Evidence of meeting #4 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was sanctions.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sven Spengemann
Mr. Bergeron, you have 30 seconds left to ask a short question and get a short answer.
Bloc
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
It would be an insult to our witness to ask him to answer a question in such a short period of time.
I simply want to take this opportunity to thank him again.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sven Spengemann
Thank you, Mr. Bergeron.
Mr. Sproule, thank you very much.
Our next round is two and a half minutes. It goes to Mr. Harris.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
I didn't hear you, but I think you were referring to me, Chair. Your voice wasn't coming through. Thank you, though.
Mr. Sproule, it was reported that Canada has given $600,000 in funding to support civil society in Belarus. Could you tell me how usual or how unusual such a move is? Are there further plans to assist civil society, shall we say, in Belarus in order to alleviate the situation and perhaps provide for better communication?
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Ms. Grant has been actively involved in our efforts in this regard, so I'll ask her if she can respond.
November 5th, 2020 / 4:55 p.m.
Director, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Thank you.
Yes, we are quite actively involved, especially right at this moment, in determining our programming in support of Belarusian civil society. We did announce the $600,000 in funding to civil society with the focus on independent media and women's leadership. We are right at the stage of developing projects to correspond to that number.
We're also working very quickly to assess additional programming opportunities in the civil society and democracy sphere, looking at governance and other such issues. I think it is an appropriate and usual response in this sort of situation where we are first and foremost trying to support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Thank you.
Further on the activities, particularly on the human rights violations and allegations of torture, is the UN involved in any way—particularly the human rights observers? Is there any approach for them to get involved in this and further identify the potential for a response to that?
Mr. Sproule, you're more involved in that, I think.
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Yes. There has already been debate on this situation as far as the UN is concerned. I believe there have been statements by the Secretary-General about the situation. You will also know that there has recently been consideration of Belarus's human rights record under the UCP at the human rights committee, in which Canada was an active participant.
The United Nations has been quite active on this issue. We fully expect that if the situation continues as it is, it will continue to be very active.
Liberal
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
It will be handicapped by the fact that any Security Council action will be undermined somewhat by the role that Russia may play in terms of its efforts to block that sort of action. There are a whole host of mechanisms and instruments that the United Nations can use outside of Security Council resolutions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sven Spengemann
Thank you so much.
The next round is a five-minute round and it goes to Mr. Morantz.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Sproule, I want to talk to you about the press release from May of 2016 to lift sanctions on Belarus. At the time, they were taken off the area control list. You've gone through the reasons for that. Was this at the request of the Belarusian government?
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
I am sure that the Belarusian government would have wanted the lifting of that. It is the case that we engage with the Belarusian government and discuss the issues about why this is there. It is the case that we explain to them the importance of doing certain measures to remove themselves from such a list.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
After they were removed from the list, the press release talks about the resumption of normally issued export permits of goods and technology. Were any goods and technology exported to Belarus between the time of the lifting of the country from the ACL and now?
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
If you're referring to group two items from the export control list, in our review—and I will have to get back to you about how far back we went—we do not see any permits that have been applied for or given.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
It just seems interesting to me that they would want to be taken off that list to be eligible for such exports and then didn't receive any.
If you could check and let us know if there were any, I would be curious as to what was exported after they were taken off the list.
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Are you interested in what was exported from Canada generally, or insofar as arms-related exports?
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
I mean arms-related exports as a result of Belarus being taken off the area control list.
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Right now I am aware that there are no pending export permits, nor have any been issued to Belarus from that list.
Conservative
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
We will go back further and double-check for you to be sure.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Okay. It would be good information to have. Will you return that to the clerk of the committee?
Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Yes.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Great.
The press release says, “Going forward, Canada will continue to monitor the evolving situation in Belarus and will engage with the Government of Belarus in order to advance human rights, democratic standards and norms, and respect for the rights of civil society.” Just out of curiosity, given it was in the release, what specific engagement did the Government of Canada do with Belarus to further those specific goals?