Ottawa announces more sanctions against Russia and arms shipments to Ukraine

As Russian forces continue to advance in Ukraine despite fierce resistance from the military and the population, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday announced her government’s imposition of 35% tariffs on all exported goods in Canada by Russia and Belarus.

“  President Putin, his accomplices […] and the Russian economy are paying the price for this grave historical error. We cannot allow it to succeed and we will not.  »

Russia and Belarus will no longer benefit from the advantages, in particular low tariffs, that Canada offers to other member countries of the World Trade Organization , explained Ms. Freeland accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Anita Anand, and Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

Only North Korea was previously subject to such tariffs on its exports to Canada, said Minister Freeland.

Ottawa is the first government to revoke the favored nation status of Russia and Belarus as Canada’s trading partner.

Since Wednesday, a dozen CEOs of Russian oil giants Rosneft and Gazprom have also been targeted by a new set of Canadian sanctions. In all, more than 1,000 people, entities and companies linked to Russia have been subject to Canadian sanctions since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, says Chrystia Freeland.

Members of Russia’s financial elite may believe their close ties to Western boardrooms and yacht clubs will protect them, but they are wrong , she said.

New arms deliveries to Ukrainians

Given the tragic conditions in which the Ukrainians have to face Moscow’s powerful offensive alone, Defense Minister Anita Anand announced the upcoming delivery of 4,500 M-72 rocket launchers (a light anti-tank weapon) as well as than 7,500 grenades to Ukrainian forces.

The Minister also confirmed the granting of an additional million dollars to Ukraine for the purchase of high-resolution satellite imagery equipment to enable Ukrainian forces to better observe the movement of Russian troops.

Since Sunday, Canada has also announced that it will provide:

• approximately 1,600 bulletproof vests and 390,000 individual meal packets – with a combined value of approximately $10 million;
• 100 Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapon systems and 2,000 rockets from existing Canadian Armed Forces stocks (approximate value of this donation is $12M);
• as well as $25 million in non-lethal aid .

The additional military equipment announced this week will be airlifted as soon as possible from Canada to a neighboring allied country, from where the final delivery to Ukraine will be coordinated .

Already, two C-130J Hercules tactical airlifters left Canada for Eastern Europe on Monday and Wednesday to deliver aid to Ukraine and support NATO more generally.

In the weeks leading up to the start of the war in Ukraine, Ottawa had already promised Kiev $10 million in military equipment, including $7.8 million in lethal weapons. According to our calculations, therefore, $57 million in military equipment has been provided by Canada to Ukraine in recent weeks.

Minister Fraser, for his part, announced that the Trudeau government would implement two initiatives to facilitate the reception in Canada of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian offensive in their country .

Trudeau still refuses to expel the Russian ambassador

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not participate in Thursday morning’s announcement or Question Period in the House of Commons in the afternoon.

On the sidelines of an economic press briefing, he however explained how difficult it could be for his government to expel the Russian ambassador to Canada, as requested by the official opposition.

Responding to a journalist’s question on the subject, the Prime Minister raised the possibility that Moscow would return the favor, which he said could prove to be disadvantageous for Canadian interests.

We have to balance that [against] the positive impact that there can be, that Canadian diplomats in Moscow can have [to] understand what is happening with the Russian population, [to] support people on the ground and help Canadians who may find themselves caught in Russia at this time ,” he said.

Mr. Trudeau also announced on the sidelines of this press briefing that his government is now calling for the suspension of Russia from Interpol, the international criminal police organization.

International law enforcement cooperation depends on a collective commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and mutual respect among Interpol members , he explained.

Trudeau added that other states had also demanded Moscow’s withdrawal from the organization, which has 195 member countries. However, he did not specify which ones.

Outcry at the Arctic Council

Finally, the governments of Canada, Denmark, the United States, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden announced on Thursday that they are temporarily suspending their participation in Arctic Council meetings. which is currently chaired by Russia.

The Arctic Council, which brings together the countries whose borders adjoin the Arctic Circle, is an important place of cooperation and dialogue for the management of geographical and strategic relations in this increasingly coveted part of the globe.