WFM – Canada had engaged officials ahead of the September 5-7 meeting of the states parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in order to encourage the government to announce its intention to fix Canada’s flawed CCM implementing legislation. That legislation included a number of “exceptions” to the treaty’s general prohibition on use of cluster bombs, allowing Canadian personnel to participate in operations where cluster bombs were used when operating in combined operations with states not party to the treaty. As a result, it had been strongly criticized at the last Meeting of States Parties to the CCM.

Rather than announce an intention to revise the legislation, Canada used the occasion of this year’s meeting to defend Bill C-6. In a statement by the Cluster Munition Coalition on national implementation, Canada’s legislation was once again singled out for criticism.