Independent Canadian Senator and World Refugee & Migration Council member Ratna Omidvar has tabled Bill S-217, the Frozen Assets Repurposing Act in the Senate.
As Senator Omidvar has noted, the Magnitsky Act and other legislation currently allows the Government of Canada to freeze the assets of corrupt foreign officials. But this new bill asks Canada to take the next step. If passed, it would authorize Canadian courts to take the frozen assets of foreign officials whose mis-rule creates forced displacement and other humanitarian needs. These funds could then be sent to organizations helping those victimized such as UNHCR.
You can read Bill S-217 here. Support this legislation on social media by tagging @WRMCouncil and using hash tags #MakeThemPay and #S217.
Read more about the World Refugee & Migration Council’s proposals to repurpose frozen assets to support the forcibly displaced:
- Repurposing Frozen Assets to Assist the Forcibly Displaced Research Paper
- It’s Time for an International Anti-Corruption Court, Lloyd Axworthy and Alan Rock in Diplomat Magazine
- Let’s Hold the Kleptocrats to Account, Op-Ed by Lloyd Axworthy and Fen Osler Hampson in The Global and Mail
