A lone gunman walks into an elementary school carrying an assault weapon with the intent to shoot and kill as many children as he can, days before the start of the Christmas holidays.
The tragic events of the Newtown, Conn. massacre on Dec. 14 which killed 20 children and six school faculty stunned the world and pushed to the top of the U.S. political agenda the need to review gun and ownership rights. While random and senseless violence committed with assault weapons will not end with the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, public opinion is growing for an all-out ban on military-style assault weapons.
While the U.S. mobilizes on the gun issue, Canada, just one day before the Newtown massacre offered gun merchants, “new market opportunities to export banned assault weapons to Colombia, one of the world’s most violent countries,” wrote Mike Blanchfield of the Canadian Press.
Reading Mr.Blanchfield’s article in the Globe and Mail, I was outraged. How could Canada, a country not known for gun violence, export under a recommendation of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, automatic weapons with high-capacity magazines to Colombia?
If Canadians don’t tolerate automatic weapons on their streets, or near their schools, why should Colombians?
It seems the recently signed free trade agreement between the two countries looks beyond mining opportunities to also benefit international weapons manufacturers and open up new market opportunities in a country trying to emerge from a decades-old conflict, which every year claims the lives of tens of thousands of Colombians.
According to the senior reporter, selling assault weapons to Colombia would provide “residents of Canada with the opportunity to explore and compete for contracts in Colombia.” Reading the fine print, it seems that the Canadian government wants its residents to become involved in Colombia’s civil conflict.
Yet, Colombians are shunned by the Canadian government when it comes to restrictive visas and immigration reviews. In the Colombian capital, the Canadian Embassy has a closed-door policy regarding Colombians applying for tourism visas. An exception among other consular representations, the Canadian Embassy refuses to give face-to-face interviews with potential visitors, and Colombians must mail in their passports, often waiting weeks before receiving a standard issue “denial” letter.
As a Canadian living for more than 20 years in Colombia, it baffles me how Canada’s foreign policy with this South American country looks to sell weapons, which could end up on a black market and quickly in the hands of a 12,000 strong guerilla force of the FARC.
Then you have the children recruited into the rank and file of many private security forces and armed gangs which roam the countryside committing massacres; such as one perpetrated last November on a farm near Medellín in the town of Santa Rosa de Osos, when paramilitaries shot 10 tomato farmers who refused to pay an extortion. Does Canada really want blood on its hands by indirectly providing the firepower responsible for killing Colombian workers?
There seems to be a sordid double morality in Canada’s engagement with Colombia. As a first world nation, Canada is known for defending civil liberties around the world, and offers immigrants a unique opportunity to make a home of the vast northern country, offering new residents unprecedented access to free health care and education.
The Globe and Mail article claims that Colombia is “plagued” by “serious human-rights abuses” and “its emergence as a world-leading cocaine producer.” Read these words, and Colombia – one would believe – deserves to stay on a Canadian “black list” of rogue countries.
But nothing could be further from journalistic integrity and real, on the ground, truths. Colombia is hardly an emerging cocaine producer. All drug reports published from international governments, anti-narcotics agencies and divisions, even NGOs, show an important decline in cocaine production and exports from Colombia during the last decade. So we are hardly on the “emergence.”
Yet stereotypes are hard to shake off, even at a time when Canadian mining and exploration companies are eager to tap into the rich natural resources of Colombia. With Colombia on a list of nations where prohibited firearms can now be exported, Canada’s open door gun policy with this country seems to contrast with its closed-door policy on immigration.
Colombians may not be welcome to enter Canada as tourists and pump their hard-earned dollars into the Canadian economy, but Canadian “residents” (not necessarily “citizens”) can go after multi-million dollar weapons contracts, which inevitably push up the death toll with massacres and extrajudicial killings in Colombia. The shooting of young sons and daughters in small towns across Colombia doesn’t generate the same coverage as one mass shooting in North America.
