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Supreme Court refuses to hear challenge to controversial Saudi arms deal

Click to play video: 'Pressure to halt exports and arms sales to Saudi Arabia'
Pressure to halt exports and arms sales to Saudi Arabia
WATCH ABOVE: Pressure to halt exports and arms sales to Saudi Arabia – Mar 3, 2019

OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada will not delve into the multibillion-dollar sale of Canadian-made light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.

The high court, as is customary, gave no reason today for refusing to hear an appeal from University of Montreal law professor Daniel Turp, who has pursued the issue for years.

Turp, citing Saudi Arabia’s poor human-rights record, initially asked the Federal Court of Canada to review the government’s decision to issue export permits authorizing the deal.

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WATCH: Questioned about Saudi arms deal, Trudeau says Canada ‘needs to respect its contracts’

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Questioned about Saudi arms contract, Trudeau says Canada ‘needs to respect its contracts’

The Liberal government acknowledged concerns about the mistreatment of women in Saudi Arabia, as well as the stifling of political dissent by the Saudi government, among other abuses.

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But the government said it had no evidence that Saudi Arabia specifically used the military hardware to crack down on its own population.

The Federal Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed Turp’s arguments previously.

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