Staffing at the Canadian embassy in Moscow has fallen to very low levels, and if Canada were to expel Russian diplomats from the country, it could lead to the Moscow embassy’s closure.
Documents released in the inquiry into foreign interference in Canada reveal that as of July, only 17 diplomats remained at Canada’s embassy in Russia, and at the professional level It has been described as one of the lowest levels in recent decades. Since then, the price has fallen further.
“Canada currently has 12 diplomats in Russia, but some positions have vacancies and staffing is pending,” Global Affairs spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod said in a statement. .
Russia has 68 accredited diplomats across Canada.
Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been calls for Canada to follow the example of other countries and expel Russian diplomats. In February 2023, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee recommended that “the Government of Canada expel Russian diplomats who have engaged in activities inconsistent with their official diplomatic status.”
The foreign interference investigation has heard testimony from witnesses that Russian diplomats in Canada are engaged in a disinformation campaign aimed at destabilizing Canadian society.
The Canadian government announced it has imposed economic sanctions on more than 3,000 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova since 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea.
Russia has not expelled any Russian diplomats since 2018, when it sent home four Russian officials with diplomatic status and refused to certify three others following a 2018 nerve agent attack in Britain. responded by expelling four Canadian diplomats.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified before the Foreign Interference Inquiry last week and was asked why Canada has not expelled any Russian diplomats over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. He said it’s important for Canada to have a diplomat in Russia.
“We know for a fact that Canada’s diplomatic presence in Russia is reaching a point where it will be difficult to maintain it at all if it decreases any further, and we will continue to have Canadians stationed in Russia. “I believe it’s worth it to be such a bad actor on the world stage,” Trudeau told the inquiry.
Earlier, other witnesses at the inquiry testified that Canada was often reluctant to make declarations from its diplomats. persona non grata Order them to leave the country, as that often means deporting Canadian diplomats.
The Russian delegation in Canada may lose several diplomats but could still survive. Prime Minister Trudeau suggested that may not apply to the Canadian delegation in Russia.
“A small number of Canadian diplomats currently in Russia [has] “We have reached a threshold below which we might not have any diplomatic presence in Russia at all.”
“And we feel we can do more for Ukraine and the rules-based world order by continuing to be present in Russia, as Canada has always been, including during the Cold War.”
In May, Sarah Taylor, Canada’s ambassador to Russia, told CBC Radio. the house Relations between Canada and Russia have deteriorated.
“It’s true that the relationship is extremely poor at the moment, probably the poorest since the collapse of the Soviet Union,” Taylor said.
McLeod said a number of considerations influence the staffing of a particular embassy.
“The Canadian Embassy in Moscow is a medium-sized Canadian Embassy,” she replied via email. “Canada’s diplomatic presence in any country is determined by several factors and varies depending on the nation’s priorities and strategic interests.”
McLeod said Global Affairs does not publicly discuss deliberations regarding the expulsion of diplomats or disclose details of operations related to overseas assignments for security reasons. .
Ferry de Kerkhove, a longtime Canadian diplomat who served as deputy commander of the Canadian embassy in Moscow in the early 1990s, said the embassy’s staffing levels were close to “bare-bones” levels. He said this was far fewer than the 100 diplomats who were stationed there. I was working at the embassy when Russia was opening up to Canada and other Western countries.
“It would be hell to work in Moscow now,” he said.
De Kerchhove said the normal staffing level at the embassy in Russia would be around 40 to 45 diplomats.
“Everything is possible in Russia”
De Kerkhove said security considerations were likely a factor in current staffing levels.
“Given that Russia treats its citizens the same way it treats its citizens, including journalists, I think the Canadian government doesn’t want to put its staff at risk in any way,” he said. “At what stage do they arrest diplomats, use diplomats or whatever, anything is possible in Russia, where I lived for three years from 1992 to 1995.”
Mr. de Kerkhove said it is essential for the embassy to maintain consular services to Canadians in Russia and maintain the security of the delegation. However, given the state of bilateral economic relations, Canada likely won’t have many if any trade representatives in Moscow at this time, he added.
De Kerkhove said it would be a “diplomatic declaration” if staffing levels fell too low for Canada to keep its embassy in Moscow open.
“An eye for an eye”
Dani Bello is an assistant professor of international relations and security at Webster University in St. Louis and a research fellow at the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs in Ottawa. He said any move by Canada to expel Russian diplomats would likely lead to retaliation, and that Russia, not Canada, would be the one deciding who is allowed to return from Moscow.
“By convention, when there is expulsion of diplomats, it is like an eye for an eye. In other words, there is a proportional expulsion of diplomats from the other side,” Bello said. Ta.
“The challenge is when you get to very low numbers. There is a minimum number of people that you need to effectively run a mission, and basically at this stage this is what you need to run a mission effectively. This is an important number of people.
Bello said Canada needs to keep the lines of communication open with Russia. He said that although trade relations have shrunk, Canada and Russia remain Arctic neighbors and need to communicate on matters such as search and rescue operations in the region.
Bello also questioned why Russia has so many diplomats in Canada to manage a much smaller relationship than before.
“There seems to be a disproportionate number of people dealing with a very simple, uncomplicated relationship between the two countries.”
