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OTTAWA — The Liberal government shot down an NDP motion Tuesday that sought to create a House of Commons committee examining Canadian arms exports, as it continues to defend a controversial, $15-billion deal with Saudi Arabia.

The party positioning itself as the “progressive opposition” is still fighting. As of Tuesday morning, the NDP had garnered 2,300 signatures on a petition launched last week that asked supporters to “tell Ottawa to put lives before profits.”

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“Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East, including to countries with a clear record of violence against their own citizens,” the petition says. “New Democrats are fighting for greater oversight and tougher rules to ensure Canadian-made weapons are never used to crush dissent or harm civilians.”

But the Liberal government has tried to position itself in the middle ground, saying the sale of light-armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is a job creator, despite reports indicating the Saudis have used similar vehicles against dissidents.