While we share in the grief of Newtown’s parents, as a Canadian, I am ashamed that much of our foreign policy with Colombia is arms based. When a civilized nation takes this type of mercenary approach to a friendly regional ally, there seems little interest from Ottawa in helping a brave Colombia forge ahead with its historic peace.
14 Responses to Canada’s dangerous policy
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How about writing an article about what Canada and Colombia have in common? culturally,technologically, many great products that they trade with each other, introducing Colombian history and heritage to Canadians and vice versa….it is counter productive to write about irrelevant negative issues that try to divide the great people of these two nations…governments usually lean towards conservative or liberal and their agendas change all the time…so to go as far as to imply that canadians are going to sell guns to colombians is simply naive, fear mongering and divisive
Irrelevant negative issues? POR FAVOR! nothing could be further from the truth,gun sales to Colombia will never be irrelevant.
Just because the government makes it a policy, doesn’t mean people are running to sell Colombians guns…it probably was part of the free trade agreement that colombia agreed to but i’m certain canadians have no interest in buying,trading or selling guns….that business is usually conducted by very select group to begin with…..and besides i’m sure there are many other countries that are already selling to colombia….how about maple syrup for the pancakes?
I do not believe the general population will be able to purchase such weapons, I can see contracts with the miliatry( thou doubtful the military would buy since they have a nice deal with Israel) so it would leave maybe security companies as buyers, other wise limited customers…..
Good article, Richard. I’m equally outraged as well. You’re missing one key point though: has the Santos government pronounced about this issue at all? At the end of the day, the govt is the only one who can stop/control this.
That anyone in Canada could think it’s a good idea to sell guns to Colombia is unbelievable.
And what a terrible message that sends to Colombians — Thanks for the Free Trade agreement and giving us access to your natural resources, now we’re going to load you up with guns and contribute to the sadness and misery you’ve suffered from for so long.
Mr. Baird, give your head a shake. You’re going to be getting an email from me in about 5 minutes, and so will my local MP.
I hope that other responsible minded Canadians will do the same thing. What Dionisio says here on this thread says everything. If you want to send something to Colombia send peace — not something that’s going to end up with blood on our hands.
Thank you for your words Shawn. Very much appreciated. Always nice to get intelligent feedback.
Brilliant article and so true
I got stanned reading this article! I have considered Canada as a country to follow duet its public policies and calm style of life. I still don-t believe it. That we need in Colombia is something different than guns. I-m colombian and I have witnessed a lot of violence around me. Please stop sending guns to my country. That we need is peace!
I think you all need to be balanced and fair. One cannot blame the sale of anything legal for use in illegal activity. Perhaps the issues is that guns are NOT illegal here in Colombia. “A brave Colombia”? Give me a break. I amliving here now and I can tell you that there is nothing brave about Colombia. As a Canadian, sir, your article is shameful.
Thank you for comment. I do consider Colombia and it 45 million inhabitants to be “brave” having endured decades of bloodshed by armed criminal groups. Many Colombians go to work everyday, in remote villages not knowing if they will have a village standing or family members kidnapped. My use of “brave” is all encompassing. As a fellow Canadian, I thank you for reading us.
I will consider Colombia “brave” when wowmen have qual rights, when there is an end to child enslavement (aka working) and other social issues worked on, an end to EXTREME political corruption, etc. Colombians have to go to work every day, as do we all. I am here never knowing if I will be kidnapped. I stand by my comments and reject your ensational, unfair and not well-thought out article.
A look into whether these weapons will be made available to the Colombian population at large or only the Colombian military would be enlightening. If they’re sold to the population, I’d be interested to know what, if any, gun control laws exist in Colombia.
If they are just sold to the military, then I see no difference between this and what the United States has been doing under ‘Plan Colombia’ for what, the past 30 years?
I have a similar view:
http://talkingaboutcolombia.com/2013/01/10/canada-sells-colombia-weapons-which-are-banned-in-canada/
I simply don’t understand why my two countries can’t use free trade for other goods besides guns.