Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Michael Chong, Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, and James Bezan, Conservative Shadow Minister for National Defence, issued the following statement in response to reports of Canadian-made drone parts and detonators used by Russia against Ukraine:
“Conservatives are dismayed and deeply concerned by the discovery of Canadian-made components in Iranian drones that have been used by Russia in its illegal invasion to attack Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure.
“These lethal combat drones, such as the Shahed-136, are known as suicide or kamikaze drones because they explode upon reaching their target. Canadian parts are being used in these drones even though the Liberal government supposedly sanctioned the Iranian manufacturers.
“This is not the only case of Russia evading Canadian sanctions to aid in their war against Ukraine. Canadian-made electronic detonators have also been purchased by Russia, ending up in land mines meant to kill Ukrainians.
“The diversion of Canadian military exports to Russia are arming Putin’s war machine and costing the lives of innocent Ukrainians. They are also a violation of the arms export permits granted by the Trudeau government.
“Conservatives call on the Trudeau government to bring an end to these arms exports – and to conduct an investigation into the violation. The results of the investigation must be publicly released to provide accountability.
“This is not the first time the Trudeau government has failed to prevent the diversion of Canadian arms exports and violation of arms permits. The diversion of Canadian military exports are directly at odds with the government’s commitment to stand with Ukraine against Russian aggression.
“Sanctions mean nothing without enforcement. The Trudeau government has not only failed to prevent Canadian-made technology from being used by Russia to attack Ukraine – they have also failed to transfer desperately needed weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
“Conservatives stand with Ukraine. That is why we are calling on the Trudeau government to halt the diversions of arms exports to Russia, conduct an investigation, and be accountable for their failures that have helped Russia continue their aggression against Ukraine.”