Sale of Canadian armoured vehicles to ICE agency ‘deeply troubling’: Kwan

Roshel armoured vehicles are seen at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries annual defence industry trade show in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA -- Anti-armament advocates say Canadian firms shouldn’t be selling armoured military vehicles to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or any other organizations with sketchy human rights records.

NDP MP Jenny Kwan said Wednesday she’s “deeply” and “profoundly” troubled because the ICE agency has been credibly accused of human rights abuses.

“I think Canadians expect our industries and our government to uphold human rights domestically and internationally, and not enable the further militarization of an organization whose conduct already puts vulnerable people at great risk,” she told The Canadian Press.

“This contract raises serious questions about Canada’s role and responsibility when it comes to our technology and products being deployed abroad.”

U.S. government procurement records show ICE recently placed a rush order for a fleet of 20 armoured vehicles made by Brampton, Ont.-based Roshel.

Kelsey Gallagher from Project Ploughshares, a non-governmental organization that promotes peace, said if the vehicles were sold to any other security service in the world with the same documented pattern of abuse, Ottawa likely would step in to stop it.

“I’m calling on the government of Canada to follow its obligations under international law. Canada is a state party to the Arms Trade Treaty, as it has been since 2019,” he said.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have linked ICE to serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention. Canadian national Johnny Noviello died in custody at a detention centre in Miami earlier this year after being detained by ICE.

“As per its obligations under the (treaty), Canadian officials have to deny any proposed arms transfer if there is a substantial risk that those weapon systems could be used in human rights abuses writ large,” said Gallagher.

When asked about the transaction by reporters Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford endorsed the contract and promoted armoured vehicle sales.

“They (Roshel) make great military vehicles and now we need the federal government to start ordering some as well off them. And maybe they are, I’m not too sure,” Ford said.

“We’ll take orders anywhere in the world and thank goodness that the Americans are ordering it off of us.”

When asked about the sale by reporters, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the federal government was not “contacted regarding any permits for this transaction.”

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith told reporters he does “not feel good” about the sale but needed to know more before commenting further.

The company has not responded to requests for comment and further details about the sale, which was first reported by the U.K.-based newspaper The Independent earlier this week. ICE has also not responded to requests for comment.

Kwan and Gallagher said Canadian law contains a series of intentional loopholes allowing for the transfer of military goods into the United States without the same kind of oversight by Canadian officials that would take place if the goods were being exported to other countries.

Kwan said she is proposing revisions that would address those loopholes through her private member’s bill C-233. She said the bill would help to prevent military equipment parts and components from being exported to the U.S., then relayed to other countries engaged in deadly conflicts.

Last week, Anand insisted that Canada has the “most stringent export control processes and legal regimes in the world” when it comes to military hardware exports.

U.S. government procurement records show ICE justifying its sole-source order to Roshel, worth the equivalent of about C$10 million, for a fleet of Senator emergency response tactical vehicles designed to protect personnel from bullets and bomb blasts.

“Roshel is uniquely positioned to fulfil this requirement within the necessary time frame, having confirmed immediate availability of vehicles that fully meet ICE’s specifications,” says a document from ICE’s Office of Acquisition Management.

It says other American firms ICE reached out to did not meet all the contract requirements and could not deliver the vehicles within 30 days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press

-- With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa and Allison Jones in Toronto