Key
developments since May 2001: Canada continued to play a key leadership role
in promoting universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
It co-organized regional conferences in Malaysia, Thailand, and Tunisia. It
facilitated stockpile destruction in a number of countries. It has served as
co-chair of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and coordinated the
Universalization Contact Group. Government contributions to mine action
programs rose significantly to C$27.7 million (US$17.9 million) in its fiscal
year 2001/2002.
MINE BAN POLICY
Canada signed and ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on 3
December 1997. National implementation legislation was enacted in November 1997
and the treaty entered into force for Canada on 1 March
1999.[1]
Canada provided logistical support and financial assistance for the
organization of the Third Meeting of States Parties held in Managua, Nicaragua
from 18-21 September 2001. Canada’s Ambassador for Mine Action, Daniel
Livermore, led the delegation to the meeting and Kerry Brinkert, a member of the
delegation, was named Deputy Secretary-General of the meeting. Mines Action
Canada (MAC), the national NGO coalition, participated in the official
delegation.
In Canada’s general statement, Ambassador Livermore reaffirmed Canada's
commitment to universalization, implementation, and compliance efforts of the
Mine Ban Treaty.[2] Canada was
the only delegation at the meeting that explicitly expressed concern about mine
use by certain governments, including non-States Parties Angola, Myanmar
(Burma), the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and
Uzbekistan.[3]
Canada has taken the lead in addressing issues related to implementation of
the treaty’s Article 8 on compliance. Ambassador Livermore noted that
while progress was made over the past year, “further work is required to
better understand – through the ‘spirit of cooperation’ that
is characteristic of the Ottawa Convention – how we can use a broader set
of means to clarify concerns about compliance. Canada also encourages an open
dialogue on concerns about compliance as they arise, and an acceptance that we
as States Parties all have a role to play in facilitating these
discussions.”[4] Canada
undertook extensive consultations and tabled a non-paper on Article 8 at both
the January and May 2002 intersessional Standing Committee meetings.
Canada continued its active role in the development and execution of the
intersessional work program. It participated in all the intersessional Standing
Committee meetings in January and May 2002. It co-chaired the intersessional
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration,
together with Honduras. Canada also helped develop a proposal to establish an
Implementation Support Unit (ISU) and subsequently provided funds to the
ISU’s operations.[5] It
agreed to continue its facilitation of the informal Universalization Contact
Group. Canada remained an active contributor to the Coordinating Committee of
States Parties. It continued to provide financial support to the Geneva
International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) Sponsorship Fund, which
enables mine-affected states and others to participate in the Mine Ban Treaty
meetings. Canada has acted as the Chair of the Sponsorship Fund since its
inception in the year 2000.
On 24 April 2002, Canada submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report,
for the period 16 February 2001 to 1 March 2002. The report included the
optional Form J, on activities undertaken by Canada to provide for the care and
rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration of mine victims for the
reporting period.[6]
Canada cosponsored and voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution
56/24M, calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty.
International Promotion of the Mine Ban Treaty
In 2001 and 2002 Canada cosponsored and/or funded a
number of regional meetings to familiarize states with the Mine Ban
Treaty’s aims and obligations, while ensuring conference participants and
government officials were aware of regional or international initiatives and
programs to assist with treaty obligations such as clearance or stockpile
destruction.
On 8-9 August 2001, Canada co-hosted a “Regional Seminar on Stockpile
Destruction of AP Mines and Other Munitions,” hosted by Malaysia in Kuala
Lumpur. Canada and Tunisia organized a “Regional Seminar on the Ottawa
Convention,” in Tunis from 15-16 January 2002. A “Workshop on the
Ottawa Convention and Mine Action,” held in Kinshasa on 23 May 2002, was
the result of a joint initiative with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Canada
co-sponsored a three-day seminar for ASEAN states on “Landmines in South
East Asia,” from 13-15 May in Bangkok, hosted by Thailand. Canada
assisted in preparations to hold Afghanistan’s first-ever major conference
on landmines in late July 2002.
Canadian officials led by General (Ret’d) Maurice Baril, former
Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff, visited Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,
Finland, and Poland to discuss ratification or accession to the Ottawa
Convention with defense and foreign affairs officials.
