Mark Ramzy, a reporter working with the Toronto Star’s Ottawa Bureau, recently wrote an article entitled: “Canada banned military exports to Israel — but critics say there’s an ‘absolutely appalling’ loophole,” that offered next to no context or balance on the topic.
Published on August 24, the Star’s article reported on arms exports from Canada to the United States that are being sold once more to Israel, despite the fact that the Canadian government stopped approving arms exports to Israel earlier this year.
The arms in question have yet to be manufactured, but are already causing considerable consternation among members of Parliament who voted to stop all military exports from Canada to Israel in March. This motion was brought forward by the NDP and supported by the Liberal government to pass into law. The impetus for this motion was to prevent the export of items that “could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law,” or “serious acts of violence against women and children.”
Canadian Arms Sales To Mideast Countries With Deplorable Human Rights Records Ignored
Ramzy reported that this “embargo” on arms exports was due to concerns about “human rights violations in the Middle East war,” and that the Trudeau government is committed to authorizing only exports of “non-lethal” equipment. Without elaborating on what those potential human rights violations might be, this article did little to provide meaningful information about what types of military exports are generally impacted by this recently enacted legislation, and also provided no context on Canada’s approach to arms exports with countries guilty of established human rights violations.
Despite the Toronto Star’s laser focus on Israel, Canada engages in large arms trade with other Middle Eastern countries with deplorable track records for human rights. What Ramzy could have included, but evidently chose not to, is that Canada’s largest export partner for military equipment (apart from the United States) is Saudi Arabia, accounting for $1.15 billion in exports in 2022. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy where human rights (or the lack thereof) exists only where the country’s rulers decide. Unfair trials and torture are widely practiced there.
In the interest of a balanced article on Canadian arms exports making their way to Israel, Ramzy also could have chosen to provide some context on the perceived concerns of the Canadian government with Israeli military activities. By omitting this context, readers were left to conclude that it is self-evident that the Canadian government should prevent military equipment manufactured in Canada from reaching Israeli control.
Israel Fighting Genocidal Attempts On All Its Borders
Israel is engaged, of course, in a multi-front, defensive war with genocidal Islamic terrorist organizations, all funded and equipped by the Iranian regime. Hamas, who rules most of Gaza, and Hezbollah, which has taken effective control of Lebanon, are recognized as terrorist organizations by the Government of Canada. They attack Israel, specifically targeting civilians, at will, prompting defensive responses from the Israeli military. But no subjects are quoted giving support for Israel’s right to defend itself; only critics are given any platform at all.
The Toronto Star, therefore, does its readers a disservice with this kind of coverage of current events by providing a one-sided article on a complex and controversial topic. While the article went into detail about the groups within Canada who are trying to block this sale of Canadian military equipment to the United States, who will then be selling it to Israel, Star journalist Ramzy did not quote from any dissenting opinions about why Canada should be motivated, not just to promote trade with an ally, but to equip Israel in its defense of its citizens.
The only lip service provided in Ramzy’s article was an opinion provided by Philippe Lagassé, a professor at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, who pointed out that Canada may be accused of political interference by the United States if they take steps to block the reselling of their military equipment. That is a purely political concern, though a valid one, but more substantively, The Toronto Star article did little to inform readers of the critical defensive efforts Israel must undertake day after day just to keep its civilians safe from terrorism.
As a result, HonestReporting Canada filed an official complaint with the Toronto Star to register our concerns with their senior editors. Stay tuned to this page for any future updates.
