On January 26, 2016, the Government of Canada announced that it would begin to lift some sanctions on Iran; for the time being, however, comprehensive economic sanctions remain in place. Canada imposes sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act and has also enacted into domestic law the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Iran under the United Nations Act. In his comments announcing that sanctions would be lifted, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion indicated that the U.N. has asked countries to lift sanctions put in place in accordance with the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Iran and that Canada would lift its sanctions “in accordance with our allies,” who are keeping sanctions in place to limit Iran’s capability to be involved in nuclear military activities. While the Minister’s comments suggest that significant changes will be forthcoming with respect to Canada’s relations with Iran, until the government takes further action to amend or repeal the sanctions currently in place, companies should continue ensuring compliance with the Canadian sanctions on Iran.