From 3-5 December 2001, Canada participated in a regional conference in Miami
on “Mine Action in Latin America.” It spoke at an OAS Hemispheric
Security Committee session on landmines in March 2002. Canada voted in support
of three OAS resolutions pertaining to mines and mine action at the fourth
plenary session of the OAS in Barbados in June
2002.[7] Canada undertook a
mission to Guyana and Suriname in early May 2002 to encourage these governments
to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty.[8]
Suriname subsequently ratified on 23 May 2002
In the lead-up to the annual G8 meeting held in Kananaskis, Canada from 26-27
June 2002, Canada chaired a meeting of the G8 Foreign Ministers in which they
agreed to support the Afghan authorities in their work to “eliminate the
threat of landmines.”[9]
Prior to the opening of the G8 meeting, Ministers Graham and Whelan met with
civil society groups at the alternative G6B Forum in Calgary, where Graham
replied to a question from the audience on landmines by saying, “We
continue our pressure both on the United States and on Russia to sign the treaty
and come on board.... I also raised this with Mr. Ivanov when I've met him in
terms of where Russia should be. We'll continue to work in every possible way
in all fora to make sure we can remove landmines around the
world.”[10]
Canada continued to work closely with and provide financial support to the
ICBL, and its Landmine Monitor initiative.
Support for stockpile destruction remained a priority. In this reporting
period, Canada contributed over C$1 million to support other countries to
destroy their stockpiles. In July 2001, it provided US$200,000 to an
eight-country project sponsored by Canada and managed by the NATO Maintenance
and Supply Agency (NAMSA) to assist Albania to destroy 1.6 million mines. The
project was completed in April 2002. In a second NATO Partnership for Peace
program, Canada joined Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and the UK in
jointly allocating over US$1 million to assist Moldova to eliminate
antipersonnel mines and other
items.[11] It provided explosives
to the Mines Advisory Group in Cambodia for use in destruction of mines and
unexploded ordnance.[12]
Canada has also sponsored a NAMSA-managed project supported by the
Netherlands, Poland, and Hungary to destroy 400,000 PMN mines in Ukraine.
Canadian officials visited Ukraine from 3-6 February 2002 and 4-6 June 2002 to
attend coordination meetings as part of the destruction agreement with Ukraine.
On 25 February 2002, NAMSA and the State Commission for Defence and Industrial
Complex of Ukraine signed a contract with the Ukrainian firm
“Spivdruzhnist” to conduct the destruction. The preparation phase
of the project began immediately and the NATO Secretary-General formally opened
the project in July 2002 at the destruction facility in Donetsk,
Ukraine.[13]
Canada and Australia provided funds for the Managua Challenge Fund,
administered by the Organization of American States, which facilitated
completion of stockpile destruction by Ecuador, Peru and Honduras prior to the
Third Meeting of States Parties in September
2001.[14] Canada also provided
financial support to Yemen to complete their stockpile destruction program ahead
of the treaty deadline.
Domestic Promotion and Awareness of the Mine Ban Treaty
On 3 December 2001, activities marking the
anniversary of Canada’s signature and ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty
included a photo exhibit on landmines in Ottawa attended by Senator Finestone,
the Special Advisor on Landmines. Finestone announced a further contribution of
C$125,000 to the Landmine Survivors Network for its “Raising the
Voices” training program for mine survivor
advocates.[15] DFAIT sponsored
another Raising The Voices graduate, Margaret Arach of Uganda, to speak at a
number of public and media events in Calgary during the G8 Summit.
During March 2002, Canadian Landmine Awareness Week (CLAW) saw over 56 events
in 12 cities organized by Mines Action Canada to commemorate the anniversary of
the entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty. The Premier of Manitoba province,
Gary Doer, declared 1 March “Landmine Mine Awareness Day” and the
mayors of Halifax, Montreal, and Ottawa made similar
proclamations.[16] MAC arranged a
speaking tour by seven youth landmine survivors, practitioners and activists
from Cambodia, Colombia, Kosovo, Pakistan, and Peru. At the end of the week,
these guests joined with Canadian youth from Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto to
participate in a “Youth In Advocacy” forum in Ottawa.
In 2001 and 2002, MAC continued to collaborate with DFAIT and the Canadian
Red Cross in the Youth Mine Action Ambassadors Program
(YMAAP).[17] MAC’s
Technology Competition is now in its fourth year.
Convention on Conventional Weapons
Canada is a State Party to the Convention on
Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. In its
annual Article 13 report submitted on 15 November 2001, Canada noted that
obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty “encompass and go beyond
Canada’s obligations as a state party to Protocol II as
Amended.”[18] Canada
attended the annual meeting of Amended Protocol II of the CCW and the Second
Review Conference of the CCW, both held in Geneva in December 2001.
During the Second Review Conference, Canada made several interventions on the
issue of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and supported the establishment of a
Group of Governmental Experts to discuss ways and means to address the issue.
