Photo: Image from CPAC via CPJME.
On Wednesday March 11, Members of Parliament (MP) defeated Bill C-233, the No Loopholes Act proposed by the New Democratic Party (NDP).
The NDP had said the Bill sought to close the “loopholes in Canada’s arms export laws allow Canadian-made weapons and components to end up in the hands of governments accused of war crimes and human rights abuses.”
CBC News now reports: “An NDP private member’s bill that would have ended exemptions from Canada’s export-control regime for weapons and ammunition destined for the U.S. failed to pass at the House of Commons on Wednesday, though it garnered the support of 15 Liberal MPs who sided against their government.”
That article adds: “Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also voted for the bill, and the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois voted against it. Twenty-three MPs did not vote, including 15 Liberals.”
The Canadian Press further reports: “MPs rejected Bill C-233 in a vote on second reading on Wednesday, with 295 voting against it, and 22 voting in favour. That means the legislation is dead and will not be sent to a committee for study.”
That article also explained: “Ottawa and Washington have a defence production agreement that allows shipments of Canadian arms to the U.S. — including shipments purchased by Washington — to effectively avoid the detailed review typically required to get an arms export permit.”
Kelsey Gallagher, a senior researcher at the non-profit Project Ploughshares, told Canadian Affairs: “The US is not a State Party to the [Arms Trade Treaty] and therefore has significantly weaker safeguards when transferring military systems abroad. Canadian munitions have been exported to other states through the US that Canadian policy would have barred if they were exported directly.”
The Hansard record of the 295 to 22 vote can be seen here.
We continue to follow this.
Further reading:
–Bill C-233 in Canada would complement the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act in the protection of defenders (PBI-Canada article, December 5, 2025)
–Situating Bill C-233 within Canada’s Arms Control Framework (Project Plougshares article by Kelsey Gallagher, November 24, 2025)
–Transparency in the supply chain of weapons components could help uphold international obligations, protect human rights defenders (PBI-Canada article, August 21, 2025).
