Conservatives Must Not Allow Ideological Interests to Water Down Arms Trade Treaty Implementation

April 2, 2013

SHEDIAC, NB— Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Dominic LeBlanc made the following statement today on the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United Nations General Assembly:

“We welcome the approval of this landmark treaty, which if implemented in the spirit in which it was drafted, will result in a much safer world.

During the course of these negotiations, Canada abdicated a leadership role and instead hampered discussions by pushing to exempt sporting guns from the treaty, such as the Ruger Mini-14 used in the mass shootings at L’École Polytechnique in Montreal and on Utoya Island in Norway.

Now that the treaty has been passed with overwhelming international support, it will be exceptionally important to ensure that Canada’s implementation legislation does not allow for narrow ideological interests or internal politicking to undermine both global security and the safety of all Canadians.”