Following the use of cluster munitions by the US in Afghanistan, Art
Eggleton, then-Minister of Defence, said, “Cluster bombs are not the same
thing at all [as antipersonnel landmines]. They are allowed by the legal
conventions with respect to the use of weaponry, as long as they are targeted at
military installations, and that is exactly what is
happening.”[19]
PRODUCTION, TRANSFER, STOCKPILING, AND DESTRUCTION
Production and transfer of antipersonnel mines in
Canada is prohibited under national
legislation.[20] There were no
changes in government policy on the issue of transfer versus transit of
antipersonnel mines in Canadian
territory.[21] A 13 February 2002
statement by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) reiterated,
“The Convention does not prohibit the transit of anti-personnel mines,
which is defined as the movement of anti-personnel mines within a state, or from
a state, to its forces abroad. Canada, however, discourages the use of Canadian
territory, equipment or personnel for the purpose of transit of anti-personnel
mines.”[22]
Canada destroyed its antipersonnel mine stockpile in 1997, with the exception
of those mines retained under the provisions of Article 3 for training and
testing.[23] As of 1 March 2002,
Canada retained 1, 947 anti-personnel
mines.[24]
During the reporting period the Department of National Defence received 290
antipersonnel mines from the United States (180 M-14) and the former Yugoslavia
(102 PMA-2 and 8 PMR-2A) for permitted
purposes.[25]
Canada expended 59 of its retained antipersonnel mines during the reporting
period, including 26 of the US M-14 mines, “for research and development
in countermine and humanitarian demining procedures and equipment for the
training of Canadian Forces personnel.” Canada has reported that it
“retains live anti-personnel mines to study the effect of blast on
equipment, to train soldiers on procedures to defuse live anti-personnel mines
and to demonstrate the effect of landmines,” and has provided additional
details about the use of its retained
mines.[26]
There was no change in government policy on antivehicle mines and
antihandling devices during the reporting period and Canada did not make any
statements on the matter during Mine Ban Treaty-related
meetings.[27]
USE
The Canadian Forces (CF) are prohibited from using
antipersonnel mines under the Mine Ban Treaty and Canada’s national
implementation legislation.
A Canadian soldier injured in Afghanistan was reported to possess a so-called
“Claymore” mine at the time of the
incident.[28] Claymore-type
directional fragmentation devices are not prohibited under the Mine Ban Treaty
when used in a command-detonated mode. The government stated that Canadian
Forces were deployed to Afghanistan with the “C19 Command Detonated
Defensive Weapon” and explained that “the C19 inventory...is
designed to be placed on the ground, aimed and controlled by a soldier who
assesses the situation and makes a deliberate decision as to detonation. The
Canadian Forces does not have, nor would be permitted to have, trip-wire or
victim-activating accessories for the C19 Command Detonated Defensive Weapons.
All Canadian Forces in Afghanistan are instructed to act in accordance with the
provisions of the Ottawa
Convention.”[29]
Joint Military Operations
Canada’s position on joint military
operations with a non-State Party who may use antipersonnel mines was presented
in great detail in Landmine Monitor Report
2001.[30] The DND reiterated
this position in February 2002 in response to various media reports and
questions surrounding Canadian Forces operating in cooperation with the US in
Afghanistan.[31]
In response to a media inquiry on the issue, a CF spokesperson confirmed DND
regulations that even if Canadian Forces are being commanded by other
nationalities, they will not be allowed to participate in the use of, or
planning for the use of, antipersonnel landmines. The official stated,
“Canadian soldiers will not be involved at all in using anti-personnel
landmines in Afghanistan .... We can't be in any way, shape or form involved
in their use.”[32]
In December 2001, then Defence Minister Eggleton told the ICBL that
“when participating in combined operations with foreign states, Canada
will not request, even indirectly, the use of anti-personnel mines and will not
agree to rules of engagement that authorize their use by the combined force.
This would not, however, prevent states that are not signatories to the
Convention from using anti-personnel mines for their own national purposes,
including in
Afghanistan.”[33]
MINE ACTION FUNDING
Canada's activities in humanitarian mine action
build on the Mine Ban Treaty as the framework for mine action and, almost
without exception, are structured to facilitate its universalization and full
implementation. Government activities in mine action go beyond provision of
funds to include promotion of regional and international cooperation, provision
of technical and administrative support for mine action centers, and donations
of equipment for clearance activities and protection of deminers. Canada also
supported the publication of a 188-page GICHD report entitled “Study of
Socio-Economic Approaches to Mine Action,” released at the May 2001
intersessional meetings.
