Canada Chills Towards Saudi Arabia

Saudi security forces and armored vehicles on parade. (Wikimedia Commons)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that he plans to take action against Saudi Arabia to signal his country’s disapproval of the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Potential sanctions mentioned include freezing export permits with Saudi Arabia that allow armored car sales in the kingdom.

Trudeau’s announcement comes after pressure from opposition lawmakers and international organizations who were concerned about the international community’s reaction to the murder of Khashoggi.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Trudeau said, “Our government is committed to a stronger and more rigorous arms export system. We have frozen export permits before when we had concerns about their potential misuse, and we won’t hesitate to do so again.”

However, political roadblocks stand in the way of ending Canadian exports to Saudi Arabia. Such a move requires political maneuvering to get out of the treaty negotiated by a previous conservative government. Trudeau has been forthcoming about the challenges posed by this deal, including the fact that one of the clauses prohibits discussing many of the details included in it, such as the number of cars exported.

If Canada is successful in ending their export deal, they will join countries like Germany and the United Kingdom in taking concrete action against the Saudi regime after allegations of their involvement in the murder of Khashoggi emerged.

This recent public spat is the latest in a series of public hostilities between Canada and Saudi Arabia. Early this year the Canadian government criticized the Saudis’ practice of arresting women’s rights activists, sparking a diplomatic feud. While tensions had begun to dissipate earlier in the fall, they have gone cold again with this new development. It remains to be seen if Trudeau will be successful in negotiating an exit from the arms export deal. Regardless of the outcome, it is still a clear signal that Canada and Saudi Arabia have a severe difference in opinion on human rights and that this will continue to impact their relationship in the future.