Ottawa and Washington have agreed to halt the shipment of technology that may aid Russia in its operation in Ukraine, with the coordination focusing on commodities destined for third nations or what Canada's border service refers to as "known Russian supporters."

The Canada Border Services Agency and the United States Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a commitment on Tuesday, which Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino described as part of Canada's "redoubling efforts to stop critical goods and technologies from falling into Russian hands."

The CBSA's Counter-Proliferation Operations department and CBSA regional intelligence offices will collaborate directly with BIS agents to share information and targets of concern under this arrangement.

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CBSA Spokesperson Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr stated that frontline border agents will be given access to American information bulletins to help them better detect shipments of "potential concern" before they leave Canada. The two agencies would work together to investigate suspected export law breaches and "reduce threats through coordinated enforcement actions and investigations," she added.

According to Statistics Canada, Canadian exports to Russia have decreased dramatically – down to $5.5 million in March, compared to $44.8 million in the same month last year – as export limits and sanctions took effect when Russia's operation began.

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According to lawyer John Boscariol, head of McCarthy Tétrault's trade and investment group, it's no secret that the US government has previously expressed dissatisfaction with Canada's performance in regulating the export of controlled goods, which could be one of the factors at work in this announcement.

According to Boscariol, “We are aware of instances in past years where the U.S. government has not been happy with the enforcement of export control laws in Canada and that could certainly be part of the motivation for this particular initiative."

A 2008 US diplomatic cable made public by Wikileaks revealed Washington's dissatisfaction with Canadian enforcement, detailing how American immigration and customs enforcement officials told Canada that “until the price to be paid for export control violations is the same in Canada as it is in the U.S. – prison – adversaries will persist in abusing Canada as a venue from which they can illegally procure and export U.S. defense technologies.”

According to Mr. Boscariol, the worry is likely not only about exports of technology from Canada that violate export rules but also about American-origin items supplied to Canadian clients and subsequently “shipped to a country or an end-use that is problematic for the U.S.”

When asked if American dissatisfaction with Canadian enforcement played a role in this announcement, Alexander Cohen, Mr. Mendicino's Director of Communications, said it is simply "enhancing and deepening" a longstanding relationship between the CBSA and the Department of Commerce, which is "already one of the strongest in the world."

The BIS is led by Alan Estevez, Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. He believes Tuesday's statement “sends a strong message to Putin’s government that we will stand together in our efforts to choke off its ability to sustain aggression."

The United States took action earlier this week against a Russian billionaire with business interests in both Canada and the United States for allegedly violating American export restrictions. Under US restrictions imposed following the invasion, a US court issued warrants for the seizure of two luxury jets owned by Roman Abramovich, according to court papers.

Abramovich was accused by the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security of breaking export regulations by selling American-made aircraft to Russia without the necessary licenses. Abramovich's jets allegedly flew to and from Russia in March, only days after the agency imposed additional export limits on Russia-related aircraft.

US Commerce Department official John Sonderman stated Monday that "Russian oligarchs such as Abramovich will not be permitted to violate U.S. export regulations without consequence."