Please complete your profile to unlock commenting and other important features.

Please select your date of birth for special perks on your birthday. Your username will be your unique profile link and will be publicly used in comments.
Narcity Pro

This is a Pro feature.

Time to level up your local game with Narcity Pro.

Pro

$5/month

$40/year

  • Everything in the Free plan
  • Ad-free reading and browsing
  • Unlimited access to all content including AI summaries
  • Directly support our local and national reporting and become a Patron
  • Cancel anytime.
For Pro members only Pro
Summary

Canadian Banks Are Now Banned From Doing Transactions With The Russian Central Bank

"Today we are taking a historic step."

​Left: Justin Trudeau. Right: Russian currency.

Left: Justin Trudeau. Right: Russian currency.

Senior Writer

The federal government has just imposed new measures to oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and they are "effective immediately."

On Monday, February 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted about the update.

"Effective immediately, all Canadian financial institutions are prohibited from engaging in transactions with the Russian Central Bank — eliminating its ability to deploy Russia's international currency reserves and further restricting Putin's ability to finance his war of choice," he said.

He also said that the measures are in coordination with the rest of the G7 countries, who are continuing to work closely together to hold Russia accountable.

As well, Canada is taking further steps by imposing an "asset freeze and a dealings prohibition on Russian sovereign wealth funds," according to the Canadian Department of Finance.

These measures will help to severely restrict the financing of the invasion of Ukraine, the government says.

"Canada and its allies continue to take concerted action to ensure that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be a strategic failure," said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. "This has never been done before at this scale — today we are taking a historic step by directly censuring Russia’s central bank."

"Canada is firmly on the side of the heroic resistance of the people of Ukraine and we will continue to take further action to ensure President Putin does not succeed."

The move comes just one day after the news that Canada will be sending $25 million of protective gear to Ukraine and that "there will be more."

"Ukraine has asked for more equipment to keep their soldiers safe," Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly tweeted on February 27. "They need helmets, body armour and gas masks. Canada is delivering just that with an additional $25M worth of protective gear."

Rallies and protests supporting Ukraine took place over the weekend all across Canada with some crowds estimated to be in the thousands of people.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Sarah Rohoman (she/her) was a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. She has worked at BuzzFeed Canada, Yahoo Canada, and CBC Radio in news, lifestyle, ecommerce, and social media. She has an MA in Journalism from Western University and a BA from McGill. She loves libraries, alpacas, and all things witchy.

Canada-US travel advice keeps changing — Here are all the latest rules & ominous warnings

From grim warnings and safety advice to new entry rules and fees, here's what to know before you go.

The US has updated its travel advisory for Canada — Here's what you need to know

It contrasts with Canada's own travel warning for the United States...

13 updates from the new federal budget that you might actually care about

From tax cuts to Eurovision dreams, here's what Mark Carney's federal budget means for you. 👇

Ontario's new Costco is opening this week and here's what we know about the unique store

You can find thousands of products that aren't available at regular warehouses!

University of Toronto is hiring for these jobs and you can make up to $177,000 a year

Positions are available at the St. George, Scarborough and Mississauga campuses.

The Canada Workers Benefit is increasing — Here's how much you can get in 2026

Plus, when those quarterly advance payments are coming. 👀

Here's how much Galen Weston Jr. could give every Loblaws shopper — and still be a billionaire

The guy who sold you that $40 steak is worth over $20 billion. 😳