The Canadian Landmine Fund, established in 1997 with total funds of C$100
million to be allocated over a period of five years, is entering its fifth and
final year.[34] Almost all of
Canada’s mine action funding comes from this fund, with other support
provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
In Canada’s most recent fiscal year (1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002),
Canadian government funding for mine action was C$27,693,300 (US$17.9
million).[35] This included
C$19.5 million (US$12.6 million) for mine action and victim assistance
activities in 31 countries, and another C$8.2 million (US$5.3 million) for
multilateral, regional and domestic mine action programs. In addition, Canadian
non-governmental organizations contributed more than C$1.2 million (some
US$780,000) to mine action programs worldwide.
The C$27.7 million in Canadian government mine action spending in fiscal year
2001/2002 represents a substantial increase over the C$21.8 million of the
previous fiscal year.
In January 2002, shortly after being appointed Minister for International
Cooperation, Susan Whelan participated in the Tokyo conference on aid and
reconstruction in Afghanistan, where she pledged C$100 million in financial
support for Afghanistan, including for mine action
programs.[36] Later she reported
that the first phase of this funding would include C$4 million for the United
Nations Mine Action Program for Afghanistan and C$1 million for the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) for “rehabilitation services for
victims of landmines and for other disabled or marginalized
persons.”[37]
Canadian Mine Action Recipients (FY 2001/2002)
Country
USD
CAN
Country
USD
CAN
Afghanistan
$3,811,910
$5,902,400
Jordan
$129,163
$200,000
Albania
$98,442
$152,500
Laos
$228,621
$354,000
Angola
$129,164
$200,000
Lebanon
$129,164
$200,000
Belarus
$49,383
$76,500
Macedonia, FYR
$57,461
$89,000
Bosnia
$1,168,059
$1,808,700
Mauritania
$18,922
$29,300
Cambodia
$1,409,164
$2,182,000
Moldova
$52,070
$80,600
Chad
$96,813
$150,000
Mongolia
$17,618
$27,300
Chile
$2,906
$4,500
Mozambique
$1,066,661
$1,651,600
Colombia
$48,437
$75,000
Nicaragua
$332,598
$515,000
Croatia
$210,886
$326,500
Sudan
$38,421
$59,500
DR Congo
$27,835
$43,100
Thailand
$295,972
$458,300
Eritrea
$1,072,063
$1,660,000
Uganda
$117,833
$182,500
Ethiopia
$135,381
$209,700
Ukraine
$236,500
$366,197
Guatemala
$51,666
$80,000
Yemen
$83,184
$128,800
Honduras
$208,609
$323,000
Yugoslavia
$1,239,975
$1,920,000
India
$16,145
$25,000
Total
$12,581,026
$19,480,997
Country
Agency
Purpose
Canadian $
US $
Mine Clearance
$9,888,500
$6,386,108
Demining
$1,637,600
$1,057,537
Chad
UNDP
Demining by the Chad Mine Action Centre
$150,000
$96,813
Chile
MUACC
Policy awareness and advocacy
$4500
$2,906
DR Congo
HI
Demining in Kisangani
$43,100
$27,835
Eritrea
UNDP
Demining capacity building
$410,000
$264,787
Ethiopia
UNDP
Demining capacity building
$140,000
$90,415
Guatemala
OAS
Demining
$80,000
$51,666
Jordan
Royal Corps of Engineers
Ambulances for deminers
$160,000
$103,331
Lao Republic
UNDP
UXO Lao
$150,000
$96,873
Nicaragua
OAS
Demining
$500,000
$322,911
Dogs
$119,200
$76,966
Bosnia-H
CIDC
Dog program I
$19,200
$12,384
Bosnia-H
ITF
Dog program II
$100,000
$64,582
Equipment
$1,005,100
$649,070
Afghanistan
Med-Eng Inc
Helmets and visors
$300,000
$193,746
Belarus
CIDC
Metal detectors
$76,500
$49,383
Cambodia
MAG
Fixor explosives
$70,700
$45,645
Ethiopia
HALO
Purchase of explosive equipment for demining
$69,600
$44,966
Macedonia
CIDC
Med-Eng suits & training
$89,000
$57,461
Thailand
PROMAC
$399,300
$257,869
General/Unspecified
$3,206,000
$2,070,510
Bosnia-H
HI
Akcjia Protic Mina Project
$422,000
$272,537
Bosnia-H
NPA
Sarajevo Canton Mine Clearance Project
$100,000
$64,582
Croatia
UNDP
Mine action program
$100,000
$64,582
Eritrea
UNMAS
