e-6616 (Foreign affairs)

Canada values the important role of the International Criminal Court in investigating and prosecuting the most serious international crimes. Canada has consistently supported the International Criminal Court as a key pillar of the international rules-based order and an essential mechanism in the fight against impunity. That’s why Canada was instrumental in its inception, and was among the first countries to ratify and the first to implement the Rome Statute into its own legal framework.

Canada will always strongly respect the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the International Criminal Court.

On February 7, 2025, Canada, along with 78 other States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, expressed its concern with measures sanctioning the Court and its officials in a Joint Statement. The statement noted that such measures “increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law, which is crucial for promoting global order and security.”

On July 7, 2025, Canada raised its concerns with sanctions and other threats against the Court in its national statement at the Special session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and said that “the support of each and every State Party is of paramount importance during this time of continued threats to the Court.”

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister raised the issue of sanctions, including those targeting Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost, directly with the United States’ Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on August 21, 2025. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister also issued a statement highlighting the vital work of the judges of the Court in upholding the International Criminal Court’s mission.

On November 11, 2025, in the context of the United Nations General Assembly debate on the annual report of the International Criminal Court, Canada denounced sanctions once more, including the impact on those targeted and their families, highlighting the human costs imposed on individuals simply for carrying out the work that States Parties mandated under the Rome Statute. 

Canada’s support to the Court is unwavering and has been reaffirmed on many occasions.  

As a State Party to the Rome Statute, Canada - like all States Parties – is obligated to cooperate fully with the Court in its investigation and prosecution of crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the Court. Canada would fully consider any request for cooperation received from the International Criminal Court, including with respect to any arrest warrants the Court may have issued, in accordance with the procedures established under Canadian law.

Finally, Canada has already implemented a domestic legal framework that operates as a blocking statute, comparable to those adopted by the Council of the European Union, to protect against the international application of legislation passed by a third country, namely the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act.

Canada will continue to respect the independence of the Court and its officials. Canada remains a strong supporter of the Court, and the more than 50 Canadians currently working at the Court.