Your Guide to Government Business: New Sanctions, Mining Projects, and 'Buy Canadian' Rules
A look at the official decisions from Ottawa for the week of July 2, 2025, covering everything from international relations to the industries that shape our landscape.
Welcome to your weekly briefing. We know keeping up with official government business can be tough. The language is often dense and it’s not always clear how decisions made in Ottawa might affect you. Our job is to read the official record—in this case, the Canada Gazette, where all new federal regulations are published—and summarize it for you in plain, straightforward language.
Here’s a look at the key regulations registered by the Government of Canada this week.
Major Sanctions and Trade Restrictions on Russia 🇷🇺
In response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the government has announced its most significant packages of sanctions and trade restrictions to date. These measures, registered on June 13, 2025, are aimed at disrupting Russia's ability to wage war by targeting its economy, military supply chain, and key supporters.
Here’s a breakdown of the new rules:
New Import Bans: It is now prohibited for any person in Canada or any Canadian abroad to import, purchase, or acquire a wide range of goods from Russia. The goal is to cut off revenues that Russia earns from its exports. Key banned items include:
Metals such as iron, steel, and aluminum, along with many articles made from them.
Coal and other solid fossil fuels.
Energy products like petroleum oils and gases, including propane.
A long list of other goods, including diamonds, crustaceans (like crab and shrimp), spirits (like vodka), wood, paper products, and rubber.
New Export Bans: Canada has also prohibited the export, sale, or supply of many goods to Russia. These restrictions are designed to prevent Russia from accessing technologies and materials that could support its industrial and military capabilities. Prohibited exports include:
Jet fuel and its additives.
Potential chemical and biological weapon components, along with related lab equipment like centrifuges and fermenters.
A vast range of industrial goods, including machinery, electrical equipment, vehicles, and tools.
Quantum technology components and other advanced materials.
New Individuals and Companies Sanctioned: The government has added dozens of new individuals and entities to its sanctions list. This includes:
87 individuals and 38 entities in total across the new regulations.
Senior Russian government officials, oligarchs, and their family members who have benefitted from the regime.
Companies involved in
Russia’s "shadow fleet"—a network of vessels used to circumvent sanctions, particularly on oil, by hiding their ownership and activities. Over 200 such vessels were added to a list prohibiting them from docking in Canada or receiving services from Canadians.
Key players in
Russia's quantum technology sector, including lead developers and major research facilities.
These regulations come with delayed start dates (ranging from 30 to 60 days) and some exceptions for contracts signed before the rules were enacted to give Canadian businesses time to adjust.
New Sanctions on Israeli Officials
On June 10, 2025, the government amended the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations. The reason stated for the action is that "the actions of Israeli extremist settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories constitute a grave breach of international peace and security that has resulted in or is likely to result in a serious international crisis".
Two individuals were added to the sanctions list:
Itamar Ben-Gvir (born on May 6, 1976)
Bezalel Yoel Smotrich (born on February 27, 1980)
According to the official notice, these individuals are "officials of the Government of Israel who are current Cabinet ministers". The sanctions prohibit anyone in Canada and any Canadian abroad from dealing in their property or providing them with financial or other services. The measures also make the listed individuals inadmissible to Canada.
A Big Shift to 'Buy Canadian' for Government Contracts 🇨🇦
The government has changed the rules for how federal procurement contracts are challenged, supporting a new "reciprocal procurement" policy. This policy aims to level the playing field by ensuring that only countries that give Canadian businesses access to
their government contracts get access to ours.
The amendment to the
Canadian International Trade Tribunal Procurement Inquiry Regulations clarifies who has the right to file a formal complaint about a federal procurement process.
The Key Change: From now on, only a "potential supplier" from Canada or from a country that has a trade agreement with Canada covering government procurement can file a complaint with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT).
The Goal: This aligns the tribunal's review process with the new policy of restricting access to federal procurement to what is required under Canada's trade agreements.
The regulations also add new clarity on what compensation can be awarded if a complaint is found to be valid, such as costs for preparing a bid or for lost profits.
Greenlighting Mining Expansions in Ontario and Nova Scotia ⛏️
The government has approved amendments to the Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations, allowing two mining projects to use fish-frequented waters to dispose of mine waste, known as tailings.
Red Lake Operations Gold Mine, Ontario:
Who: Evolution Mining Gold Operations Limited.
What: The company is expanding its existing gold mine near Red Lake, Ontario, to extend its operational life until 2040. This requires expanding the tailings management facility, which will destroy six water bodies.
The Trade-Off: The project will result in the loss of 2.39 hectares of fish habitat. As a condition of approval, the company must implement a Fish Habitat Compensation Plan (FHCP) to create
5.125 hectares of new fish habitat. The estimated cost for this compensation plan is
$6.22 million.
Goldboro Gold Project, Nova Scotia:
Who: Goldboro Gold Mines Inc..
What: The company is building a new open-pit gold mine near Goldboro, Nova Scotia. The construction of its tailings management facility will destroy seven water bodies frequented by fish.
The Trade-Off: This will result in the loss of 0.27 hectares of fish habitat. In return, the required FHCP will create
0.54 hectares of new fish habitat. The cost for this plan is estimated at
$60,000 over a six-year period.
In both cases, the companies were required to assess other options and demonstrate that the chosen site was the best available considering environmental, technical, economic, and socio-economic factors.
Quick Updates on Farming and Fishing Rules 📝
Chicken Quotas: New federal production quotas for chicken have been set for each province for the period of July 27, 2025, to September 20, 2025. The total national quota for this period is 303,874,715 kg (live weight).
Egg Levies in Quebec: The levy rate that egg producers in the Province of Quebec pay has been amended to $0.5205.
Fishing Gear Rules: A technical change was made to the Statutory Instruments Regulations to allow fisheries managers to more quickly and efficiently make adjustments to rules about the type of fishing gear or equipment that can be used in a specific area.
Which of these government decisions do you think will have the biggest impact on you or your community? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 🇨🇦