By Canadian Press

MPs say Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza should be given honorary citizenship

Jun 1, 2023 | 10:57 AM

OTTAWA — A cross-party group of MPs and senators is hoping to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to Russian political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza in the coming weeks.

Senators are leading the charge to recognize the prominent Russian opposition politician, who helped shape Canada’s sanction regime.

Two Liberal MPs say they have support from the federal cabinet for the move, and they were joined by MPs and senators from multiple parties and groups at a press conference this morning.

Both chambers could pass motions asking Ottawa to grant citizenship, or the government could unilaterally make that decision, according to former attorney general Irwin Cotler.

Parliamentarians last voted to grant someone honorary citizenship in 2014, and Pakistani women’s activist Malala Yousafzai accepted the honour three years later in Ottawa.

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Kara-Murza is currently imprisoned and in ill health, a situation that Cotler described as a “slow-moving execution” for a man he referred to as the Nelson Mandela of Russia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press