Individual Removed from Russia Sanctions

Summary#

On October 6, 2023, the government removed one individual from Schedule 1 of the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations by repealing Item 1063 of Part 1. The change was registered as SOR/2023-214 and was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on October 25, 2023.

What it does#

• Removes Item 1063 from Schedule 1 of the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, taking one individual off the list of people targeted by those sanctions.
• Ends the specific sanctions tied to that listing. That generally means the person is no longer subject to the dealing prohibitions (asset freeze), travel restrictions, and business-transaction bans that applied while listed.
• The delisting followed an application and review by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the administration of Global Affairs Canada.

Who's affected#

• The most directly affected person is the delisted individual (the Gazette notice does not publish their name in this summary).
• Canadians and people in Canada who were previously prohibited from dealing with that person. That includes individuals, businesses, and organizations that might have wanted to transact with them.
• Global Affairs Canada and other government bodies that maintain and enforce the consolidated sanctions list.
• It is unclear how many or which Canadian businesses will actually change their behaviour because the department concluded it was unlikely that many dealings would occur.

Why it matters#

• In practical terms, the delisted person can now legally engage in transactions with Canadians and travel to Canada without the specific ban tied to that listing.
• The change shows that Canada’s sanctions regime has a formal delisting process, so listings can be reversed if the government finds the person no longer meets the criteria.
• For businesses and banks, it’s a reminder to keep sanctions lists up to date, because a person blocked yesterday might be legally reachable today.