Saudi Arabia: Pressure on Canadian LAV deal

Pressure has been building in Canada, ahead of elections on 19 October, over London, Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada’s C$14.8bn ($11.4bn) sale of light armoured vehicles (LAVs), first announced in February 2014. Described by Conservative Party Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the “largest contract in Canadian history”, the deal has been attacked in televised election debates by the opposition New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois. Harper has acknowledged that Saudi Arabia may be guilty of human rights violations, but he said that any of Canada’s allies would have signed a similar deal, which is seen as preserving thousands of jobs.