{"id":409230,"date":"2022-02-23T18:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T15:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/canada-slaps-a-first-round-of-sanctions-on-russia\/"},"modified":"2022-02-23T18:57:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T15:57:00","slug":"canada-slaps-a-first-round-of-sanctions-on-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/canada-slaps-a-first-round-of-sanctions-on-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"#Canada slaps a ‘first round’ of sanctions on Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Canada slaps a ‘first round’ of sanctions on Russia<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Politics Insider for Feb. 23: War in Ukraine looms larger than ever; Jean Charest courts the Conservative leadership; confusion around what Emergencies Act means for donors\n <\/div>\n
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Welcome to a sneak peek of the\u00a0<\/em>Maclean\u2019s\u00a0Politics Insider\u00a0news<\/a>letter.\u00a0Sign up\u00a0to get it delivered\u00a0straight to your inbox in the morning.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Justin Trudeau<\/strong> is sending hundreds more troops<\/strong> to Europe and slapp<\/a>ing a \u201cfirst round\u201d of new economic sanctions on Russia for its decision to send troops to two breakaway regions in Ukraine, the Globe<\/em> reports.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cRussia\u2019s flagrant disregard for the independence of a sovereign nation is a serious threat to security and stability in the region \u2013 and around the world,\u201d Mr. Trudeau said. \u201cWe are taking these actions today in a stand against authoritarianism. The people of Ukraine, like all people, must be free to determine their own future.\u201d Canada\u2019s announcement comes one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Donetsk and Luhansk \u2013 two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine \u2013 as independent territories and announced he would send in Russian troops.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rubber stamped:<\/strong> The Globe\u2019s<\/em> Mark MacKinnon<\/strong>, reports<\/a> from Kyiv that the Russian upper house has approved Vladimir Putin\u2019s<\/strong> request to send troops \u201cabroad,\u201d and interviews\u00a0Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko<\/strong>, who considers the two countries to already be at war:\u00a0 \u201cIf the aggressor\u2019s army comes to Ukrainian territory, what is it? I don\u2019t have another explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why it matters:<\/strong> CP\u2019s Lee\u00a0Berthiaume<\/strong> has a good explainer<\/a> on why the prospect of war in distant Ukraine matters to Canada.<\/p>\n

Charest keen:<\/strong> Jean Charest<\/strong> is preparing to run for the CPC leadership, sources tell<\/a> Radio-Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have support in all the provinces<\/strong>. People will be surprised by the support we receive, even in Western Canada,\u201d a supporter of Charest\u2019s candidacy said. All the sources spoke to Radio-Canada, CBC\u2019s French-language service, on condition they not be named because they were not authorized to confirm candidates\u2019 plans or to speak about internal party matters.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Locked up:<\/strong> Two key convoy organizers remain in an Ottawa jail as Tamara Lich<\/strong> was denied bail Tuesday and Pat King<\/strong> will wait until Friday to learn whether a judge will grant his request to return to Alberta under bail conditions, the Citizen<\/em> reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois<\/strong> said she believed there was a substantial likelihood Lich would re-offend if released. \u201cI cannot be reassured that if I release you into the community that you will not re-offend,\u201d Bourgeois said. \u201cYour detention is necessary for the protection and safety of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

King\u2019s Facebook<\/a> videos, including racist remarks<\/strong>, were shown during his court appearance.<\/p>\n

