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ARTICLE · 14 JUNE 2022

Significant Expansion Of Government Powers Under Canada's Sanctions Laws

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On April 28, 2022, the government introduced Bill C-191, which contains significant changes to two of Canada's sanctions laws: the Special Economic Measures Act ("SEMA") and the Justice...

CanadaInternational Law
Clifford Sosnow
Clifford Sosnow
Peter Kirby
Peter Kirby
Novera Khan
Novera Khan
Christopher Little
Christopher Little
Tina Sun
Tina Sun
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On April 28, 2022, the government introduced Bill C-191, which contains significant changes to two of Canada's sanctions laws: the Special Economic Measures Act ("SEMA") and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law). The amendments, if passed, would grant the Minister of Foreign Affairs (the "Minister") exceptional new powers.

The proposed amendments, which are broadly similar between the two acts, appear to be direct responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Canada's commitment, as announced in a Ministerial Joint Statement, to work with its allies to take steps to "find, restrain, freeze, seize, and, where appropriate, confiscate or forfeit the assets" of persons who have been sanctioned in connection with the invasion.

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