Latest news with #IsraelTaxAuthority
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tax data suggests lethal Canadian arms still being exported to Israel
OTTAWA – Israeli customs data suggests lethal Canadian arms are still being exported regularly to that country, despite Ottawa's claim that it has halted such shipments. A coalition of Canadian advocates for Palestinians examined data published by the Israel Tax Authority showing shipments from Canada classified as bullets, guns and weapons arriving in Israel. Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding motion in March 2024 to halt new arms permits for Israel, and the government subsequently announced a review of existing export permits. That month, the office of then-foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly said none of the operating permits allowed for the export of 'lethal goods' to Israel. Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement says the Canadian government has not been transparent about what's reaching Israel, and she wonders if the federal government misled Parliament. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Global Affairs Canada and the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand did not immediately provide comment on the report. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Tax data suggests lethal Canadian arms still being exported to Israel
OTTAWA - Israeli customs data suggests lethal Canadian arms are still being exported regularly to that country, despite Ottawa's claim that it has halted such shipments. A coalition of Canadian advocates for Palestinians examined data published by the Israel Tax Authority showing shipments from Canada classified as bullets, guns and weapons arriving in Israel. Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding motion in March 2024 to halt new arms permits for Israel, and the government subsequently announced a review of existing export permits. That month, the office of then-foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly said none of the operating permits allowed for the export of 'lethal goods' to Israel. Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement says the Canadian government has not been transparent about what's reaching Israel, and she wonders if the federal government misled Parliament. Global Affairs Canada and the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand did not immediately provide comment on the report. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Canada's arms shipments to Israel continue despite official freeze, shows data; records reveal ammo and parts sent
An Israeli soldier directs a tank at a staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip (Image : AP) 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.'
3 days ago
- Business
Report suggests arms still flow from Canada to Israel despite denials
The government of Canada is adamant — with certain, shifting caveats — that it has not allowed arms shipments to Israel since January 2024, and yet Israeli import data and publicly available shipping records appear to contradict that claim. The data was uncovered by 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. They found entries in the database of the Israel Tax Authority that show Canadian goods continuing to enter Israel, described by the Israeli government 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 news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday morning. It illustrates that despite deceptive government statements, the flow of military cargo from Canada to Israel has been uninterrupted. The activists were also able to gather publicly available commercial shipping documents that, like the tax records, describe ammunition being moved from Canada to Israel, and a variety of other military equipment from companies across the country. Enlarge image (new window) A pro-Israel protester waves a Canadian and Israeli flag in front of pro-Palestinian protesters during a demonstration in Ottawa, on April 12. Photo: The Canadian Press / Spencer Colby CBC News has examined both sets of records. At time of publication, the searchable website of the Israel Tax Authority details 2025 imports of Canadian bullets and other military hardware of a kind that Ottawa has said are not being, and cannot be, shipped to Israel. The shipping data gives detailed tracking of military equipment that traces back to the door of one of Canada's biggest arms companies, as recently as last week. Permits to sell arms The Canadian government does not sell arms to Israel itself, but rather regulates sales by and between Canadian and Israeli companies. Companies apply for permits to cover individual contracts. Current and recent Israeli permits are mostly valid for three to four years. The permits, listed in an annual report to the Commons foreign affairs committee, describe the goods to be delivered, quantity, and the end user. The most common entry for end user on Israeli permits is Exports to an Israeli company that is part of defence supply chains. Not revealed in the report to Parliament are the names of the companies at either end of such transactions. Canada is mostly a provider of components to Israel, rather than finished weapons systems or vehicles. Currently valid permits include printed circuit boards for land vehicles and materials related to surveillance systems or for repairs and maintenance of surveillance systems . None of the permits included in the latest report to Parliament would allow for the shipment of arms and ammunition. Melanie Joly, seen here on Parliament Hill on June 2, pledged to block a shipment of mortar shells from a Quebec company to Israel. Photo: The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld Old permits still good The previous government, under Justin Trudeau, said at one point it would stop shipments of all military equipment to Israel, though this was later walked back to apply only to lethal equipment. