Bill C-219

Sergei Magnitsky International Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Act

An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law), the Special Economic Measures Act and the Broadcasting Act

This enactment amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to impose certain requirements on the Minister of Foreign Affairs in relation to international human rights.
It also amends the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) to provide that
(a) transnational repression be sanctioned;
(b) visas or other documents must not be issued to immediate family members of a foreign national who is the subject of an order or regulation made under section 4 of the Act;
(c) a copy of each order or regulation made under paragraph 4(1)(b) of the Act must be tabled in each House of Parliament;
(d) the Minister must respond to a report submitted by a parliamentary committee that recommends that sanctions be imposed under the Act against a foreign national; and
(e) the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada must provide the Minister with information that is relevant to the making, administering or enforcing of the order or regulation against a foreign national.
It also amends the Special Economic Measures Act to change that Act’s long title to “ An Act to provide for the imposition of economic measures against a person, entity or foreign state for grave breaches of international peace and security, gross and systematic human rights violations or acts of significant corruption ” and its short title to the “ Sergei Magnitsky Global Sanctions Act ”. It further amends that Act to provide that
(a) transnational repression be sanctioned;
(b) visas or other documents must not be issued to immediate family members of a foreign national who is the subject of an order or regulation made under section 4 of the Act;
(c) the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada must provide the Minister with information that is relevant to the making, administering or enforcing of the order or regulation against a foreign state or person;
(d) every order or regulation made under paragraph 4(1)(b) of the Act must be tabled in each House of Parliament; and
(e) the punishment under paragraph 8(a) of the Act be increased.
Finally, it amends the Broadcasting Act to prohibit the issue or renewal of a licence in relation to a broadcasting undertaking, or to revoke the licence of a broadcasting undertaking, that is vulnerable to being significantly influenced by a foreign national or entity that has committed acts or omissions that the Senate or the House of Commons has recognized as genocide or that is the subject of sanctions under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) or under the Special Economic Measures Act .‍

Sergei Magnitsky Legislation

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine drags on into its fourth year, billions of dollars in Russian state assets are collecting dust in Canada while Ukraine bleeds. The government talks about standing with Ukraine, and the Liberals are good at writing cheques using Canadian taxpayer dollars, but they will not touch the 23 billion dollars' worth of frozen Russian assets right here in Canada. These are assets that belong to the regime in Moscow waging this illegal war.

Legal experts, security analysts and human rights lawyers agree that Canada can and should forfeit these frozen Russian assets and use them to support Ukraine's defence and reconstruction. This is why I am calling on the government to quickly pass my private member's bill, Bill C-219, the Sergei Magnitsky international anti-corruption and human rights act, so Ukraine can defeat Putin's war machine, stop his imperial ambitions and begin to rebuild after Russia's barbaric invasion.

Canada can help save Ukraine by using Bill C-219. The only question is whether the Liberal government will act to hold Russia accountable for the devastation it has caused in Ukraine.