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Export and import controls reports: Global Affairs Canada

The Annual reports to Parliament on the administration of the Export and Import Controls Permits Act and Report on the Export of Military Goods from Canada are tabled annually in the Parliament of Canada.

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Annual reports to parliament on the administration of the Export and Import Controls Permits Act

These are the reports of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the operations under the Export and Import Permits Act for the years 2011 to present.

The EIPA provides that the Governor-in-Council may establish lists known as the Import Control List (ICL), the Export Control List (ECL), the Area Control List (ACL), the Automatic Firearms Country Control List (AFCCL), and the Brokering Control List (BCL). For each of these lists, the EIPA sets out criteria that govern the inclusion of items or countries on the respective lists and provides that the Governor-in-Council may revoke, amend, vary, or re-establish any of the lists. Control over the flow of goods and technology contained in these lists or to the specified destinations is implemented through the issuance of import or export permits.

Reports on exports of military goods from Canada

The Report on the Export of Military Goods is tabled annually in the Parliament of Canada to promote transparency around Canadian exports of military items. The report provides information on the export of military goods and technology from Canada in a given calendar year. Amendments to the Export and Import Permits Act, which came into force on September 1, 2019, have made it a legal requirement for the annual report to be tabled in Parliament prior to May 31 of the subsequent calendar year. Prior to this, the report had been produced voluntarily since 1990.

The statistics on military exports in the following reports were obtained from quarterly military reports conditions filed by exporters on the actual shipments for each of the permits issued to them under the Export and Import Permits Act. These reports include the country of destination and a description of the goods and their value.

Since permits are not required for the export of most Group 2 items to the United States, the reports do not include statistics on military exports to the United States.

Statistics relating to the export of military goods and technology, including conventional arms and ammunition, can be found in the "Report on Exports of Military Goods from Canada" published by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.  These statistics are based on the export of military goods and technology as identified in the Munitions List (Group 2) of Canada’s Export Control List, which reflect commitments made in the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies and commitments made in the Organization of American States, as well as certain additional unilateral controls implemented by Canada.  Canada’s export control regime, including the Export Control List, is established and administered under the authority of Canada's Export and Import Permits Act.

Other statistics regarding the export of arms and ammunitions can be found on other government sites such as Industry Canada's "Trade Data On-Line" and Statistic Canada’s “Canadian Industrial Merchandise Trade Database”. This data is compiled based on categories of items negotiated at the World Customs Organization for the purpose of applying global customs tariff codes. The "Arms and Ammunitions" category of items negotiated via the World Customs Organization does not, in many cases, reflect what many countries would consider conventional arms and ammunition. (For example, goods such as flare guns used in oil and gas drilling, ammunition to frighten birds at airports, etc. may be listed under the “Arms and Ammunition” coding). The Canadian Commercial Corporation also generates their own export data based on contracts between Canadian suppliers and military end-users. Again, these statistics may include items which are not strictly military in nature, such as storage containers.

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