Conservative MP James Bezan is pushing to give Canada’s sanctions system new teeth, introducing a private member’s bill in Ottawa on Tuesday that would overhaul the country’s approach to punishing foreign officials accused of corruption and human rights abuses.The legislation, called the Sergei Magnitsky International Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Act, would rename the existing Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) as the Canadian Global Sanctions Act. Among its provisions, the bill would allow the government to strip broadcast licenses from sanctioned entities, preventing state-run television channels from airing on Canadian networks. .That could affect outlets such as Russia’s RT (Russia Today), China’s CGTN (China Global Television Network), Iran’s Press TV, and Qatar’s Al Jazeera, should their parent governments or associated officials become subject to Canadian sanctions.The bill would also set a timeline for the forfeiture of frozen assets and create stronger reporting requirements to ensure accountability from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.Bezan said the goal is to modernize Canada’s sanctions framework and ensure it cannot be ignored. “This legislation will deliver a strong political message against Putin’s brutal dictatorship and all of his equally corrupt dictator allies and theocracies,” he told reporters..He added that Magnitsky’s name should remain “synonymous with standing up for human rights, good governance and international peace and security.”Parliament unanimously passed the original Sergei Magnitsky Law in 2017, sponsored by Bezan and former Senator Raynell Andreychuk, but Bezan argued its tools have been “largely collecting dust since 2018.”The new bill is designed to work more closely with allied countries, combining sanctions with measures such as economic restrictions and visa bans that also apply to the immediate families of targeted officials..The legislation also addresses Russian assets currently frozen in Canada. Authorities have blocked an estimated CAD $16 billion in Russian sovereign assets since the invasion of Ukraine.Examples include about CAD $26 million held by Granite Capital Holdings, a company linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and the seizure of a massive Antonov AN-124 cargo plane operated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines. The bill would introduce a clear process for moving frozen assets toward forfeiture rather than leaving them in limbo.Bezan made the announcement alongside several well-known human rights advocates. “I’m glad to be joined today by Bill Browder, my friend, a global advocate for human rights and fighting corruption,” Bezan said. Also present were Professor Irwin Cotler, Brandon Silver of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Marcus Kolga of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Liberal MP John McKay..The law takes its name from Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who uncovered a massive tax fraud scheme involving government officials. He was arrested in 2008 after testifying against state authorities and died in a Moscow prison in 2009 under disputed circumstances.His death sparked international outrage and inspired “Magnitsky laws” in countries including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and members of the European Union, all of which allow governments to freeze assets and restrict travel for foreign officials accused of corruption or human rights abuses.
