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Status and purpose

• Bill C-233 was introduced for first reading on September 19, 2025. It would amend the Export and Import Permits Act to align it more fully with the Arms Trade Treaty and remove country-specific exemptions for military goods.

Export and Import Permits Act changes

• Coverage: Clarifies that arms, ammunition, implements and munitions of war include parts, components and technology necessary for their assembly or use.
• Export controls and permits: Prohibits destination-based exemptions from the Export Control List for those goods and technology. The Minister could not issue general export or general brokering permits for them.
• Risk assessment: Expands an export-control purpose to cover substantial risks that goods could be used to commit or facilitate specified international crimes. Permit considerations would include potential misuse in either the destination country or the country of end use, and whether the destination country is an Arms Trade Treaty party.
• End-use certificates: Requires the Minister to obtain a government end-use certificate from the applicant before issuing a permit where there is a substantial risk of specified violations or acts and the certificate would sufficiently mitigate that risk. The bill also provides for regulations on certificate form and contents.
• Reporting: By May 31 each year, the Minister must table reports in both Houses on the Act’s operations and on military goods exported under individual export permits. The latter must include permit lists, monthly quantities and values by destination, assessment summaries, specified refusals and treaty-compliance measures.

Transitional provisions

• All export or brokering permits issued before royal assent would expire 180 days afterward. For affected military goods not yet exported, a new application would be deemed submitted and reviewed on an expedited basis.
• Pending applications made before royal assent would be reviewed under the amended Act.
• General Export Permit No. 47, covering Arms Trade Treaty items exported to the United States, would remain valid for 180 days after royal assent despite the new general-permit prohibition.

Who is affected

• Exporters and brokers of military goods and technology, permit applicants, destination-country governments providing certificates, and the Minister responsible for administering the Act. The expiry rule also applies to other export or brokering permits issued before royal assent.