We're aware that some Eritrean Canadians have complained to reporters that they're being pressured to pay a 2% tax to the country of origin under its laws. People have talked about this as extortion, and others appear to be willing to pay what they consider to be a tax because they feel it's important to rebuild Eritrea.
As a government we're concerned about media reports that suggest Eritrea is using coercive methods to collect this tax. Eritrea has the ability to create and levy taxes as it wishes, but foreign taxes can't be collected on Canadian territory without Canada's consent. This would violate Canadian sovereignty. It applies to what's referred to as the diaspora tax, so it's unenforceable in Canada. Using consular premises such as the Eritrean consulate in Toronto would contravene the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.