The circumvention by Canadian companies of economic sanctions imposed on Russia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, with the approval of Ottawa, “raises questions” about “the real political will” aimed at punishing Moscow, said Tuesday Amnesty International, the day after the revelations made by The duty on their existence.
Since March 2022, dozens of products banned from trade with Russia have continued to be exported or imported between the two countries, under special permits granted by Ottawa to Canadian companies. These authorizations, granted on a case-by-case basis by the federal government, were issued with the greatest discretion.
However, these transactions, valued at several million dollars, targeted, among other things, equipment considered “delicate” by Westerners, due to their possible use in a military context.
Seven months ago, Canada circumvented its own sanctions regime to allow the shipment of drilling equipment, used in the oil and mining sector. These sectors were hit by these special economic measures, to avoid maintaining an economy that is a major source of income for Russia that could be used to finance the war of invasion in Ukraine.
“Ottawa made strong diplomatic declarations when adopting its sanctions,” noted in an interview with Duty France-Isabelle Langlois, Director General of Amnesty International. But we also see that sometimes economic interests seem to take precedence over the political will to defend democracy and the rule of law. »
“We expect Ukraine’s allies to be a little more consistent in their economic and trade relations with Russia. But sometimes they talk out of both sides of their mouth,” added M.me Langlois.
The update by The duty evasion of sanctions caused a strong reaction from the opposition parties on Tuesday on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Foreign Affairs spokesperson for the Bloc Québécois, Stéphane Bergeron, strongly criticized the government for issuing special permits “on the sly” during a press briefing.
“I am not assuming that we should never issue exemptions, but they should be the exception rather than the rule. I believe that this is becoming established as a rule and it is worrying to say the least,” declared the MP.
Mr. Bergeron indicated that certain exemptions may be justified in cases where they prove counterproductive for Canada. Last year, Canadian farmers suffered the repercussions of Canadian sanctions while having to pay a 35% tariff on Russian fertilizer imports.
“We can talk about a counterproductive sanction in the long term. But is this the case for all products for which exemptions have been authorized? », Launched the MP, who is demanding explanations and more transparency from the government.
“The government seems to have something to hide. If he has nothing to hide, let him explain.”
“We’ve been saying it from the start, with the Liberals it’s just window dressing,” responded Alexandre Boulerice, deputy leader of the NDP. On the one hand, they claim to stand up against Russia, but secretly they give exemptions without any transparency. »
Disrupted trade
Since March 2022, the economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by Canada have disrupted trade between the two countries, with exports whose value was reduced by 1,100% between 2021 and 2022 and imports divided by five over the same period of time.
Supply lines were not entirely severed, however: Canada exported $8 million in hatching eggs, $6 million in vaccine, $4 million in seeders, planters and transplanters and imported $2 million in tires in rubber, 3 million in bamboo boards and 7 million in aeronautical equipment, products not subject to its sanction regime, since last January, indicates the most recent federal data on international trade.
The federal government has also authorized Canadian companies to circumvent its own sanctions for the importation of so-called “luxury” products, which have been banned from trade since the start of the war. The analysis of Duty made it possible to identify a total envelope of 17 million sent to Russia for the purchase of fresh fish, shellfish and other seafood products, as well as vodka.
“The application of sanctions and the enormous amount of military aid have not achieved Ukraine’s desired goal of recovering all of its Russian-occupied territory. On the contrary, the situation is becoming more and more difficult and the possibility of getting out of the war seems impossible, summarized Glenn Michalchuk, president of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, in an interview in Winnipeg. Politically, Canada could maintain sanctions, but also change course by supporting peace initiatives at the same time as a means to end the war.”
On September 22, Ottawa reiterated its “unwavering support” for Ukraine during the highly regarded visit of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to the capital. Nearly $9.5 billion in aid, including $1.8 billion in the military sector alone, has been paid or promised to kyiv to support its resistance against the Russian invasion.