On October 18, 2017, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) (the “Act”) entered into force. The Act gives Canada the ability to impose unilateral sanctions against “foreign nationals” who are involved in corruption or gross violations of human rights. For years, the Special Economic Measures Act (“SEMA”) has been the primary mechanism by which the Government of Canada (the “Government”) could impose unilateral sanctions against certain individuals and entities. …
On April 20, 2017, one week after the last amendments, the Government of Canada has further amended its sanctions against Syria, which are contained in the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations (the “Regulations”) made pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act. The amendments add 17 individuals and five entities to the list of designated persons in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. According to a Government of Canada press release, the newly listed individuals are all high-ranking individuals in…
On April 13, 2017, the Government of Canada repealed its sanctions against Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. As a member of the United Nations, Canada is obliged to implement decisions of the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”) into domestic law. The Government of Canada implements UNSC decisions imposing economic sanctions by way of regulations made under the United Nations Act. The Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on Liberia entered into force in Canada on July…
On April 13, 2017, the Government of Canada further amended its sanctions against Syria, which are contained in the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations (the “Regulations”) made pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act. Under the Regulations, persons in Canada and Canadians outside Canada are subject to a number of prohibitions on dealings with designated persons as well as disclosure requirements with regard to certain property or information related to designated persons. The amendments add 27 additional…