with the pending Arms sale was never going to be an easy decision. Citing Liberal values and cancelling the contract with the Saudis might seem to be the obvious answer but it would have been met with far from universal approval. There would doubtless have been strong criticism over the resulting job loss for a Canadian company. Lawsuits would presumably have ensued over the cancellation of a contract, as well as over those lost jobs.
But it is the way that the Liberals have handled this issue, and the constantly changing rationale for their position, that has been disappointing. At first we were told that the new government had no choice in the matter, having inherited this odious contract from the previous Conservative administration. Then we find out that a key step in the consummation of this contract – the approval of export permits covering the light armoured vehicles and associated weapons systems and representing more than 70% of the contract – only took place recently. This information came to light as part of the government’s response to a lawsuit seeking to block export of this military equipment. I have yet to see an explanation of how the government could refuse to approve the export permits without being in breach of the contract already signed, but the Liberal actions meant that this issue has not arisen.
Along the way, the government’s explanation for its stance keeps changing. Among the reasons given have been: that the Saudis are an important ally in the Middle East; that the Saudis could use this military equipment to help defend itself against jihadists and promote stability; that the Saudis would not use this equipment against their own civilian population (notwithstanding their abysmal civil rights record); that the export contracts could be cancelled if the Saudis misuse the equipment in the future (except that Canada would have no such bargaining leverage once the equipment is shipped to Saudi Arabia); that there are a lot of jobs at stake in Southwestern Ontario; and that if Canada doesn’t fulfil this contract then somebody else will anyway.
Stormy Days for Sunny Ways
Talk about a reality check! Reconciling noble values with political and economic considerations is never an easy task. But one can wish that the government had been more upfront from the outset and more consistent in its explanation of the position it has taken. The sunny ways have experienced a lot of cloud cover and turbulence with respect to this issue.