United Nations treaty body calls on Canada to strengthen its arms export regime

Aerial view of Israeli destruction in Beach refugee camp, Gaza Strip (Abedallah Alhaj, Creative Commons) 

For the fourth time in a row, a United Nations treaty body has called on Canada to strengthen its arms export regime, citing concerns that Canadian arms transfers are reaching conflict zones, where they may be used to commit or facilitate grave human rights violations. This follows a submission and advocacy efforts in Geneva by the IHRP, and its partners, regarding Canada’s continued arms exports to Israel. 

This week, the UN Human Rights Committee HRC) released its Concluding Observations following the Committee’s review of Canada’s 7^th periodic report, examining the country’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In its observations, the Committee urged Canada to prevent, address, and mitigate the adverse human rights impacts of arms transfers and exports, including by reviewing and where necessary, revising its legislation and administrative framework, reinforcing human rights due diligence procedures, and ensuring arms exports and licensing decisions for both direct and indirect exports comply with the Covenant. The Committee also recommended that Canada ensure all allegations of unlawful arms transfers are investigated and prosecuted.  

The IHRP submission, filed jointly by the IHRP, the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), and the Global Human Rights Clinic (GHRC) at the University of Chicago Law School, and endorsed by over 40 civil society organizations, documents the grave violations of civil and political rights of Palestinians in Gaza – including the disproportionate and indiscriminate killing of civilians. The report highlights Canada’s complicity in these human rights violations through a loophole in its arms exports regime that allows military parts and components to be exported to the United States where they are integrated into weapons systems and re-exported to other countries such as Israel. 

Earlier this month, IHRP Director, Sandra Wisner, and Research Associate, Nabila Khan, travelled with Clinic students to Geneva, to attend the HRC’s periodic review of Canada and directly advocate for the protection of the civil and political rights of Gazans. IHRP staff and students engaged Committee members to advocate for the HRC to push Canada to comply with its international human rights obligations under the Covenant.  

“Canada cannot continue to claim to be a champion for human rights, while enabling weapons and components transfers that may facilitate serious human rights violations in Gaza” said Nabila Khan, IHRP Research Associate. “Canada must align its arms export regime to international law and close the loophole”.  

Despite repeated calls from the UN and Canadian civil society, political will remains limited, particularly regarding the loophole that allows arms exports to the US to be re-routed to Israel. Bill C-233, which sought to strengthen controls on arms exports to the U.S., was rejected in the House of Commons on 11 March 2026. 

“This is the fourth UN body to raise alarms about Canada's arms export regime and its negative impacts on human rights. At this point, continued inaction is not an oversight, it is a choice” said Sandra Wisner, IHRP Director.  

The HRC recommendations follow similar concerns raised by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Committee (CRPD), and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding Canada’s continued inaction on arms exports to Israel.  

For more information, read the IHRP’s joint submission to the HRC here. 

Read the UN Human Rights Committee's concluding observations here.