King was cautioned by his lawyer, Cal Rosemond<\/strong>, following an outburst from the prisoner\u2019s box early in the hearing and remained silent, occasionally slouching in his seat or fidgeting with his mask for the rest of the lengthy session. [Assistant Crown Attorney Moiz] Karimjee<\/strong> pointed to the \u201cdisturbing evidence\u201d seen and heard in the widely-circulated videos and told the court King, like Lich, presented \u201ca substantial likelihood\u201d of reoffending.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hillier barred:<\/strong>\u00a0Ontario\u2019s legislature has unanimously passed a motion authorizing the Speaker to bar independent MPP\u00a0Randy Hillier, CP reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A motion moved by Government House Leader Paul Calandra<\/strong> says the house expresses its disapproval of Randy Hillier\u2019s \u201ccontinued disreputable conduct.\u201d It calls on him to apologize for what Calandra called racist and discriminatory statements about federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra<\/strong>, and for social media posts that Calandra says were insinuating a call to violence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Donors in clear:<\/strong> The RCMP, banking sector and federal government said Monday that the Emergencies Act does not affect donors to the protests, despite unsubstantiated claims<\/a> by a Conservative MP that a constituent had her bank account frozen over a $50 contribution, the Globe<\/em> reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt no time, did we provide a list of donors to Financial Institutions,\u201d the RCMP said in a statement Monday. The agency said while it had sent financial institutions a list of accounts to monitor and freeze, those accounts belonged to \u201cindividuals and companies suspected of involvement in illegal acts,\u201d such as \u201cinfluencers in the illegal protest in Ottawa\u201d and vehicle owners and drivers \u201cwho did not want to leave the area impacted by the protest.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Donors not in clear:<\/strong> Confusingly, the Post<\/em> reports<\/a>\u00a0that officials told a Commons committee Wednesday that even small donations could be sufficient for freezing accounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to be clear, a financial contribution either through a crowdsourced platform or directly, could result in their bank account being frozen?\u201d Conservative MP Philip Lawrence asked Department of Finance Assistant Deputy Minister Isabelle Jacques<\/strong>. \u201cYes,\u201d she replied. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have to actively be involved in the protest, they didn\u2019t have to be here in Ottawa at one of the blockades?\u201d Lawrence asked. \u201cNo, not themselves,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ending:<\/strong> In any case, banks have\u00a0begun unlocking accounts on Monday , the New York Tim<\/em>es reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Police donors:<\/strong>\u00a0At least a dozen Ontario police officers donated to the convoy protest, the Star<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By combing through the nearly 100,000 people who donated to the protest via the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo, Torstar reporters identified 15 police officers<\/strong> who as of 2020 were on the payroll of the province\u2019s three largest police forces: Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service and Ottawa Police Service. All three services had officers on the ground in Ottawa to police the \u201cFreedom Convoy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Not how it works:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The office of Governor General<\/a> Mary Simon<\/strong> tweeted<\/a> Wednesday that Canadians can\u2019t dissolve the federal government by contacting her office, CBC reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A no confidence vote by a majority of MPs in the House of Commons can lead to the dissolution of the federal government, but no equivalent mechanism exists for ordinary citizens. The clarification does not explicitly mention the Ottawa convoy protest and similar demonstrations across Canada in recent weeks. The organizers of the convoy protest said they hoped to dissolve the federal government through appeals to the governor general<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Troops called:<\/strong> In addition to calling on Simon to topple Trudeau, convoy supporters flooded DND phone lines on the weekend demanding the Canadian Army be used to protect the protesters in downtown Ottawa from police, David Pugliese<\/strong> reports in the Citizen<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Some of the callers claimed the police dispersing the so-called \u201cFreedom Convoy\u201d over the weekend were not real officers, but part of a covert United Nations invasion force. Military officials privately say the incident shows how fast conspiracy theories<\/strong> can spread and how gullible some members of the public can be.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Fees cut: Doug Ford<\/strong>, who faces an election in June, is eliminating licence plate renewal fees, CP reports.<\/p>\n

Effective March 13, Ontario will scrap the fee as well as the requirement for drivers to have a licence plate sticker, Ford announced. The government is set to introduce red tape legislation that will also allow the province to refund any licence plate renewal fees that drivers have paid since March 2020. \u201cWe know the rising cost of living has made many things more expensive, and can make it harder for families to make ends meet,\u201d Ford said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Good move:<\/strong> The Emergencies Act is not the War Measures Act, writes<\/a> Ed Broadbent<\/strong>, who voted against the latter and supports the former, on National Newswatch.<\/p>\n

Bad move:<\/strong> U of T law prof David Schneiderman<\/strong>, formerly of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, offers an interesting history lesson<\/a>\u00a0in the Globe<\/em> on the passage of the Emergencies Act in 1987. He does not believe the government has\u00a0justified the invocation of the act.<\/p>\n

Silent majority: John Ivison<\/strong>, in the Post<\/em>, reflects<\/a> on a tweet<\/a> that landed badly.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stephen Maher<\/strong>
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