Editing Ulster Volunteer Force (section)

===North America===
Protestants in Canada also supported the loyalist paramilitaries in the conflict. Sociologist Steven Bruce described the support networks in Canada as "the main source of support for loyalism outside the United Kingdom . . . [[Ontario]] is to [[Ulster Protestants]] what [[Boston]] is to [[Irish Catholics]]." After the Troubles began, an [[Orange Order in Canada|Orange-Canadian]] loyalist organization known as the Canadian Ulster Loyalist Association (CULA) sprang to life to provide the 'besieged' Protestants with the resources to arm themselves.<ref name="FDWD">McDonald, Henry & Cusack, Jim ''UVF - The Endgame''</ref> In 1972, five [[Toronto]] businessmen shipped weapons in grain container ships out of [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], bound for ports in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland which were destined for loyalist militants.<ref name="FDWD"/><ref name="FADD">{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27041321|title=The Canadian Dimension to the Northern Ireland Conflict|author=Andrew Sanders and F. Stuart Ross|date=2020|page=195|journal=The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies|volume=43 |jstor=27041321 }}</ref> 
[[Etobicoke]] based gunsmith William Charles Taylor and former [[Canadian Army Reserve]] officer Howard Wright sourced many second hand firearms at [[gun shows]] in the US and then smuggled them to the UVF wrapped in lead foil (to defeat X Ray scanners) in packages marked as "car components" from Old Mill Pontiac Buick in Toronto. Additionally, any semi-automatic rifles or submachine guns they sourced were first illegally converted to full-auto by Taylor before shipment. The pair were responsible for the UVF obtaining hundreds of [[military grade]] weapons such as [[MAC10|MAC-10s]], [[Uzis]], and [[Colt Commando]] carbines in the early 1980s.<ref name="jstor.org">{{cite journal |title=The Canadian Dimension to the Northern Ireland Conflict|jstor=27041321 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27041321|access-date=4 November 2024  |last1=Sanders |first1=Andrew |last2=Ross |first2=F. Stuart |journal=The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies |date=2020 |volume=43 |pages=192–218 }}</ref> Between 1979 and 1986, Canadian supporters supplied the UVF/UDA with 100 machine guns and thousands of rifles, grenade launchers, magnum revolvers, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition.<ref name="FDWD"/><ref name="FADD"/> These shipments were considered enough for the UVF/UDA to wage its campaign, most of which were used to kill its victims.<ref name="FDWD"/> On 10 February 1976, following the sudden uptick of violence against Catholic civilians by loyalist militants, Irish [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] [[William Conway (cardinal)|William Conway]] and nine other Catholic bishops met with British Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] and his cabinet, asking them as to where the loyalist militants had acquired guns, to which [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]] [[Merlyn Rees]] replied "Canada".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998|author=Margaret M. Scull|page=72|date=2019|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-1925-8118-1}}</ref>