Canadians are continuing to complain about U.S. export controls on defense articles according to this article in the Montreal Gazette

ABB Bomem Inc. was waiting for beryllium parts it had ordered from a U.S. supplier, when the company was hit with a six-month delay. The U.S. supplier hadn’t complied with a series of complicated American rules governing the export and import of defense-related articles. …

“That was a big, big problem,” recalled Marc-André Soucy director of remote sensing at the Quebec City firm, which designs and manufactures optical instruments. “The very ironic aspect is that we were importing parts from the United States.”

I’m not sure I see the “irony,” but perhaps this doesn’t really translate from the Québécois.

The most significant part of the article, however, is that it reveals that the U.S.-Canada dialogue on ITAR issue continues, but still seems to be getting hung up at the same sticking point: dual nationals and arms embargoes:

behind the scenes, talks have been going on between Public Works Minister Michael Fortier – whose department oversees Canada’s Controlled Goods Program – and the United States since last year. The most recent meeting was held this month in Ottawa, Fortier’s press aide Jacques Gagnon said.

The government’s first priority is to settle concerns over dual nationality restrictions, but progress has been slow.

Under ITARs, Canadian citizens born in Vietnam, China and other restricted countries cannot access material deemed sensitive under the U.S. rules. Controversy erupted at Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd. in 2006 when certain foreign-born workers were banned from working on ITAR-restricted projects – a move that violates Canadian human rights laws.

I think that it’s more likely that the North-Going and South-Going Zaxes will resolve their dispute before this one get’s resolved. For those of you unfamiliar with the Zaxes, here’s an animated version of Dr. Seuss’s tale of two creatures who couldn’t compromise:

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