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) now says the restriction applies only to materiel 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, GAC spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod told CBC News, adding that, at the same time, it also suspended approximately 30 export permits for items destined to Israel that could have conceivably later been incorporated into items that could be used in that conflict. However, most other permits were allowed to stand, including a number of large dollar-value approvals granted in the three months following Oct 7, 2023, when the Israel-Hamas war broke out. Consequently, although GAC issued only two permits to Israel in 2024, Canadian government figures (new window) show that Israel was Canada's fourth-most frequent customer for military equipment that year, with 164 permits used. Enlarge image (new window) A screenshot of Israel Tax Authority data showing seven importations of Canadian goods between March and June 2025, all under the HS code 'arms and ammunition.' Photo: Israel Tax Authority 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, Shoufani told CBC News. The Canadian government is not giving us the kind of data that we would have needed in order to produce this report. We had to go everywhere but the Canadian government. While specific sales were not detailed, $2.25 million in sales fell under the Export Control List (new window) category Bombs, torpedoes, rockets, missiles, other explosive devices and charges and related equipment and accessories. The taxman sees all Israel and Canada, like most countries, use the same Harmonized System (HS) customs codes to describe goods. An entry for April 2025 shows the importation from Canada into Israel of 175,000 units of the HS category defined by Canada as Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles and similar munitions of war and parts thereof; cartridges and other ammunition and projectiles and parts thereof, including shot and cartridge wads. The Israeli listing (new window) for the HS code is simply arms and ammunition; bullets. June 2025 saw the entry from Canada of 15,000 units of parts and accessories of military weapons a category ranging from machine guns to howitzers. Enlarge image (new window) Israeli soldiers store ammunition at a staging area in southern Israel, near Gaza, on Jan. 2, 2024. Photo: Associated Press / Leo Correa No explanation There is as yet no explanation from the government of Canada for the discrepancy between data showing arms transfers occurred and continue to occur, and the government's denials that it is happening. CBC News had asked Global Affairs how the government ensures that a given piece of military equipment would not be used in Gaza, but did not receive a response. MacLeod said the government would not discuss individual deals. Due to commercial confidentiality, Global Affairs Canada does not comment on the specifics of individual export permit applications or transactions. Of particular note in the shipping data are three shipments of cartriges travelling from Montreal's Dorval Airport to Tel Aviv-Yafo in September 2024, May 2025, and July 2025. All travelled as dangerous goods via John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The most recent was picked up at postal code J5Z 2P4 on July 17, and left Dorval the following afternoon on a cargo plane operated by Israeli-based Challenge Airlines IL. After a stopover in New York it arrived in Israel and was handed over at 12:53 on July 24 — last Thursday. Its final destination was listed as the Israeli city of Bnei Brak. The postal code J5Z 2P4, in Repentigny, Que., is listed as the address of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Cartridge Manufacturing Plant. In August 2024, the Pentagon announced (new window) it would be shipping 50,000 120mm high-explosive mortar cartridges to Israel, naming the principal contractor as General Dynamic OTS of Quebec. Pressed about the reported sale, then-Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly pledged to prevent it. We will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period, Joly said (new window) on Sept. 10, exactly one week before a shipment went out, according to the data. How they're being sent and where they're being sent is irrelevant. Call for embargo General Dynamics is one of the largest defence companies (new window) in Canada. An employee of GD-OTS reached on Monday morning at the Repentigny headquarters told CBC News the company was on a two-week shutdown, then put his supervisor on the line. Asked about arms shipments to Israel, the supervisor said they were not true and that CBC News would hear from company spokesperson Berkley Whaley. Whaley did not communicate in time for this publication. A message left on a Florida number listed in her name on the company website was not returned. Shoufani says the report suggests that without a blanket prohibition on shipment of military goods to and from Israel, governments will continue to obfuscate and companies will continue to ship. What we're saying here is in a moment where so much of the world is pointing to what's taking place in Gaza and calling it a genocide, where the International Criminal Court is saying that this is a plausible genocide, for the Canadian government to go beyond the language of pausing permits, beyond confusions around which permits are active and which ones aren't, and actually implement a comprehensive arms embargo. Evan Dyer (new window) · CBC News · Senior Reporter Evan Dyer has been a journalist with CBC for 25 years, after an early career as a freelancer in Argentina. He works in the Parliamentary Bureau and can be reached at
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Report suggests arms still flow from Canada to Israel despite denials
Social Sharing The government of Canada is adamant — with certain, shifting caveats — that it has not allowed arms shipments to Israel since January 2024, and yet Israeli import data and publicly available shipping records appear to contradict that claim. The data was uncovered by 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. They found entries in the database of the Israel Tax Authority that show Canadian goods continuing to enter Israel, described by the Israeli government as military weapon parts and ammunition. "What's clear about the findings is that there has been an uninterrupted flow of weapons and military cargo from Canada to Israel," said Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement. The activists were also able to gather publicly available commercial shipping documents that, like the tax records, describe ammunition being moved from Canada to Israel, and a variety of other military equipment from companies across the country. CBC News has examined both sets of records. At time of publication, the searchable website of the Israel Tax Authority details 2025 imports of Canadian "bullets" and other military hardware of a kind that Ottawa has said are not being, and cannot be, shipped to