Why hasn't Canada signed the Arms Trade Treaty?

On April 2, 2013 Canada, together with 154 other states, voted in favour of a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the UN General Assembly. The ATT will prohibit states from transferring conventional weapons to countries when they know those weapons would be used to commit or facilitate genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. The treaty also requires governments to assess the risk of transferring arms, ammunition or components to another country where they could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Where that overriding risk is real and cannot be mitigated, the transfer will not happen.

But where is Canada? Once a champion of arms control, the Canadian government stayed in the background throughout the treaty negotiation process and remains non-committal about signing the ATT. Among the excuses given is a need to consult Canadians to ensure that implementation of the treaty does not interfere with lawful, domestic gun ownership – an issue which they know full well to be outside the bounds of the ATT, which focuses on international trade. Canada also contends that current export controls are already strong enough. But there is a bigger picture that Canada needs to consider.

Signing a treaty not only indicates a willingness to develop capacity and overcome obstacles around implementation, it also sends a signal to the international community about the value of the treaty itself. The ATT will set a new standard for the arms trade and help prevent the human rights crises we have witnessed in conflicts including Syria and Darfur.