Canada followed the example of the United States and adopted its own Magnitsky-style legislation in 2017 – The Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law). While the name of the legislation highlights designations due to corrupt practices, the Act allows Canada to impose asset freezes and prohibitions also against individuals who are responsible for or complicit in gross violations of human rights.  Persons sanctioned under this law are automatically inadmissible into Canada.

• As of January 2024, there were 80 designated persons under this law either for reasons of involvement in significant corruption and/or human rights violations. According to the publicly available information, 25 individuals are targeted for human rights abuses. 55 remaining individuals are being targeted due to corruption or corruption and human rights and are therefore included in the Sanctions Watch database.

Furthermore, 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.”

• 24 people are sanctioned under the Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, either from Ukraine or Tunisia, all of which are included in the Sanctions Watch database. Sanctions under this law imposed on Egyptian individuals have been repealed and are therefore not included.