OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says Canada has removed two banks from its list of sanctions against Russia.
Baird made the admission in the House of Commons after a question from NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar.
Baird says the banks were removed after analysis of new information found they were "sufficiently divorced" from the events surrounding the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
And he defends the government's sanctions record, saying Canada has imposed 189 sanctions on Russia -- nearly twice as many as the United States and the European Union.
Baird says that's one of the reasons why Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who addressed a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday, is so thrilled with Canada.
Earlier this week, Canada announced more sanctions and travel bans aimed at ratcheting up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