Temporary security zone demining
$250,000
$161,455
Honduras
OAS
Demining program
$323,000
$208,609
Yemen
UNDP
Capacity building and info system
$91,000
$58,770
Yugoslavia
Danube Commission
Clearance of three bridges in Novi Sad
$120,000
$77,499
Yugoslavia
UNMAS/ UNMACC
Mine action program in Kosovo
$1,800,000
$1,162,476
Mapping
$496,600
$320,717
Mozambique
National Resources Canada
Maps
$496,600
$320,717
Surveys
$3,161,100
$2,041,502
Cambodia
Geospatial
Level One Survey
$1,765,700
$1,140,324
Eritrea
UNDP
Landmine Impact Survey
$750,000
$484,366
Mauritania
MAG
Assessment mission
$29,300
$18,922
Mozambique
CIDC
Level One Survey
$616,100
$397,890
Training
$262,900
$169,806
Lebanon
CIDC
Supply and train 2 mine dog detection units
$200,000
$129,164
Mozambique
Technical expert
$3,900
$2,539
Thailand
CIDC
Training on equipment
$59,000
$38,103
Integrated mine action
$861,000
$556,014
Cambodia
World Vision
Demining, MRE, victim assistance, advocacy
$185,000
$119,477
Mozambique
Canadian Autoworkers
$310,000
$200,205
Mozambique
Canadian Autoworkers
Demining, MRE, victim assistance, advocacy
$100,000
$64,582
Mozambique
Canadian Red Cross
Demining, MRE and victim assistance
$86,000
$55,502
Uganda
Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief
MRE and victim assistance
$180,000
$116,248
Mine awareness
$569,100
$367,531
Colombia
UNICEF
MRE
$75,000
$48,437
Eritrea
UNICEF Canada
MRE
$250,000
$161,455
India
IIPDEP
8 seminars in NE India & posters
$25,000
$16,145
Uganda
MAG
Mission
$2,500
$1,585
International
ICRC
MRE and victim assistance
$216,600
$139,909
Coordination
$694,800
$448,690
Bosnia
UNDP via ITF
BHMAC
$170,100
$109,854
UNDP
BHMAC
$400,000
$258,328
UNDP
BHMAC technical advisor
$100,000
$64,582
ITF
Administration charges
$24,700
$15,926
Information
$543,100
$350,759
Angola
UNDP
Database
$200,000
$129,164
Croatia
CIDC
Support to the mine action program
$226,500
$146,304
Mozambique
Consultant
Capacity building
$29,600
$19,105
Domestic
York University
$12,916 to support the Canadian Mine Action Student Essay Contest; 2
consultants ($14,854 and $16,791) mid-term evaluation of the PAHO project;
consultant ($11,625) to evaluate Ethiopia’s mine action program
$87,000
$56,186
Victim assistance
$7,229,700
$4,669,112
Afghanistan
Guardians Institute (Kandahar)
Rehabilitation: physiotherapy and prostheses
$202,400
$130,730
Afghanistan
UNOCHA
Mine action program
$4,400,000
$2,841,613
Afghanistan
UNDP
Comprehensive Disabled Afghans Program
$1,000,000
$645,821
Bosnia
Queen’s University (Canada)
Mine survivors peer counseling group
$172,700
$111,538
Slovenian ITF
Child mine survivors
$300,000
$193,746
Cambodia
Oxfam Quebec
Vocational reintegration
$160,600
$103,718
Jordan
LSN
Capacity building
$40,000
$25,832
Laos
Garneau International
Socio-economic reintegration and physical rehabilitation programs
A number of Canadian NGOs implement humanitarian
mine action or provide support to mine action efforts. Responses to Landmine
Monitor surveys indicate Canadian organizations are involved in mine clearance,
surveys, and capacity building for these activities, as well as mine risk
education and victim assistance.
[41]
The Canadian Landmine Foundation (CLF) in 2001 directly provided C$485,225 in
funding to mine action and victim assistance
projects.[42] CLF held its
“Night of a Thousand Dinners” international fundraising event on 30
November 2001; it reports that globally tens of thousands of people in 33
countries participated, raising over $1.4 million, including C$273,950 raised in
Canada.[43] CLF also launched its
new Canine Demine program in partnership with the Canadian International
Demining Corps. It continued to promote its “Adopt-A-Minefield
(Canada)” program, with projects in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Cambodia, Croatia, and Mozambique. They also launched the “Peacekeepers
Demining Fund.”
