Canada And Iran Not That Different

When it comes to arms sales transparency. Canada has not released any arms sales export figures since 2002 and has not tracked sales to the U.S. since the 1940's (and has no figures at all on third party sales from that location).

The prolonged silence by Ottawa has now become an international embarrassment, said Ken Epps of Project Ploughshares, an arms control watchdog and peace group founded by the Canadian Council of Churches.

Epps cited a recent report by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based monitoring group, which dropped Canada's transparency rating on arms controls to just above that of Iran.

"Canada's rating is 11 on the scale out of 20 this year and the rating for Iran is 10.5," Epps said. "What does that say to you?"

It tells me there are some folks in our government who would be embarrassed if the information was made public.

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