Israel. The shipping data gives detailed tracking of military equipment that traces back to the door of one of Canada's biggest arms companies, as recently as last week. Permits to sell arms The Canadian government does not sell arms to Israel itself, but rather regulates sales by and between Canadian and Israeli companies. Companies apply for permits to cover individual contracts. Current and recent Israeli permits are mostly valid for three to four years. The permits, listed in an annual report to the Commons foreign affairs committee, describe the goods to be delivered, quantity, and the end user. The most common entry for end user on Israeli permits is "Exports to an Israeli company that is part of defence supply chains." Not revealed in the report to Parliament are the names of the companies at either end of such transactions. Canada is mostly a provider of components to Israel, rather than finished weapons systems or vehicles. Currently valid permits include printed circuit boards for land vehicles and materials "related to surveillance systems" or "for repairs and maintenance of surveillance systems". None of the permits included in the latest report to Parliament would allow for the shipment of arms and ammunition. Old permits still good The previous government, under Justin Trudeau, said at one point it would stop shipments of all military equipment to Israel, though this was later walked back to apply only to "lethal" equipment. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) now says the restriction applies only to materiel 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," GAC spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod told CBC News, adding that, at the same time, it also suspended "approximately 30 export permits for items destined to Israel that could have conceivably later been incorporated into items that could be used in that conflict." However, most other permits were allowed to stand, including a number of large dollar-value approvals granted in the three months following Oct 7, 2023, when the Israel-Hamas war broke out. Consequently, although GAC issued only two permits to Israel in 2024, Canadian government figures show that Israel was Canada's fourth-most frequent customer for military equipment that year, with 164 permits used. "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," Shoufani told CBC News. "The Canadian government is not giving us the kind of data that we would have needed in order to produce this report. We had to go everywhere but the Canadian government." While specific sales were not detailed, $2.25 million in sales fell under the Export Control List category "Bombs, torpedoes, rockets, missiles, other explosive devices and charges and related equipment and accessories." The taxman sees all Israel and Canada, like most countries, use the same Harmonized System (HS) customs codes to describe goods. An entry for April 2025 shows the importation from Canada into Israel of 175,000 units of the HS category defined by Canada as "Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles and similar munitions of war and parts thereof; cartridges and other ammunition and projectiles and parts thereof, including shot and cartridge wads." The Israeli listing for the HS code is simply "arms and ammunition; bullets." June 2025 saw the entry from Canada of 15,000 units of "parts and accessories of military weapons" a category ranging from machine guns to howitzers. No explanation There is as yet no explanation from the government of Canada for the discrepancy between data showing arms transfers occurred and continue to occur, and the government's denials that it is happening. CBC News had asked Global Affairs how the government ensures that a given piece of military equipment would not be used in Gaza, but did not receive a response. MacLeod said the government would not discuss individual deals. "Due to commercial confidentiality, Global Affairs Canada does not comment on the specifics of individual export permit applications or transactions." Of particular note in the shipping data are three shipments of "cartriges" travelling from Montreal's Dorval Airport to Tel Aviv-Yafo in September 2024, May 2025, and July 2025. All travelLed as "dangerous goods" via John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The most recent was picked up at postal code J5Z 2P4 on July 17, and left Dorval the following afternoon on a cargo plane operated by Israeli-based Challenge Airlines IL. After a stopover in New York it arrived in Israel and was handed over at 12:53 on July 24 — last Thursday. Its final destination was listed as the Israeli city of Bnei Brak. The postal code J5Z 2P4, in Repentigny, Que., is listed as the address of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Cartridge Manufacturing Plant. In August 2024, the Pentagon announced it would be shipping 50,000 120mm high-explosive mortar cartridges to Israel, naming the "principal contractor" as General Dynamic OTS of Quebec. Pressed about the reported sale, then-Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly pledged to prevent it. "We will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period," Joly said on Sept. 10, exactly one week before a shipment went out, according to the data. "How they're being sent and where they're being sent is irrelevant." Call for embargo General Dynamics is one of the largest defence companies in Canada. An employee of GD-OTS reached on Monday morning at the Repentigny headquarters told CBC News the company was on a two-week shutdown, then put his supervisor on the line. Asked about arms shipments to Israel, the supervisor said they were not true and that CBC News would hear from company spokesperson Berkley Whaley. Whaley did not communicate in time for this publication. A message left on a Florida number listed in her name on the company website was not returned. Shoufani says the report suggests that without a blanket prohibition on shipment of military goods to and from Israel, governments will continue to obfuscate and companies will continue to ship. "What we're saying here is in a moment where so much of the world is pointing to what's taking place in Gaza and calling it a genocide, where the International Criminal Court is saying that this is a plausible genocide, for the Canadian government to go beyond the language of pausing permits, beyond confusions around which permits are active and which ones aren't, and actually implement a comprehensive arms embargo."
