Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion says he is prepared to cancel the export permits for a controversial arms sale to Saudi Arabia if there is any evidence the armored vehicles made in Canada are used in human rights violations.

“As with all export permits, the minister of foreign affairs retains the power to revoke at any time the permit should the assessment change,” said Dion, pointing out that there is no indication that Canadian-made armored vehicles sold to Saudi Arabia in the past have been used to violate human rights.

“Should I become aware of credible information of violations related to this equipment, I will suspend or revoke the permits. We are watching this closely and will continue to do so.”

Speaking to reporters on his way into Question Period where the government came under fire for the deal, Dion defended the $15 billion sale, saying Canada’s credibility would be harmed if it didn’t honor the contract negotiated in 2014.

“Credibility matters. The Liberal Party committed during the 2015 election campaign to respect the previously agreed contract. The Conservatives and the NDP did the same during the campaign. Our government will not weaken the credibility of the signature of the government of Canada.”

Cancelling the contract would also hamper Canada’s efforts to convince Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record, Dion argued.

“If we drop the contract, we will set back the clock on those productive efforts too and we will simply hand the contract to a non-Canadian, potentially more ambivalent provider.”

Dion’s comments come following the revelation by the Globe and Mail that while the Conservative government initially endorsed the deal to sell $15 billion worth of armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia – one of the biggest arms sales in Canadian history – it was Dion who signed the expert permits on Friday, a crucial step in the sale that many had thought had already taken place.

When they came to power, Trudeau’s Liberals indicated the sale was a done deal and their hands were tied. Without the export permits, however, the sale would have been stalled.

Global Affairs Department documents stamped secret and released by the Justice Department this week in response to a court challenge to the sale, indicate the department recommended the deal because it could help Saudi Arabia in its conflict with neighboring Yemen.

However, Conservative Foreign Affairs Critic Tony Clement said there was no understanding the vehicles could be used in Yemen when the Conservative government first endorsed the contract. He is concerned that changes in the region since then mean that the armored vehicles could be used against civilians.

“The hinge on the deal in the first place was it was not going to be used to facilitate human rights abuses, it was going to be used in the fight against terrorism. If that is no longer the case then I have no hesitation in saying the deal should be torn up.”

Clement was also sharply critical of Dion, saying he secretly signed the export permits necessary for the massive arms sale.

“What a strange way to learn for a government that claims to be more transparent than the last government and more open than the last government and more collaborative than the last government – they’re not living up to their promises.”

Clement said he would like to see the government’s most recent reports on the situation in the area and for the foreign affairs committee to hold hearings on the issue.

“The facts on the ground are changing, as they always do in that region – it is a very incendiary part of the world. It is changing and that’s why there should be a more modern review of the situation to make sure that the original terms of the deal are still valid.”

The $15 billion contract for the vehicles became an issue during the election campaign, particularly in London, Ontario where the vehicles are built. The contract is tied to an estimated 3,000 jobs.

However, Clement said if the vehicles risk being used against civilians the deal should be cancelled, even if it costs jobs.

“I’m sorry. Of course every job is precious but it is very clear that Canadians do not want to be involved directly or indirectly in the suppression of civilian populations who are seeking their civic liberties.”

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair called on the Liberal government to make public Canada’s human rights assessments of Saudi Arabia and accused the Liberals of misleading Canadians about when the deal was signed.

Well, you know, here’s the number one thing that we need with that Saudi arms deal is that we need the government to come clean with what is in those human rights assessments. When the Liberals were in opposition, they wanted to see them. Now I’m going to say this straight up — and I don’t say it lightly — the government lied to Canadians about who signed what when in the Saudi arms deal, and that is a very serious matter. And I’m going to be calling the government to account on that.

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