The Canadian government will grant itself the right to seize and resell the property of foreigners targeted by its sanctions, such as Russian oligarchs and those close to President Vladimir Putin, in order to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine, for example.
These new powers were quietly included on the 399th page of the massive 440-page legislative document that translates the 2022 budget into law, and which was presented to elected officials on Tuesday. These changes to Canada’s international sanctions laws are directly inspired by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which Canada and its allies have described as “unlawful”.
This change will allow the federal government to ask a judge to order the confiscation of the assets of a Canadian-sanctioned foreign national. This only applies to situations of “serious breach of international peace and security” linked to a serious international crisis.
Until now, the Government of Canada could only freeze, but not seize, the assets of those targeted by its sanctions. It is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mélanie Joly, who is in charge of the execution of these new powers.
In particular, this will allow him to seize the “goods of all kinds” of those whom Canada considers to be accomplices of the Putin regime in its invasion of Ukraine. This includes in particular buildings, vehicles, money placed in the bank or “digital assets and virtual currency”.
The text specifies that the sums thus drawn from these seizures must be used for “the reconstruction of a foreign State injured by a serious breach of international peace and security”, for the restoration of peace or for compensation victims of war, human rights abuse or large-scale corruption.
Currently, 1,100 individuals and entities linked to the Russian regime have been targeted by these Canadian sanctions. In an email sent to To have to, Minister Joly’s office confirmed that it wanted to “obtain the ability not only to seize, but also to authorize the confiscation of the property of sanctioned persons and entities and to allow us to compensate the victims afterwards. »
Canada would be the first G7 country to have such power, once this primarily budget bill is passed.
The New Democratic Party, which has already pledged to support the Liberals for the tabling of this budget and for all the important votes until 2025, had specifically asked for such a bill “allowing the reallocation of the assets targeted by the sanctions in order to help people fleeing the war imposed by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. »
The subject of sanctions against the Russian regime is a consensus among the Canadian political class. The Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party have also encouraged the Liberal government to introduce or strengthen such sanctions at different times since the start of hostilities in Ukraine in February.