The Canadian Red Cross continued to operate its victim assistance program in
Tajikistan. From January to December 2001 the Canadian Red Cross provided
C$609,251 in funding, which accounted for about 82 percent of the center's
budget.[44] Approximately 12
percent of the beneficiaries are landmine survivors. The project was extended
to 31 December 2002.[45] The
Canadian Red Cross will have operated the program for four years at a total cost
of approximately C$2.3
million.[46]
In 2001, the Canadian Association for Mine and Explosive Ordnance Security
(CAMEO) completed its second year of providing assistance to their local partner
Operation Save Innocent Lives Sudan (OSIL) in southern Sudan, centered in Yei
and Nimule. Total CAMEO expenditures for the project in calendar year 2001 was
C$114,466.[47] The Hamilton
Conference of the United Church of Canada and the Episcopal Relief and
Development Agency of the Episcopal Church of the USA provided financial support
to CAMEO for the project. In 2002, CAMEO is continuing its work, with a second
grant provided by the Episcopal Relief and Development, and the Ottawa Diocese
of the Anglican Church of Canada.
The Canadian International Demining Corps (CIDC) operates its mine detection
dog program in Bosnia and Croatia. CIDC was part of a national survey of
Mozambique, which was completed in
2001.[48]
The Canadian Auto Workers union supports a demining, victim assistance, mine
awareness, and community rehabilitation program in Mozambique.
World Vision Canada is involved in mine risk education, survey, clearance,
and capacity building in Cambodia. World Vision Canada and World Vision
Cambodia run a vocational rehabilitation workshop in Cambodia.
A Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief project in Uganda supports capacity
building for mine awareness educators and provides support to landmine survivors
in the form of vocational training, micro-finance, and psycho-social support.
The project is supported by the CLF.
UNICEF Canada is active in Lebanon with a project that provides assistance to
mine survivors and their families. A project of the Sierra Club of BC providing
assistance to mine survivors in Nicaragua ended in June 2002. The Cambodian War
Amputees Rehabilitation Service continues to work with landmine and other
disabled through its vocational workshops. The Fallsbrook Center in Nicaragua
works with landmine survivors in a project that aims to raise basic levels of
health and nutrition through small scaled organic agricultural projects.
Transparency
Canada is thorough and transparent in reporting how
mine action funds are allocated both domestically and internationally.
Information is provided in annual reports to Parliament, through press releases,
public events, regular progress reports and publications, on departmental
websites, and through a detailed financial listing available on the UN Mine
Action Investments Database.[49]
On behalf of the four government departments involved in mine action in Canada,
the Mine Action Team of DFAIT reports to Parliament annually on activities and
projects supported by the Canadian Landmine Fund. This year’s annual
report, Reaffirming the Commitment was presented to Parliament on 1 March
2001.[50]
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The Canadian Centre for Mine Action Technologies
(CCMAT) of National Defence and Industry Canada acts as Canada’s focal
point for demining technologies. CCMAT has supported research and development
(R&D) of several new technologies currently used in mine clearance or
undergoing testing and evaluation. The BDM48 brush cutter is now in use at the
Thailand Mine Action Center following successful
trials.[51] The Niagara Foot,
developed by Niagara Prosthetics and Orthotics Corporation, started formal
clinical trials in Thailand in November 2001 and should continue until December
2002; it will be informally tested in Vietnam by the Prosthetics Outreach
Center. Other CCMAT R&D projects include: the hyperspectral imaging for
aerial surveys using infrared wavelengths; ground penetrating radar; sonar for
detection in water or flooded
areas;[52] and mechanical
systems.[53] CCMAT shares
facilities with Defence Research and Development Canada – Suffield
(DRDC-Suffield), formerly known as DRES.
In March 2001, Canada commissioned GPC International to conduct a study into
the global market for humanitarian demining equipment and technologies, with a
specific focus on technologies supported by CCMAT. The results of the study
were presented to the intersessional Standing Committee meeting on Mine
Clearance and Technologies by GPC in January 2002. The report concluded that
companies engaged in mine action “are looking for governments to fund
research and development, production, and purchase of the finished product. In
short, companies indicate that they will not take the risk of investing in this
market, without a realistic expectation of a reasonable return on their
investment. It is clear that companies have little confidence the market for
humanitarian demining equipment and technology will provide a return on
investment without substantive government
support.”[54]
A three-year “superboot” project is a public-private sector
partnership involving the University of Waterloo, protective equipment maker
Med-Eng Systems Inc. and the Defence Research establishment Valcartier to create
a high-tech boot to protect deminers. It is budgeted at about C$180,000 per
year.
LANDMINE CASUALTIES
While Canada is mine-free, Canadian Forces
personnel have been killed or injured by mines during their work overseas. In
March 2001, Canadian Forces personnel serving with the UN Mission in Ethiopia
and Eritrea were involved in two landmine incidents. The first occurred on 13
March when a vehicle drove over a landmine on a road that had just been cleared
by a Canadian Forces mine clearance
team.[55] There were no injuries.
