Canada announced significant changes to its sanctions regime on Syria on Wednesday, lifting comprehensive economic bans in place since 2011 while also imposing new measures targeting six individuals linked to abuses by the former Assad regime. Foreign Minister Anita Anand confirmed the changes to the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations, designed to reduce impediments to economic activity and enable transactions with state-affiliated entities in sectors critical to Syria’s recovery.
The amendments remove broad restrictions on the import and export of goods, investment activities, and the provision of financial and other services, including the monitoring of telecommunications and oil-related transactions. The changes remove 24 entities and one individual from the sanctions list “to reduce impediments to economic activity and enable transactions with state-affiliated entities in key sectors critical to Syria’s recovery,” according to a statement from Global Affairs Canada. The relief comes after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024 and the formation of a transitional administration under President Ahmed al-Sharaa in January 2025.
At the same time, Canada introduced two new listing criteria that allow for the designation of individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations or actions that undermine the peace and stability of Syria. Six individuals received new sanctions: four for their involvement in the March 2025 wave of sectarian violence in Syria and two for financing the Assad regime’s chemical and ballistic weapons programs. Sanctions remain in place against individuals and entities closely associated with the previous regime listed between 2011 and 2017.
The Canadian government urged Syria’s new administration to “achieve an inclusive political transition,” while pledging to continue to implement measures against those responsible for human rights abuses, civilian repression, and actions that undermine Syrian stability. The calibrated approach — lifting broad economic restrictions while maintaining targeted sanctions against specific abusers — reflects Ottawa’s effort to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction by holding accountable those linked to the former regime’s worst atrocities. Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in late 2024, ending decades of Baath Party rule.
