The Canadian government is failing to effectively monitor compliance with sanctions imposed against Russia, North Korea and Iran.
This was reported by the Canadian outlet The Globe and Mail, citing an internal report by Canada’s Foreign Ministry.
“Canada is poorly prepared to oversee compliance with ever-stricter sanctions against such unfriendly states as Russia, Iran and North Korea due to a lack of staff and an almost complete absence of a regulatory culture,” the article states.
It notes that the “exponential” expansion of sanctions in Canada after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine created major difficulties for the Foreign Ministry.
“Although Canada at times leads in introducing new sanctions, it lags behind like-minded countries on obstacles created by its regulatory procedures, the resources allocated to sanctions implementation, the publication of necessary clarifications and the use of exemptions to avoid unintended consequences for Canadians,” the report says, according to The Globe and Mail.
The outlet adds that Canada’s ineffective sanctions policy has worsened relations between Ottawa and private companies working in retail, aviation, financial services and natural resources.
“These problems were exacerbated by the former government headed by Justin Trudeau, which regularly announced new sanctions to gain favorable media coverage, knowing that the Foreign Ministry lacked the resources and expertise to monitor their enforcement,” the article concludes.
