Since the sale by Canada of armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia in 2016, the authorities are regularly criticized for not taking into consideration, in the license application review, the possibility that armaments may be used in violation of human rights.
For the first time, on February 8th, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland announced in an allocution that “[Canada] would not allow the export of a controlled good if there was a substantial risk that it would be used to commit human rights violations”.
Following this announcement, Canadian government demanded a second review of the 16 Canadian helicopters sale contract to Philippines, to ensure that its use by Philippines armed forces would not contradict human rights. In this context, the President of the Philippines requested the cancellation of the contract.