Question Period Note: Canada-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Relations

The bilateral relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) remains fractured as Saudi punitive measures against Canada remain in place.

• Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, including women's rights and freedom of expression, around the world. These are values that we share with many allies and partners on the world stage.

• Canada remains concerned about the dispute's impact on Canadian citizens and businesses.

• In 2019, Canada strengthened its export permit legislation and acceded to the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). All export permit applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the ATT criteria, regardless of the country of destination,

• The Government's review of arms exports to Saudi Arabia, announced in November 2018, is still ongoing and no final decision has been made.

• No new export permits for controlled goods and technology have been issued during the review period. We must await the findings of the final review.

G20 Presidency: KSA is chair of the G20, 2020. Hosting a number of meetings throughout the year culminating in the Leaders' Summit in November. KSA presidency is criticized by some human rights groups.
Bilateral Dispute:The last ministerial engagement was an exchange between the Minister of International Trade and his Saudi counterpart on the margins of the G20 Trade Ministerial in June.

Human Rights: KSA's overall human rights record remains poor, freedom of expression remains highly restricted. The dismantlement of the guardianship system, including lifting the ban on women driving and removing women's restrictions to obtain passports, improved their life and allowed them to participate more actively in society. Trials and detention of women's rights activists are an indication of the State's unwillingness to allow personal expression and desire to control its subjects.

Review of Arms Exports: In November 2018, in the aftermath of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland announced a review of arms exports to KSA and effectively imposed a moratorium on the issuance of new export permits for controlled goods and technology to KSA during the review period. No new export permits have been issued for controlled items destined to KSA. On September 17, 2019, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs provided an interim update to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the review. When it was made public on November 13, 2019. Since November 2018, officials have been examining areas of concern, including the human rights situation in KSA and the conflict in Yemen to identify the types of exports that could be considered to give rise to a risk. Officials conducting the review are taking into account various considerations, including reporting by UN fact-finding bodies and by non-governmental organisations, and recent media reports.
To date, officials have found no credible evidence linking Canadian exports of military equipment or other controlled items to any IHRL and IHL violations committed by the Saudi government. This review is still ongoing. No final decision has been made.

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