On July 1, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs added CDA Executive Director Dr. Youri Cormier and Deputy Director Mr. Joe Varner to their list of sanctioned Canadians, citing their involvement in “developing and implementing official Ottawa’s Russophobic policy” and for “inciting enmity [against Russia] and providing help to Zelensky’s criminal regime.”
Approximately 1,750 Canadians, including Prime Minister Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Freeland, currently occupy the list of sanctioned Canadians. In this latest round, 99 Canadians were added. Those cited include 15 Senators, Justice Louise Arbour, Olivia Chow the Mayor of Toronto, many senior public servants from the Canadian Department of Justice’s Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes Section, as well as RCMP officers and employees.
While the reasoning behind recent additions were not made known to the organization, the CDA Institute has no intention of taking any corrective action that might assuage Russia’s concerns with the think tank’s reporting, research, and analysis. The CDA Institute remains steadfast in its commitment to speak the truth and to recommend strong international action against illegal wars, territorial annexation, documented war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the abduction and forceful transfer of children.
The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) was founded in 1932 and today serves as an umbrella group for 40 member associations that represent over 400,000 active and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Its sister organization, the CDA Institute, is a non-partisan registered charity with the mission to advance informed debate on national security issues, particularly those that pertain to national defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Further reading
NATO at 75: Can the Alliance Adapt to Global Security Shifts?
Is History Rhyming? Putin, Ukraine, Transatlantic Security, & the NATO Summit
Russia is a Discount Gas Station, Not an Equal Ally: An Analysis of the Putin-Xi Summit
For media inquiries, please contact Hannah Fitzpatrick (media@cdainstitute.ca)