Canadian Arms Exports (extracts)

From The Toronto Star, 14 December 1997

OTTAWA - Canada increased its military exports to such countries as Algeria, Indonesia, China, India and Turkey last year, the annual report on exports of military goods shows.

The report released Friday shows that total exports amounted to $459 million in 1996, down marginally from the $463 million exported in 1995. But the share of exports that went to low- and middle-income countries jumped to 14.5 per cent, up from 8.6 per cent the year before.

But military exports to the United States, which account for the lion's share of Canada's defence industry output, are not included in the figures because they are not subject to export permits.

But detailed tables show that military exports to a number of countries in the Third World that are also engaged in internal conflicts increased significantly.

Military exports to Indonesia - which has waged a brutal military occupation of East Timor since 1975 - went from zero in 1995 to $1.7 million last year. Axworthy has already been grilled about approving the exports to Indonesia, which were revealed earlier this year. But he has stressed that the exports include aviation-related equipment and aircraft parts.

And military exports to Thailand more than doubled, from $1.9 million in 1995 to $4.8 million last year, exports that included firearms, rockets and parts, armoured personnel carrier and tank parts, aircraft parts and simulator equipment.

The export of gas mask parts and ammunition accounted for an increase in such exports to Mexico from $55,573 to $304,818; exports to Morocco, engaged in a

Exports to the Philippines soared from $447,999 in 1995 to $2.9 million last year because of the shipment of firearms, large-calibre ammunition parts, propellants and aircraft parts.