Current sanctions imposed by Canada
Canada has sanctions and related measures in place against a number of countries, as well as sanctions against specific individuals and entities identified as being: (i) responsible for, or complicit in, extrajudicial killings, torture or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights; (ii) responsible for, or complicit in ordering, controlling or otherwise directing significant acts of corruption; or (iii) associated with terrorist activities, including with the Taliban, ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida.
Canadian sanctions are imposed under the United Nations Act (UNA), the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) or the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (JVCFOA). For specific information about the sanctions regime imposed against countries or individuals, consult the relevant regulations. These can be found on the Regulations pages linked below. More information on the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Regulations can be found on the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act page.
Canada has imposed sanctions in relation to the following countries:
- Belarus
- Central African Republic
- China
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Mali
- Moldova
- Myanmar
- Nicaragua
- Russia
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine (linked to Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity)
- Venezuela
- Yemen
- Zimbabwe
Canada has implemented mechanisms to prevent the concealment and transfer of funds or assets used to finance terrorism. These allow specified measures to be applied to listed terrorist entities.
Former sanctions
As a UN member state, Canada fulfills its international legal obligations to implement sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Many of these sanctions are no longer in force. In addition, Canada also imposed sanctions under the SEMA that are now repealed.
The following sanctions regimes, brought into force since 1992, have since been repealed:
Related measures - Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act
The Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act allows Canada to freeze the assets or restrain the property of certain politically exposed foreign persons (such as government officials or politicians), at the request of a country undergoing internal turmoil or political uncertainty.
Canada has enacted measures pursuant to the Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act in relation to the following countries:
- Tunisia
- Ukraine (linked to Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity)
The following measures adopted pursuant to the Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act have been repealed:
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