OTTAWA-
MPs are launching a full study and will ask key ministers and international officials to testify about the federal government’s controversial decision to grant a two-year waiver from federal sanctions, allowing a Canadian company to return repaired turbines from a natural gas Russia-Germany. pipeline.
Members of all parties agreed to launch the special summer investigation into “the government’s decision to circumvent Canadian sanctions to allow the export of Gazprom turbines” during an emergency meeting on Friday morning, although the decision on who to call as a witness sparked considerable debate.
Ultimately, the committee voted to call Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to explain the move. Parliamentarians also want to hear about the impact of this decision from the Canadian-Ukrainian Congress, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada, the German Ambassador to Canada and the European Union Ambassador to Canada.
Hearings are due to start later this month, with the possibility of expanding the study to include more meetings this summer if MPs deem it necessary.
Calling MPs to vote on a motion to start this study was the result of several members writing to the chair requesting that the committee meet.
Canada’s decision to allow the return of these turbines has received mixed reviews. While it has been backed by the US and the EU, it has been roundly condemned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as federal opposition parties, who raised concerns during Friday’s meeting.
“I was quite horrified by the decision,” said NDP MP and foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson, criticizing the government for waiving sanctions when the situation became “uncomfortable”.
“We have all worked very hard in this committee and in the House of Commons to make sure that we are with Ukraine, that we are doing everything we can to isolate and punish Putin for the incredible damage he is causing… I would like to understand how the government of Canada came to this very dangerous decision,” McPherson said.
With the full list of witnesses still pending negotiation, Conservative MPs expressed interest in calling Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Ukraine’s World Congress and other foreign policy experts to testify.
“I find it strange that this announcement was made by the natural resources minister in his department…I think this rises to the level of a deputy prime minister,” said Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong.
While Liberal MPs supported starting a study, they took the opportunity during the meeting to state that NATO allies expressed support for Canada’s decision and recognized the difficulty of making it given the level of support expressed by Ukraine.
“I understand that this was a decision that was not taken lightly, and was made with a lot of conversation, and I think it would be appropriate for members of parliament to be briefed on how the decision was made and what its implications and ramifications are.”, said Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, who is also Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Secretary.
The issue arose last week, after the natural resources minister announced on July 9 that Canada would grant Siemens Canada a “revocable, limited-time permit” that would allow the Canadian company to return the turbines, part of the Nord Gas pipeline. Gazprom Stream 1, which had been sent to Montreal for repair.
After the federal government imposed sanctions on Gazprom, a Russian state-owned energy company, as part of an expanding economic sanctions program in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, Siemens Canada was unable to return the equipment. As a result, Canada faced pressure from Russia and Germany to return the turbines to Germany ahead of scheduled maintenance currently underway.
The energy giant claimed it needed the turbines to continue supplying Germany, after it had greatly slowed the flow of gas through the pipeline. This led the Germans to express concern that Russia might use its lack of turbines as a reason to further cut off its supply of natural gas to the country, leaving Germany without a sufficient reserve.
Although not made clear by the government at the time the deal was announced, the permit allows movement of six turbines to be shipped back and forth for regular maintenance over the next two years, with the possibility of the permit being revoked. . anytime.
In addition to this new parliamentary investigation, Canada’s decision to return the turbines faces a legal challenge from Ukraine’s World Congress. The organization filed a request for judicial review of the decision in Federal Court this week, arguing that granting the permit “was not reasonable, transparent or properly authorized.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the move, saying that while it was “a very difficult decision,” Russia is trying to “arm itself with energy as a way to create division among allies,” and that Canada felt it necessary to help. to Germany in the short term, as it and other European countries work to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas.
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