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US-Canada Agreement on Defense Export Controls |
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(Source : US State Department ; dated June 19, Web-posted June 20, 2000)
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Following is the text of a joint United States-Canada statement on Defense Export Controls:
Since WWII, our two nations have shared a commitment to maintaining a strong, integrated North American defense industrial base, to help fulfill our defense and security responsibilities to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the North American Aerospace Defense Agreement (NORAD) and for the common defense of our national territories.
We also share an equally strong commitment to maintaining a secure North American perimeter for defense export controls in order to protect against illegal re-transfers of controlled defense goods and technology.
The October 1999 agreement-in-principle announced on the occasion of the meeting between President Clinton and Prime Minister Chretien identified steps both countries agreed to take to advance these key objectives. We have now reached agreement on a coordinated package of national regulatory and legislative measures, to strengthen our respective defense trade control regimes, practices and enforcement, and thus ensure the control of defense technologies that both our nations need to protect.
As part of this agreement, Canada has put forward new legislation, and will put forward new regulatory provisions, that will strengthen Canadian defense export controls. As a result of those changes, Canada's Export Control List will control the same defense goods and technology as identified in the U.S. Munitions List.
The United States, concurrent with Canadian legislative and regulatory changes, intends to revise its defense trade control regulations to reinstate most of the pre-April 1999 Canadian exemption, allowing for license-free transfer for most U.S.-origin unclassified defense goods and technology to Canada.
The United States confirms its intent to expand the exemption to allow for license-free access to such U.S.-origin exports by Canadian citizens, including Canadian dual nationals, and Canadian permanent residents. The United States also intends to expand the prior exemption to permit the export without license of certain additional defense goods and technical data.
As part of this process, the United States and Canada will meet at least annually, and as necessary, in a consultative group to review their export control systems, including addressing changes to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and Export Permit Regulations.
Our two governments plan to undertake a full assessment in the last quarter of 2000 of the progress made in implementing and enforcing our respective legislative and regulatory changes. Further, depending on the outcome of early consultations with the US Congress, we will actively explore opportunities for expanding the list of defense goods and technology that are subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) exemption, and to facilitate cooperation in research, development, and production of defense goods and technology, taking full account of responsible business practices in this field and relevant nonproliferation policies and practices.
Our two governments are committed to implement and enforce our respective new national steps fully and vigorously. We are committed to cooperate fully to ensure that our respective industries have a full understanding of the new legislative and regulatory changes and the operation of our respective export controls.
In this way, Canada and the United States will protect our mutual security interests to the maximum extent possible within the context of robust defense industrial cooperation.
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