http://www.winnipegjewishreview.com/article_detail.cfm?id=337&sec=2

I had never heard of the Special Economic Measures Act [SEMA] until Liberal Member of Parliament and Former Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler, who is the chair of the Responsibility to Prevent Coalition started talking to me about it a couple of weeks ago in Israel.

After reading the 200 page report released by Cotler in Jerusalem recently ( which I wrote about in the article that is reprinted below in its entirety), I became convinced that Cotler had made persuasive arguments as to why Canada ought to invoke SEMA vis-à-vis Iran.

In particular, Cotler wrote in an editorial in the National Post on July 13, 2010:

“Even in regards to the nuclear threat alone, the Canadian response is tepid where it should be robust. For example, the government should invoke and apply the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA), which authorizes the Canadian government of Canada to impose economic sanctions and regulations against a foreign state if "a grave breach of international peace and security has occurred that has resulted or is likely to result in a serious international crisis." Yet, to date, the government of Canada has only designated Zimbabwe and Burma under SEMA, even though Ahmadinejad's Iran constitutes a greater global threat to international peace and security "that has resulted in a serious international crisis." [emphasis added]

Applying SEMA means that Canadian economic cooperation with Iran is restricted in a variety of strategic sectors, including: petroleum; banking; and, research and development. Significantly, the measures also prohibit the provision of services to any ship associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL)

On Wednesday July 21, after publishing an article about Cotler’s press conference in Jerusalem, I sent an email to Kirsten Ross in the Prime Minister’s office as to why SEMA had not been enacted. Here is what I wrote to Ross:

“Recently, liberal MP Irwin Cotler released a report on behalf of the Responsibility to Combat Coalition dealing with measures that should be taken against the Iranian regime.

“Cotler has said (and it is written in the report) that the Canadian government should invoke and apply the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA), which authorizes it to impose economic sanctions and regulations against a foreign state if "a grave breach of international peace and security has occurred that has resulted or is likely to result in a serious international crisis."

“As Cotler said, “To date, the government of Canada has only designated Zimbabwe and Burma under SEMA, even though Ahmadinejad's Iran constitutes a greater global threat to international peace and security.

“My question is: Why has Canada not invoked SEMA with regard to Iran? Will the Canadian government do so in the future?"

On Friday July 23, at 3:06 p.m. I received an email from Simone MacAndrew, Spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that said:


“I have been working on your request and was wondering if it would be possible to get back to you on Monday?(July 26)”


I answered in the affirmative.

By Monday morning July 26 the government of Canada had announced that it had invoked SEMA.

Spokesperson Simone MacAndrew wrote to me at 3:10 on Monday:

“As you are probably aware, on July 26, 2010, Prime Minister Harper made a statement announcing that Canada is imposing sanctions on Iran under the Special Economic Measures Act. These sanctions are in addition to existing sanctions passed under the United Nations Act. (See link - http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&featureId=6&pageId=49&id=3553)


“Please find a link to further information on today's announcement on Canada Passing Sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act –http://www.international.gc.ca/sanctions/iran.aspx”

Do I think that the fact that Irwin Cotler has persistently called on the Canadian government to invoke SEMA not only in the Canadian press but at press conferences around the globe in the last few weeks helped to ensure this action was taken?

It may well be that invoking SEMA was something that the Harper government was planning to do for some time, and has been in the works for a while. The timing of invoking SEMA may also be something that Canada was coordinating with other international measures undertaken by European allies. Maybe Canada’s invoking of SEMA is something that would have happened anyway without Cotler’s persistence in raising the issue.

But my hunch is that Cotler’s tireless devotion on this one helped.