The next day, on the same road, another Canadian vehicle set off a landmine,
slightly injuring a soldier.[56]
On 28 April 2002, a Canadian soldier received minor injuries while riding in
a US Humvee that hit a landmine. The vehicle struck what appeared to be an
antipersonnel mine while on patrol near the Kandahar airfield in
Afghanistan.[57] On 23 May, an
eight-wheel Bison light armored vehicle drove over a landmine near the military
base in Kandahar; the six Canadian soldiers in the vehicle were not
injured.[58]
[1] Statutes of Canada, Chapter 33, An Act to
Implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production
and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on their Destruction; Bill C-22,
Assented to 27 November 1997. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 221-224.
[2] Notes for a statement by His
Excellency Daniel Livermore, Ambassador for Mine Action, Third Meeting of States
Parties, Managua, Nicaragua, 18 September 2001, p.
2. [3] Ibid., pp.
5-6. [4] Ibid., p.
5. [5] A former staff member of the Mine
Action Team of DFAIT joined the ISU as Manager in January
2002. [6] Article 7 Report, Form J, 24
April 2002. [7] AG/RES.1875 (XXXII-1/02)
Support for action against mines in Peru and Ecuador; AG/RES.1878 (XXXII-0/02)
Support for the Program of Integral Action against Antipersonnel Mines in
Central America; AG/RES.1889 (XXXII-0/02) The Western Hemisphere as an
antipersonnel-land-mine-free zone. [8]
“Canada works to rid hemisphere of landmines,” Inter Press Service
(Georgetown), 9 May 2002. [9] “G-8
Reaffirms Support for Establishing Stable Afghanistan,” Xinhua News, 13
June 2002. [10] Excerpt of the draft
transcript of the public forum provided to Mines Action Canada in an email from
the DFAIT Mine Action Team, 3 July
2002. [11] Alexander Mineyev, “NATO
to help Moldova eliminate toxic liquid oxidant,” Itar-Tass (Brussels), 20
June 2001. [12] “Canada helps
Cambodia destroy landmines,” Xinhua (Phnom Penh), 7 August
2001. [13] Email to Landmine Monitor (MAC)
from John MacBride, DFAIT-ILX, 23 July
2002. [14] Notes for a statement by His
Excellency Daniel Livermore, Ambassador for Mine Action, Third Meeting of States
Parties, Managua, 18 September 2001, p.
4. [15] “Fourth Anniversary of
Ottawa Convention highlights Canada's commitment to landmine survivors,”
DFAIT press release, Ottawa, Canada, 3 December
2001. [16] “Shoes mark landmines'
many victims,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 March
2002. [17] The program is in its fourth
year and aims to keep the landmines issue dominant in the public eye. The
2001/2002 program supported Youth Mine Action Ambassadors in Vancouver, Calgary,
Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, St. John’s and Halifax. For detailed
information on these activities, see MAC’s quarterly newsletter
“Landmine BANner,” Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring
2002. [18] Article 13 Report, reporting
period: 25 November 2000 to 15 November
2001. [19] Art Eggleton, Minister of
National Defence, House of Commons, Hansard, 7 November
2001. [20] Statutes of Canada, Chapter 33,
An Act to Implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Production and
Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on their Destruction entered into force on 1
March 1999. [21] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2000, p. 241. [22] “The
Canadian Forces and Anti-Personnel Landmine,” DND document BG-02.007,
http://www.dnd.ca/eng/archive/2002/feb02/13landmines_b_e.htm, 13 February
2002. [23] Although not codified in Canada
law, Canadian policy is to maintain no more than 2,000 mines for training
purposes and the testing of clearance technologies. This policy has been stated
several times by the Ministers of National Defence and Foreign Affairs and is
noted in the government’s Article 7
reports. [24] Mines retained include four
Italian-made SB-33; 962 Canadian-made C3A2; 478 M16A1/2 and 154 M-14 made in the
US; 39 PMA-1, 119 PMA-2 and 24 PMA-3, all manufactured in the former Yugoslavia;
63 PP-M1-NA1 made in the former Czechoslovakia; 15 VS50, 10 VAL M69 and 6 VS
MK2, all made in Italy; 61 PMN-2, made in Russia; two PROM-1, one MRUD and nine
PMR-2A all produced in the former Yugoslavia. Article 7 Report, Form D, 24
April 2002. [25] Article 7 Report, Form D,
24 April 2002, for the period 16 February 2001 to 1 March 2002. In the report,
Canada provides explicit details about the intended uses of these types of
mines. [26]
Ibid. [27] For detailed information see
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, page
293. [28] CBC Radio broadcast interviews
with a Canadian soldier who thought the Claymore strapped to his back was the
cause of an explosion that killed four Canadian soldiers and wounded six others.
