OTTAWA – A coalition of Canadian non-governmental agencies says it is frustrated and disappointed the Harper government has not yet signed a landmark treaty to regulate the global arms trade.

The Control Arms Coalition is disappointed in Canada after the United States today signed the Arms Trade Treaty on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, joining more than 90 other countries.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the treaty a “significant step” in keeping the world safe, and says it would have no effect on domestic gun ownership inside the U.S., where there is strong opposition to it.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s spokesman has said the government is still doing consultations on whether the treaty would affect lawful recreational firearms owners in Canada.

But the coalition calls that argument “spurious” and says Canada should get on with supporting a treaty that would stop shipments of weapons that could be used to commit war crimes.

The coalition’s members include Oxfam Canada and Project Ploughshares, Amnesty International.