New Democrats call on Canada to support international arms treaty

New Democrats call on Canada to support international arms treaty

MPs call on government join with international community and sign treaty










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February 9, 2012
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OTTAWA – Official Opposition Foreign Affairs Critic Hélène Laverdière today called on Members of Parliament to sign the Global Parliamentary Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty.

She was joined by Denise Savoie, the Deputy Speaker of the House to raise awareness about this important initiative which has received support by Parliamentarians of all political stripes around the world. The next round of negotiations for the Treaty will be held in New York City from February 13 – 17th.

“There is currently no international law with standard rules that governs the trade of arms,” said Denise Savoie (Victoria). “With the negotiations for the Arms Trade Treaty approaching fast, this is an opportunity for us all to show our support for an initiative that would prevent arms from falling into the wrong hands.”

“New Democrats are deeply concerned about the current status of the negotiations,” said Hélène Laverdière (Laurier – Ste-Marie), the Official Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs. Laverdière criticized the Harper Government’s position at the last round of negotiations held in July 2011. “As the Canadian delegation heads to New York City next week, we call on the Canadian government to change its position on the treaty. Mr. Harper needs to get his priorities straight in order to respect the safety and security of the international community.”