MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals must expand sanctions to crack down on Putin

“The reports of Putin’s war crimes against Ukrainians are appalling. As Ukrainians are being bombed and killed by Putin’s illegal invasion of their country, New Democrats welcome newly announced sanctions against Russia. However, it’s extremely unfortunate that there are still parts of the Russian defense sector that haven’t been sanctioned this far into Putin’s war. While the NDP has been calling for the expansion of these measures, the Liberals refuse to take the necessary steps.
We are also concerned that while yachts and properties are being seized by other countries, there has been little information regarding how Canadian sanctions are being enforced and how effective they’ve been in hitting Putin and his oligarchs where it hurts. We have been urging the government to be more transparent to ensure sanctions aren’t just empty words, but truly laser focused on those who are benefiting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

April 11th, 2022

Liberals must expand sanctions to crack down on Putin

NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson issued the following statement:

“The reports of Putin’s war crimes against Ukrainians are appalling. As Ukrainians are being bombed and killed by Putin’s illegal invasion of their country, New Democrats welcome newly announced sanctions against Russia. However, it’s extremely unfortunate that there are still parts of the Russian defense sector that haven’t been sanctioned this far into Putin’s war. While the NDP has been calling for the expansion of these measures, the Liberals refuse to take the necessary steps.

We are also concerned that while yachts and properties are being seized by other countries, there has been little information regarding how Canadian sanctions are being enforced and how effective they’ve been in hitting Putin and his oligarchs where it hurts. We have been urging the government to be more transparent to ensure sanctions aren’t just empty words, but truly laser focused on those who are benefiting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The NDP also wrote to the Liberals last month calling for legislation to allow for sanctioned assets to be repurposed to support those fleeing Putin’s war in Ukraine. It’s encouraging to see these measures will be in the budget.

There is still more to be done. New Democrats will continue to push the government to take further action in support of the people of Ukraine.”

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