Despite the Canadian government’s repeated claims that it halted arms exports to Israel in January 2024, newly uncovered Israeli import records and global shipping documents suggest otherwise, revealing ongoing shipments of Canadian military goods, including ammunition and weapons parts.A group of researchers from four NGOs, World Beyond War, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and Independent Jewish Voices, uncovered data from the Israel Tax Authority showing continued imports of Canadian goods described as military weapon parts and ammunition.“This report lays bare, without a doubt, the true extent of Canada’s ongoing material support for Israel amidst this genocide,” said Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement at a press conference in Ottawa, as quoted by CBC News. “It illustrates that despite deceptive government statements, the flow of military cargo from Canada to Israel has been uninterrupted.”The activists also obtained shipping records describing Canadian ammunition and military equipment sent to Israel. CBC News reported that it reviewed both the tax and shipping documents. The Israel Tax Authority’s website lists 2025 imports from Canada of “bullets” and other items Ottawa says are not being, and cannot be, exported.Some of the data tracks recent shipments directly to the door of one of Canada’s largest arms companies.While Canada does not directly sell arms to Israel, it regulates exports between Canadian firms and foreign buyers through permits issued per contract, often valid for years. Most Israeli-related permits refer to companies in defense supply chains, though company names are not publicly disclosed.
“Lethal” loophole
Canada primarily exports components such as printed circuit boards and materials for surveillance systems. The latest report to Parliament lists no active permits for arms or ammunition.The Trudeau government initially announced a halt to all military shipments to Israel, later narrowing it to “lethal” equipment. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) now says the freeze only applies to items that could be used in Gaza.“Canada has not approved any new permits for items to Israel that could be used in the current conflict in Gaza since January 8, 2024,” said GAC spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod. She added that the department suspended “approximately 30 export permits” for items that could potentially be used in that conflict.However, most existing permits remained valid. Only two new permits were issued in 2024, yet Israel ranked as Canada’s fourth-largest recipient of military goods that year, using 164 permits.“There’s a lack of transparency in particular about what permits are still active, which permits are not active and the rationale behind all of these,” said Shoufani.In 2024, $2.25 million in sales fell under the export category for “Bombs, torpedoes, rockets, missiles, other explosive devices and charges and related equipment and accessories.”
Arms still flowing? 175,000 munitions sent in 2025
An April 2025 entry shows Canada exported 175,000 units to Israel under a customs code for bombs, grenades, mines, cartridges, and similar munitions. In June 2025, another 15,000 units of “parts and accessories of military weapons” were recorded.The Canadian government has not explained the discrepancy between its stated policy and the documented exports. CBC News asked GAC how it ensures Canadian military goods are not used in Gaza, but received no response.“Due to commercial confidentiality, global affairs Canada does not comment on the specifics of individual export permit applications or transactions,” said MacLeod, as cited by CBC News.Three notable shipments of “cartridges” departed Montreal’s Dorval Airport for Tel Aviv in September 2024, May 2025, and July 2025. Classified as “dangerous goods,” all passed through JFK Airport in New York. The most recent shipment, on July 17, originated from postal code J5Z 2P4 in Repentigny, Quebec — the site of general dynamics ordnance and tactical systems’ cartridge manufacturing plant.In August 2024, the US department of defense announced a shipment of 50,000 120-mm high-explosive mortar cartridges to Israel, naming General Dynamics OTS in Quebec as the principal contractor.Then-foreign minister Mélanie Joly responded, “We will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period. How they’re being sent and where they’re being sent is irrelevant.”
