Group calls for ban on military technology supplied by Burlington company

Published September 23, 2020 at 4:58 pm

A Canadian disarmament group is calling on the Canadian government to stop a Burlington company from exporting laser targeting technology used by foreign military.

A Canadian disarmament group is calling on the Canadian government to stop a Burlington company from exporting laser targeting technology used by foreign military.

In a just released report, Project Ploughshares says the high-tech sensors made by L3Harris WESCAM of Burlington are being used by Turkish military to supply drones across several conflict zones in the Middle East.

The report says the export of such technology contravenes Canada’s domestic laws and international obligations.

The report says the technology “poses a substantial risk of facilitating human suffering, including violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.”

The federal government and the company have not commented on the matter.

L3Harris WESCAM is a Canadian subsidiary of an American firm considered to be one of the world’s leading producers of laser imaging and targeting sensor systems.

Photo from Project Ploughshares report

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