Kremlin not in charge of our borders, Goodale says

MAGNITSKY ACT

MARIE-DANIELLE SMITH OTTAWA • The public safety minister says in no uncertain terms Canada will ignore Russia’s global arrest warrant if the advocate behind recent Magnitsky legislation shows up at the border.

“Canada will decide admissibility to Canada, not the Kremlin,” Goodale said Tuesday.

Bill Browder’s status is unchanged and Goodale can see “no reason” why he shouldn’t be able to enter Canada, he said before question period.

Browder told the Post Tuesday he is “not particularly worried” about a trip to Canada next week to attend an event on Parliament Hill celebrating the passage of anti-corruption legislation.

Canada’s Magnitsky law, adopted last week, allows Canada to issue economic sanctions and travel bans against foreign human rights abusers, including foreign government officials.

Although the bill is not only focused on Russia, it is named after a Moscow lawyer who, while working for Browder, blew the whistle on tax fraud by Russian government officials. He was tortured and killed in prison in 2009.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, a friend of Browder, threw her support behind the bill. “This will ensure that Canada’s foreign policy tool box is effective and fit for purpose in today’s international environment. It will also provide a valuable complement to our existing human rights and anti-corruption tools,” her press secretary Adam Austen said in a statement Monday evening.

Russian reaction has not been rosy. President Vladimir Putin accused Canada of playing “unconstructive political games” last Thursday and foreign ministry spokespeople are promising reciprocal countermeasures.

Meanwhile, for the fourth time, Russia issued an Interpol red notice against Browder this week, a global arrest warrant that would cause him to be flagged at international borders. It can also trigger automatic processes, such as the one that saw Browder’s United States visa revoked Monday. His travel privileges to the U.S. are now reinstated, he said.

Browder anticipates no such issues with Canada.

On Tuesday afternoon in the United Kingdom, Browder said he was in “discussions right now” with the Canadian government.

Goodale said Canada “strongly disagrees” with Russia’s decision to place Browder on the wanted list.

He called it “completely inappropriate,” adding he believes Browder has been a strong advocate for human rights and transparency.

A Canadian official confirmed the Canada Border Services Agency would not consider the red notice in determining Browder’s admissibility.

“Canada views it as a political decision,” the official said of the warrant, and being on such a list “does not necessarily affect admissibility to Canada.”

A second official noted, “this is not the first case where the Russian Federation has added his name to the Interpol list for politically motivated reasons.”

After Putin signalled his distaste for the Canadian position, Canada shouldn’t necessarily expect any “really serious” retaliation, Browder predicted.

“I think there will be more people added to the Russia ban from the Canadian Parliament and the Canadian government. I think that’s about as far as they will go,” Browder said.

Freeland is already unable to enter Russia. Neither can Irwin Cotler, the former Liberal MP and human rights lawyer whose voice was one of the loudest advocating for Canadian Magnitsky legislation.

The passing of a law in Canada will encourage similar moves in other countries, Browder said.

“The Canadian Magnitsky act is particularly helpful and relevant in spreading this policy around the world, because of Canada’s sort of honest broker reputation,” he said.