Foreign Affairs and International Development

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development met on May 28, 2026, to study Bill C-219, which would rename Canada's Special Economic Measures Act the Sergei Magnitsky Global Sanctions Act and strengthen its provisions. Appearing as witnesses were Sir William Browder, Marcus Kolga, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Kate McInnes.

Sir William Browder argued that renaming the act after Sergei Magnitsky is both a moral statement and a practical necessity, noting that Canada's existing Magnitsky-named law has been used only once while the unnamed Special Economic Measures Act has been used roughly 1,000 times for human rights sanctions. He urged the committee to pass Bill C-219, highlighting provisions that would extend sanctions to cover transnational repression, include immediate family members of sanctioned individuals, create parliamentary accountability for sanctions recommendations, and mandate annual human rights reporting, calling Vladimir Kara-Murza "proof of concept" that such laws save lives.

Marcus Kolga expressed support for Bill C-219, emphasizing that it addresses four gaps: recognizing transnational repression as sanctionable conduct, preventing family members of sanctioned perpetrators from using Canada as a refuge, improving parliamentary oversight, and closing a vulnerability in Canada's broadcasting system by targeting state-controlled broadcasters from regimes that have committed genocide or are on Canada's sanctions list. He noted that Chinese state-controlled broadcasters like CGTN and CCTV should be included, as the UK's Ofcom revoked CGTN's licence in 2021, and he stressed the need for better enforcement of existing sanctions, citing the Tenet Media case as a likely violation.

Vladimir Kara-Murza strongly supported all main provisions of Bill C-219, calling the requirement for public reporting on prisoners of conscience the most important and personal for him, as he was a political prisoner in Russia for two and a half years. He argued that public advocacy is the only lifeline for political prisoners, contrasting it with ineffective "quiet diplomacy," and he urged the committee to retain the term "prisoner of conscience" rather than replace it with "human rights defender," suggesting the definition from Council of Europe Resolution 1900 as a basis.

Kate McInnes focused on the bill's provisions on transnational repression, arguing that the current draft contains gaps in both the definition and the attribution standard for sanctions. She noted that the requirement for a provable formal relationship between a perpetrator and a foreign state is too high, as proxy operations are designed to obscure that link, and she proposed a broader test similar to Canada's foreign interference act, including acting "in association with" or "knowingly advancing" a foreign state's repression. She also raised concerns about the provision on immediate family members, arguing that the opt-out exemption structure could be difficult to justify under Canadian law and international human rights obligations.

During questions, James Bezan asked about the definition of "immediate family members," with Vladimir Kara-Murza citing examples of Russian officials hiding assets behind siblings and adult children, while Kate McInnes cautioned against collective punishment. Robert Oliphant questioned whether public reporting on prisoners of conscience could hinder sensitive negotiations, but Vladimir Kara-Murza insisted that public advocacy is essential and that discretion is only needed for technical negotiations, not for campaigns supporting prisoners. Michael Chong raised concerns about the drafting of the broadcasting provision and asked about the status of authoritarian state-controlled broadcasters in other democracies, with Marcus Kolga noting that RT has been removed from most European airwaves and that CGTN was banned in the UK. Steven Guilbeault questioned the balance between discretion and public reporting, and Vladimir Kara-Murza reiterated that the two are not mutually exclusive. Mona Fortier asked about limitations or gaps, with Marcus Kolga suggesting adding elements from Senate Bill S-214, Sir William Browder calling for more enforcement resources, and Kate McInnes emphasizing the need to hear from victims of transnational repression in Canada. The committee did not engage in procedural debate, motions, or votes during this meeting.