Conventional weapons

Conventional weapons, which includes small arms and light weapons, cluster munitions and landmines, are relatively easy to access, particularly by non-state actors. This can make such groups a potent force capable of inflicting great harm on local populations. The illicit trafficking of conventional weapons undermines security and stability, particularly in vulnerable and volatile regions. Various international processes, most notably the Arms Trade Treaty to which Canada acceded in 2019, seek to regulate the flows of these weapons and prevent, or at least reduce, illicit proliferation.

Landmines and cluster munitions can collectively have major impacts on communities and populations. An area that is mined, or suspected of being mined, can render an entire region a no-go zone, severely disrupting economic and social activities. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of victims of landmines and cluster munitions suffering from horrendous and debilitating injuries that severely impact their ability to contribute to their societies and their overall quality of life.

Arms Trade Treaty

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a legally binding instrument that regulates and sets common standards for the international trade in conventional arms. The ATT promotes responsibility, transparency and accountability in the global arms trade but does not affect domestic firearms policies. It requires that State Parties assess the risk of negative effects of conventional arms exports, including violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including gender-based violence. A State Party shall not authorize the export if it determines that there is an over-riding risk of any of these negative consequences.

Canada’s Accession

Canada deposited its Instrument of Accession on June 19, 2019, and officially became a State Party to the ATT on September 17, 2019.

Implementation in Canada

In preparing for accession to the ATT, Canada took action to strengthen its export controls regime by enshrining in legislation, international humanitarian law and human rights considerations though Bill C-47 .Under the Export and Import Permits Act (EIPA), the Minister of Foreign Affairs must deny export permits applications if he or she has determined that there is a substantial risk that the export would result in a serious violation of international humanitarian law or human rights. This includes serious acts of gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women and children. Other criteria which would lead to a permit application denial include a substantial risk that the proposed export could be used to undermine peace and security, or to further international organized crime or terrorism. Bill C-47 also established controls in the EIPA on brokering of military items and modified the Criminal Code to make brokering without a permit a criminal offence.

Anti-personnel mines

Canada has been a leader in the global movement to ban landmines. Canada has played a major role in the political process leading to the signature of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (also known as the Ottawa Treaty) in 1997. A quarter century later, anti-personnel mines remain a global humanitarian problem.

These indiscriminate remnants of war remain buried in nearly 60 countries where they continue to maim and kill civilians, drain medical resources, impede development and pose a major obstacle to peace.

The Convention has resulted in a drastic reduction in global landmine use and a significant decrease in the number of new mine victims. Since its signing 25 years ago, millions of mines have been destroyed and over 30 countries have been declared mine-free.

The Ottawa Treaty

In October 1996, Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy boldly challenged the international community to follow through with a global ban on landmines by announcing that Canada would hold a signing conference in December of the following year.

On December 3, 1997, 122 countries gathered in Ottawa to sign this landmark agreement.

Widely considered one of the most successful disarmament agreements in modern times, the Ottawa Treaty was unique in taking a comprehensive approach to banning landmines. The development of the Ottawa Treaty had its roots in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Lack of consensus however led supporters of a global ban on landmines to work on an independent legal instrument.

With their signature, states agree to immediately stop producing, transferring and using anti-personnel mines. States also agree to take on the following five obligations to contribute to the humanitarian eradication of landmines, collectively known as “mine action”:

destroy stockpiled anti-personnel mines within four years
clear all remaining mined areas within ten years
assist victims of mines and explosive remnants of war
raise awareness and provide mine risk education
promote the goals of the Convention and advocate for its universalization

Canadian mine action

Canada supports mine action through a range of peace and security and development assistance programs.

This commitment reflects our focus on mine action as a key promoter for sustainable development and peace in mine-affected regions. It restores access to water and arable land and enables the provision of health and education services. Our work also facilitates the return of displaced persons, protects livestock and economic activities essential to development, and increases access to services for all people with needs similar to landmine survivors.

Mine action also supports the empowerment of women and girls by increasing their physical safety, improving their access to essential services and providing opportunities for women to be agents of change in their communities.

Cluster munitions

Canada is committed to putting an end to the use of cluster munitions and addressing their devastating impacts on civilians. Canada joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions in September 2015.