The incident happened when a US pilot dropped a bomb on Canadian soldiers
practicing military maneuvers in Afghanistan. See also Krista Foss,
“Wounded troops eager to return to duty,” The Globe and Mail, 30
April 2002. [29] “ILX0149:
Response to Query,” email to MAC from Shannon Smith, DFAIT/ILX, 2 May
2002. See also “The Canadian Forces and Anti-Personnel Landmine,”
DND document BG-02.007, 13 February 2002. The Canadian Forces website states
that they “currently have about 20,000 C19s in stock, with no plans to
purchase any more.” [30] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 294-295. See previous editions also for
discussion of Canada’s position on joint operations and its interpretation
of “assist” in Article 1. Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 244;
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
221-223. [31] “The Canadian Forces
and Anti-Personnel Landmine,” DND document BG-02.007, 13 February
2002. [32] David Pugliese, “Troops
could be charged for landmines violations, Canada has banned devices, US has
not,” Ottawa Citizen, 30 January
2002. [33] Letter from Minister of
National Defence Art Eggleton to Elizabeth Bernstein, Coordinator, ICBL, 20
December 2001. [34] For more details, see
the 48-page annual report of the Canadian Landmine Fund, Reaffirming the
Commitment, available online at
www.mines.gc.ca. [35] The official
exchange rate used is 1 Canadian dollar (C$) = 1.5484 US dollar. In making the
conversion the C$ amount is often rounded off to the nearest 100
dollars. [36] “Canada to help
Afghanistan sign anti-land mine pact,” Kyodo News (Tokyo) 22 January
2002. [37] CIDA, “Minister Susan
Whelan announces details of assistance for Afghanistan,” (2002-14) News
Release, Ottawa, 21 March 2002. [39] For
advocacy and fundraising for mine clearance, including matching grants,
C$696,500 was provided to the Canadian Landmine Foundation from
CIDA. [40] Canadian Centre for Mine Action
Technologies. [41] The surveys were mailed
or emailed to more than 300 Canadian agencies and NGOs by Mines Action Canada
and circulated through several listservs. It was not possible to determine
through the survey responses those organizations that are no longer in
existence; this is particularly true with mine clearance
organizations. [42] Information on CLF was
obtained from emails from Scott Fairweather, Vice-President, CLF, Toronto, 21
June and 24 July, and telephone interview with Scott Fairweather on 24 July
2002. [43]
www.1000dinners.com. [44] Canadian Red
Cross, “Dushanbe Orthopaedic Centre, Annual Report 2001,” provided
in email to Landmine Monitor (MAC) from Michael Rudiak, Canadian Red Cross, 23
July 2002. [45] Email to Landmine Monitor
(MAC) from Michael Rudiak, Canadian Red Cross, 23 July
2002. [46]
Ibid. [47] Email to Landmine Monitor (MAC)
from Jim Megill, CAMEO, 23 July 2002. [48]
“Canadian Demining Institute reports landmines in 1,700 Mozambican
villages,” Lisbon RTP Internacional Television, 15 June
2001. [49]
http://webapps.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/mai. [50]
Reaffirming the Commitment, 2000-2001 report on the Canadian Landmine Fund,
DFAIT publication, ISBN
0-662-66200-8. [51] Test results of the
BDM48 are available online at www.ccmat.gc.ca/TechReports/index.htm “CCMAT
newsletter No.2.” [52]
www.guigne.com/APL-DRUMS.htm. [53]
“CCMAT newsletter No.2,” undated, www.ccmat.gc.ca See also Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, pp. 295-296 and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp.
239-241. [54] “Assessment of the
International Market for Humanitarian Demining Equipment and Technology,”
GPC International, prepared for the Government of Canada, p.
51. [55] Steven Edwards, “Landmine
blasts hit Canadians, forces ordered off road after second explosion,”
National Post, 15 March 2001; See Department of National Defence Archives at
www.dnd.ca/eng/archive/2001/march01/14mine2_n_e.htm. [56]
Ibid. [57] Mike Blanchfield,
“Military mum on latest Afghan mission,” The Ottawa Citizen, 24 May
2002; “Canadian soldiers strike landmine on Afghan road,” CBC News,
23 May 2002. [58] Ibid.
About Us
Our Research Products