Explainer: The controversy over Canada’s rules on military exports to Israel

Here's a look at what we know — and don't know — about Ottawa's efforts to keep Canadian weapons out of Gaza while allowing Israel to import military goods for other purposes.

A Canadian senator is calling on Ottawa to be more transparent on its policy to restrict arms exports to Israel, following contradictory reports about what manufacturers have been allowed to send to the Middle East.

“I’m horrified to hear this news about certain arms exports and parts going to Israel, directly or indirectly,” Sen. Yuen Pau Woo said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“Civilians are being killed and starved, and the Israeli government has only made things worse.”

Ottawa insists it hasn’t been allowing exports of lethal weapons to Israel and has been blocking any military goods that could be used in Gaza.

Here’s a look at what we know — and don’t know — about Ottawa’s efforts to keep Canadian weapons out of Gaza while allowing Israel to import military goods for other purposes.

In March 2024, Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding motion to halt new arms permits for Israel. The government announced a review of export permits and suspended about 30 of them to determine whether they involved lethal uses.

Ottawa has allowed all other military export permits for Israel to continue. There were 164 such permits used to export military goods to Israel in 2024, and some of them are valid for years.

Of the 30 suspended permits, some have expired and the rest remain suspended, says Global Affairs Canada.