On May 1, 2026, Human Rights Action Group (HRAG) submitted a written brief in contribution to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development’s study on Bill C-219, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law), the Special Economic Measures Act and the Broadcasting Act.
The brief recommended several amendments to strengthen the Bill. These recommendations include broadening the definition of “transnational repression” and expanding the circumstances in which targeted sanctions could be imposed to cover more informal arrangements between individual perpetrators and foreign states engaged in transnational repression. At the same time, the brief recommended limiting the circumstances in which family members who bear no responsibility for the conduct in question could be sanctioned.
To enhance transparency, HRAG recommended requiring the Minister to respond to sanctions requests from civil society organizations, in addition to a committee of the Senate, of the House of Commons, or of both Houses of Parliament. To maintain confidentiality and protect victims, the brief suggested including a consultation requirement on the part of the RCMP with its informational sources and eliminating strict public reporting requirements relating to cases of arbitrary detention, which may in some circumstances risk harming efforts related to detainees’ release and repatriation.