Cluster munitions typically contain large quantities of explosive sub-munitions that can blanket a large area in a short time. Many types are likely to have an indiscriminate effect when used, and leave a large number of unexploded “duds” that endanger local populations for decades after conflict has ended.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions

The Convention on Cluster Munitions came into force in 2010. It bans the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling and transfer of all cluster munitions.

Founded in the same spirit as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions also:

sets specific deadlines for the destruction of stockpiles of cluster munitions (eight years) and clearance of contaminated areas (10 years)
provides risk education for vulnerable populations, as well as assistance for victims and their families and communities
obligates states that can do so to assist other, affected, states to fulfill their responsibilities under the Convention
allows participating states to continue to engage effectively in combined security operations with states not party to the Convention

Canada and the Convention on Cluster Munitions

On March 16, 2015, the Act to Implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force. Canada ratified the convention the same day. In July 2014, the Canadian Armed Forces completed the destruction of its remaining cluster munitions stockpiles. Since then, Canadian Armed Forces-led missions no longer use cluster munitions.

Canada supports the clearance of unexploded cluster munitions through a range of peace and security and development assistance programs.

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

In 1980, the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) was adopted. Canada was among the first group of countries to sign the convention when it opened for signature in 1981.

The CCW emerged from the need to restrict the use of specific weapons causing unnecessary suffering to combatants or that make it difficult to avoid harming civilians. The CCW itself contains general provisions, while restrictions on specific weapons are contained in annexed Protocols. The CCW is also a forum for states and civil society organizations to bring attention to and create dialogue around new issues of concern within conventional weapons use and development. Currently these include Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas and Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel Mines.

Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems

Recent years have seen significant advances in machine learning and autonomous technologies. We are concerned with the possible implications of how these and other developments could be integrated into Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). Weapons which did not maintain appropriate human involvement would be unethical and noncompliant with international humanitarian law. States are currently considering the issue in the CCW. The CCW is providing technical, legal and political experts a forum to exchange information, agree on definitions and dialogue. Canada supports the work of the Convention to consider LAWS.

Advancing universalization and national implementation

Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program provides support to intergovernmental and civil society organizations to advance the universalization and national implementation of conventional arms control treaties, including the provision of legislative and technical assistance to states parties, or states seeking to become parties. Canada also works with international organizations and key decision-makers to support the effective inclusion of gender analysis in arms control discussions.

Key initiatives

Canada is supporting the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the Implementation Support Units of the Ottawa Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Canada also supports the Arms Trade Treaty through the provision of funding to its Sponsorship Programme.
Canada is supporting the development and systematic application of gender perspectives in conventional arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament through the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)’s Gender and Disarmament Programme It is also supporting Control Arms in the development of a methodology to identify and monitor progress on the Gender and Gender-Based Violence Action Plan (adopted at the 5th Conference of States Parties in 2019). With Canadian support, Control Arms is also developing a policy paper on practical guidelines regarding violence against children as related to Article 7.4 of the ATT (which requires States Parties to take into account the risk of conventional arms transfers “being used to commit or facilitate serious acts of gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women and children”).
Canada also provides financial support to the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), which works to strengthen the universalization and effective national implementation of the Ottawa Treaty. This support includes assisting the United Nations Mine Action Service in the development of International Mine Action Standards, supporting State Parties in the development of national mine action plans, and developing and delivering online training to ensure that gender and diversity are effectively mainstreamed in national mine action programmes.
Canada provides funding to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines – Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) to strengthen universalization and implementation of the Ottawa Treaty and the CCM. Through this funding, ICBL-CMC supports Mines Action Canada’s Mine Action Fellows Program, providing training and engagement opportunities (including providing advocacy platforms at annual Convention meetings) to youth representatives, specifically young women, on landmine and cluster munitions issues, victim assistance, and the rights of persons with disabilities.
Canada is supporting the HALO Trust to help address the significant gender imbalance in the field of weapons and ammunition management (WAM) by providing technical training to women. This training allows women to take on technical positions in this male-dominated sector and deliver technical trainings on WAM to security institutions in host countries.
Canada is also making significant contributions to support Ukraine in addressing the high level of contamination from cluster munitions, landmines and other explosive remnants of war resulting from Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion. For example, Canada is providing $22.5 million in urgently required demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) equipment to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine to help it clear these dangerous munitions from civilian areas, enabling these spaces to be safely returned to productive use.

Language selection

Search