Canada imposed sanctions against all deputies of the State Duma and the Federation Council of Russia
Quick Look
In 2022, Canada introduced sanctions against all State Duma deputies and members of the Russian Federation Council, which virtually eliminates the possibility of inter-parliamentary dialogue between countries, said Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov in an interview with RIA Novosti.
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Why It Matters
Canada imposed sanctions against Russian lawmakers in 2022 after the launch of a special military operation in Ukraine, prohibiting Canadian citizens and companies from conducting transactions with the property of sanctioned individuals and providing them with financial services.
In 2022, Canada gradually introduced sanctions against all State Duma deputies and members of the Federation Council. The restrictions, in particular, prohibit Canadian citizens and companies from conducting transactions with the property of sanctioned persons and providing them with financial services.
“Almost immediately after the start of the SVO, Ottawa brought all deputies of the State Duma and members of the Federation Council under its sanctions. In fact, it cut off any opportunities for inter-parliamentary dialogue. We, as is customary in international practice, responded in a mirror way. We included the full composition of the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada in the Russian stop lists,” Stepanov said.
According to the diplomat, mutual restrictions actually exclude the possibility of full-fledged contacts between legislators of the two countries, while Moscow does not yet see any prerequisites for Ottawa to change the situation.
Open Questions
- Are there any channels for informal communication between representatives of the legislative bodies of Russia and Canada despite the sanctions?
- Does Canada plan to ease or lift its sanctions against Russian MPs in the near future?
- What specific consequences does blocking inter-parliamentary dialogue have for international cooperation in other areas (for example, Arctic cooperation)?
