The House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament unanimously approved a proposal to recognize Russian aggression in Ukraine as an act of genocide. This was reported by CBC News.
The motion was moved by New Democratic Party MP Heather McPherson. The ruling says the killing of civilians, the desecration of corpses, the forced removal of Ukrainian children to Russia, and the torture and rape of Russian soldiers are genocide.
The decree is not binding and does not require the Canadian government to take any action. However, McPherson said recognizing Russiaʼs actions as genocide was a way to push the government to take more decisive action against Russia, especially in the form of sanctions.
"Sanctions have been implemented too slowly, theyʼve been implemented very, very late, theyʼve … given an opportunity for Russian oligarchs to hide their wealth so they have not been appropriate," McPherson said. She also said she wanted the International Criminal Court to receive more funding from Canada to have enough resources to investigate atrocities in Ukraine.