Canada has allowed the export of “non-lethal” military equipment to Israel since the start of its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada to Radio Canada, without specifying the type of goods involved.

These licenses granted since October 7, 2023, relate to the export of non-lethal equipment, according to Jean-Pierre Godbout in an email.

The spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada did not provide further details about the nature of this equipment, but in its report, the Department of National Defence defined the term non-lethal weapon as follows:

A weapon explicitly designed and primarily used to neutralize or repel people or to neutralize equipment, while minimizing fatal accidents, permanent injuries, and damage to property and the environment.

In February 2022, Global Affairs Canada used the term non-lethal to designate some equipment provided to Ukraine to assist it in its defense against the Russian invasion.

The non-lethal equipment provided by Ottawa to Kyiv also included personal protective equipment, such as bulletproof vests, in addition to load-bearing tools, as well as surveillance and detection equipment. This equipment also included binoculars, laser rangefinders, metal detectors, and detection scopes.

Concerned Exports

According to the latest data on Canadian military exports released in 2022, Ottawa transferred to Israel electronic equipment specifically designed for military use ($10,465,925.01), in addition to aircraft and aviation equipment ($4,966,293.58), but also bombs, torpedoes, missiles, other shells, and explosive devices ($3,174,297.90).

Overall, Canada exported military equipment to Israel worth more than $21 million in 2022. This amount was $26 million in 2021, placing Israel among the top 10 destinations for Canadian arms exports.

Except for the United States, Israel is the country that received the highest number of export licenses from Canada used for military goods and technologies in 2022. In total, it received 315 export licenses in 2022, followed by the United Kingdom (290) and Germany (188)).

Also, in his email, Godbout, the spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, clarified that for more than 30 years, Ottawa has not received any request, and therefore has not issued any license for complete weapon systems, major conventional weapons, or small arms to Israel.

Radio Canada tried to contact the Israeli military attaché at the Israeli embassy in Ottawa, Colonel Ilan Orr, for comment, but was unsuccessful.

The term “ambiguous.”

For her part, Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at the Ploughshares Project, a Canadian NGO focused on disarmament issues, called on Global Affairs Canada to clarify the type of non-lethal equipment provided to Israel.

According to him, the phrase "non-lethal" is vague and ambiguous. He added that it is not exactly clear what military equipment means, although he affirmed that it could refer, for example, to military parts or components that could be part of a more complete weapons system.

These could be, for example, monitoring parts, which, as equipment, would not cause fatalities. But this equipment itself [could] be integrated into another more lethal military system, the researcher explained.

The Ploughshares Project recently issued a report revealing that some Canadian-made equipment, including those in F-35 fighter jets, is shipped to the United States before being transferred to Israel.