11:28 13.07.2022

Ukrainian World Congress files lawsuit in Canadian court to stop return of turbine for Nord Stream

3 min read
Ukrainian World Congress files lawsuit in Canadian court to stop return of turbine for Nord Stream

The Ukrainian World Congress has filed a lawsuit with a demand to declare that the decision of the Canadian government to grant permission to Siemens Canada which allowed the return of repaired Nord Stream 1 turbines to Germany, is unfounded and unauthorized, and to issue an order to cancel such permission, according to the Congress website on Wednesday.

"Over the past several days, the Ukrainian World Congress together with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has been pleading with the Government of Canada to revoke the waiver provided to Siemens Canada which allows the return of repaired Nord Stream 1 turbines to Germany. We have also called upon the Government to ensure that all sanctions that have been imposed by Canada on Russia remain in place and are significantly enhanced," the report notes.

"To date, our efforts have been unsuccessful, and we have had no choice but to take legal action. Today in the Federal Court of Canada, the Ukrainian World Congress has filed a notice of application for judicial review together with Daniel Balik, a Canadian citizen, practicing lawyer, and current resident of Ukraine," the report says.

The application states that the decision to grant the permit was not reasonable, transparent, or properly authorized.

"Canada's decision to break sanctions and send the Siemens' turbine back to Russia is a grave mistake with dire consequences. This exemption to the sanctions regime against Russia is totally unacceptable. There are real alternatives to Germany's gas needs, including buying through Ukraine's pipeline. We cannot supply a terrorist state with the tools it needs to finance the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people. This is not just about a turbine or possible many turbines to support Russia's energy exports, this is about continuously succumbing to Russia's blackmail," Paul Grod, President and CEO of the Ukrainian World Congress, said

He also noted that people and businesses that believe in freedom, democracy and human rights could and should come together to find breakthrough solutions to the energy crisis created by Russia.

"If the court decides that the decision to grant the permit was unreasonable, it can quash the permit, effectively upholding the sanctions regime" Monique Jilesen, Partner at Lenczner Slaght and legal counsel to the co-applicants, said.

"The legal action taken by the UWC is meant to set the precedent that remaining Nord Stream 1 turbines should not be serviced on Canadian soil and sanctions in place should not be waived. Instead, this application for judicial review should set the stage for all parties involved to find a solution which does not trade turbines for Ukrainian lives," the Ukrainian World Congress said.

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