Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank the witnesses for being here today. I also want to thank them for enlightening us, as well as sharing their experience and knowledge.
According to an article published on March 21, Minister Joly stated that western sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine are having an impact, because the world is seeing the “effects on society and how much we're seeing potential regime change in Russia”. She had made that statement previously, in early March. She also said that Canada should isolate Russia “economically, politically and diplomatically”.
Mr. Lévêque, a few moments ago, you said that the Russian economy has shrunk. However, in its April 2023 update, the International Monetary Fund forecast growth of 0.7% for Russia, which is higher than the forecasts for the U.K. or Germany and equivalent to that for France or Italy.
Are sanctions truly affecting the Russian economy?
Doesn't such a forecast about the state of the Russian economy demonstrate that Russia is managing to circumvent sanctions with the support of other countries?
According to one of the recommendations made by the Senate committee, our objectives should be more clearly outlined. What are they?