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Canada was going to provide the Kurds with Glock 17 pistols, C6 general purpose machine guns, C8 carbines, 60mm mortars etc. “The list of equipment comprised of small arms, ammunition and optical sights that has been acquired was originally intended to equip a force of between 500 – 600 Kurdish security force soldiers,” Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier told Defence Watch Wednesday.

There is support in some quarters of the federal government to ship the equipment to Ukraine.

But there are others who are arguing against that. They point out that such a move – providing small arms free of charge to Ukraine – would undercut Colt Canada, which is in the midst of a marketing effort to interest that country to purchase similar weapons.

Then there is the political optics of providing Ukraine with free military equipment. Ukraine exports more arms than Canada.

It is ranked at the 11th largest arms exporter in the world while Canada is ranked as 16th, according to the latest data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in March 2018. Ukraine has stopped its exports to its largest customer, Russia, but is still has customers in China and other Asian nations.

Ukraine’s government wants to significantly increase its arms exports and has stated that its plan is to become the 5th largest arms exporter in the world.

Before fighting began with Russian-backed rebels, Ukraine was selling large amounts of small arms and other gear. But much of its arms exports today is of the larger type of equipment – armoured vehicles, tanks, aircraft, aircraft engines, etc.

There is no indication of when Canada will make a decision on what to do with the arms purchased for the Kurds.