Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada Chrystia Freeland speaks during a press conference on the situation in Ukraine with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Melanie Joly, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle

March 3 (Reuters) – Canada will strip Russia and Belarus of most favored nation status as trading partners and provide additional lethal aid to Ukraine, including rocket launchers and hand grenades, Canadian officials announced Thursday.

The only other country that does not enjoy most favored nation status with Canada is North Korea, and goods from Russia and Belarus will be subject to a 35% tariff when imported into Canada. said Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“In simple terms, this means that Russia and Belarus will no longer enjoy the benefits, especially low tariffs, that Canada offers to other WTO member countries,” Freeland told reporters at a conference. Press.

Canada imported about C$1.2 billion ($948 million) from Russia and about C$23 million from Belarus in 2020, according to Statistics Canada.

The most favored nation principle is part of the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and prevents WTO members from favoring a country with advantages such as lower tariffs without giving all members the same standard.

Moscow unleashed an all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24 that prompted Canada, the European Union, the United States and others to respond with tough financial sanctions against Russia. Sanctions were also imposed on Belarus, which was used as a key stage for the invasion.

Canada has closed airspace and ports to Russian ships, sent lethal military aid to Ukraine, curbed oil imports and asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged war crimes by Russian forces.

“The G7 has already imposed the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a major Russian economy, and more will follow in the days to come,” Freeland said.

Defense Minister Anita Anand, speaking at the same press conference, said Canada intended to provide more lethal aid to Ukraine, including up to 4,500 M72 rocket launchers and up to 7,500 hand grenades from existing Canadian Armed Forces stockpiles.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada, along with close partners, is calling for Russia’s suspension from global police agency Interpol.

“We support this because we believe that international law enforcement cooperation depends on a collective commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and mutual respect among Interpol members,” he said. he said at a separate event.

Thousands of people are believed to have died or been injured and more than a million people have fled Ukraine amid the biggest attack on a European state since 1945. read more

Canada also announced that it would create two separate immigration streams for Ukrainians, one allowing temporary stay and the other permanent.

“Canada is ready to welcome Ukrainians fleeing the war of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, and there is no limit to the number of applications we will be ready to accept,” said Canada’s Immigration Minister , Sean Fraser.

($1 = 1.2659 Canadian dollars)

Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis

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