Arming the barbarians

The year is 2019, and Canada is still selling weapons to the primitive barbarians.

“Primitive barbarians” is arguably an appropriate label to describe the authoritarian monarchy of Saudi Arabia.  On April 23^rd more than 35 Saudi citizens were beheaded by their regime, including a student slated to attend Michigan University.  That student was beheaded after being arrested as a teenager and being convicted by a confession made under torture.  Over 100 Saudi citizens have been executed this year.

If the year were 1942, any Canadian suggesting weapons sales to Nazi Germany for the sake of Canadian “jobs” would have been stigmatized.  But in 2019 it is mainstream opinion that Canada ought to sell weapons to a regime with 7^th century morals, not to mention a regime that has ruthlessly killed many civilians in the country of Yemen.

According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a billion dollars in penalties would need to be paid to the Saudi regime were Canadian weapons contracts to be cancelled.  But Canada has likely earned enough blood money from previous weapons sales to pay for that.

If Canada does not allow its murderous citizens to buy Canadian-made guns, why would our country allow a serially-murderous government to buy Canadian-made armed military vehicles?

Stefan Klietsch

Renfrew