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23 Mar 2018
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CEEC and CIJA Call on Canadian Government to Add Magnitsky Sanctions to Upcoming G7 Agenda

Sticky Post By On March 23, 2018

2018-03-22 Minister Freeland_Magnitsky Law

OTTAWA, Ontario
March 21, 2018
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, PC, MP
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Freeland,

We are writing in response to reports that various parliamentarians are encouraging the Government of Canada to add the “Magnitsky Law” to the agenda of the upcoming G7 summit in Quebec, to encourage our allies who have not already done so to adopt similar legislation.

We strongly support this initiative, which comes in the wake of the unanimous passage of Canada’s own Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act. There is a clear Canadian consensus that foreign nationals who have not been held accountable in their home countries for gross human rights violations should not be allowed to travel or hold assets in Canada with impunity. The fact that this law has already been used to sanction dozens of perpetrators demonstrates that it is a practical tool in ensuring Canada’s foreign policy reflects the high value Canadians place on respect for human rights.

While Britain and the United States have similar laws, France, Germany, Italy and Japan have no such legal measures to hold foreign nationals accountable. We applaud your work in making this law a reality in Canada, and encourage you to raise this issue with your counterparts at the upcoming G7 summit. Legislation like the Magnitsky Law sends an extremely powerful message to repressive, totalitarian regimes around the world that they cannot violate human rights with impunity.

Thank you for your consideration, and for all that you do to represent Canadians and our collective values in the international community.

Sincerely,

Shimon Koffler Fogel
CEO, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
Andris Ķesteris
Central and Eastern European Council of Canada, Latvian National Federation in Canada
Dr. Ruki Kondaj
Albanian Canadian Community Association of Toronto
Radmila Locher
Czech and Slovak Association of Canada
Sandor Balla
Canadian Hungarian Heritage Council
Marcus Kolga
Estonian Central Council
Joana Kuras
Lithuanian-Canadian Community
Teresa Berezowski
Canadian Polish Congress
Paul Grod
Ukrainian Canadian Congress

18 Oct 2017
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CEEC THANKS CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR ADOPTING MAGNITSKY LEGISLATION UNANIMOUSLY

Sticky Post By On October 18, 2017

OCTOBER 17, 2017
OTTAWA-  The Central and Eastern European Council (CEEC), representing the interests of over 4 million Canadians of Central and Eastern European heritage, applauds and congratulates the members of the House of Commons  and Senate in passing Bill S226 unanimously. The Sergei Magnitsky Law will be an important human rights tool for the Canadian government, allowing it to freeze the Canadian assets of global human rights abusers and banning their entry into this country.

The CEEC thanks Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Trudeau for supporting this important legislation and Senator Raynell Andreychuk and MP James Bezan for introducing the bill in the Senate and House.

This legislation represents the culmination of nearly 7 years of work and advocacy, which was led in Canada by investor and activist, Bill Browder, former Canadian Justice Minister, Irwin Cotler and VP of the CEEC, Marcus Kolga.

“It’s a great relief that this legislation has finally passed both The House of Commons and Senate,” said CEEC President, Andris Kesteris. “Activists like Boris Nemtsov, who was murdered in 2015, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has twice survived poisoning, frequently asked Canada to adopt this legislation. We hope that it can now be applied to help diminish the effects of international criminal activity and reduce the targeting of individuals who are simply struggling for democracy and freedom.”

The non-partisan nature and unanimous passage of this legislation, sends a strong message to nations where human rights abuses occur. Canadians are united. We will not tolerate the presence of those who inflict suffering on others and profit from their misdeeds.

30 Jun 2016
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CEEC Letter on Canada’s NATO Contribution

Sticky Post By On June 30, 2016

LETTER PDF: CEEC-PMO-LETTER-NATO-Baltic

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau :
The Central and Eastern European Council represents 4 million Canadians of Central and Eastern European heritage. All of these nations suffered under the tyranny of oppressive Communist regimes for nearly 70 years as they struggled to regain their freedom. Many of those nations that did reestablish their freedom and democracy quickly aligned themselves with Western and Canadian values, becoming reliable partners and friends of Canada in NATO and the European Union.
The CEEC would like to reiterate its strong support for Canada’s expanded participation in NATO defence activities in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in advance of the upcoming summit in Warsaw, Poland, July 8 – 9 2016.
As Vladimir Putin continues to militarize the border regions of Western Russia with land and sea forces, strategic military infrastructure, and continued violation of NATO airspace, the CEEC strongly urges our government to maintain and strengthen its commitment to the defence of the Alliance’s vulnerable Eastern flank.
The CEEC believes that stability in Central and Eastern Europe is key to ensuring a secure and stable environment in Europe and in the Western world, including the Arctic.
We ask that Canada respond to NATO requests and commit to maintaining the troops it has in Poland, thus expanding its long-term military presence in the Baltic Sea Region and supplementing the new rapid reaction force with additional personnel, equipment and expertise.
With sincere regards,

Paul Grod
President
Ukrainian Canadian Congress

Joana Kuras
President
Lithuanian-Canadian Community

Teresa Berezowski
President
Canadian Polish Congress

Andris Kesteris
President
Latvian National Federation in Canada

Marcus Kolga
President
Estonian Central Council in Canada

Anna Szenthe
President
Canadian Hungarian Heritage Council
Marie Fuchs
President
Czech & Slovak Association of Canada

Ramazan Kellezi
President
Albanian Community in Canada

Contact us info [at] ceecouncil.org!