On March 8, Canada amended its sanctions measures imposed on Belarus by designating an additional 19 individuals and 25 entities in response to Belarus’ support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nineteen Belarusian individuals have been listed under a new Part 1.1 of Schedule 1 which is a discrete section of Schedule 1 for individuals identified by the Government of Canada to be involved in grave breaches of international peace and security and consists of government officials and financial elites, their families and close associates. The 25 newly designated entities consist of Belarusian entities involved in key Belarusian economic sectors including finance, potash, energy, tobacco and defence.
Generally speaking, the designation under Schedule 1 imposes an asset freeze and dealings prohibition, subject to limited exceptions, which prohibits any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada to:
- deal in any property, wherever situated, held by or on behalf of a designated person whose name is listed in Schedule 1;
- enter into or facilitate, directly or indirectly, any transaction related to such a dealing;
- provide any financial or other related services in respect of such a dealing;
- make any goods, wherever situated, available to a designated person listed in Schedule 1;
- provide any financial or related service to, or for the benefit of, a designated person listed in Schedule 1.
Due to ongoing developments in the region, Canada may announce and implement further measures in alignment with its allies in the coming days. We will publish additional articles as measures are announced in an official capacity.
An unofficial copy of the legislative amendments to the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations that came into effect on March 8th are available on Global Affairs’ website at here.
