Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced that Canada is revoking sanctions exemptions that allowed a Montreal-based company to repair the turbines of a gas pipeline operated by Russian energy giant Gazprom.
In July, Siemens Energy obtained an exemption from Canada’s sanctions against Russia to repair up to six turbines of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which transports natural gas to Germany.
Ottawa justified its decision to grant an exemption by saying that it wanted to help Europe in the face of the energy crisis as well as in order to demonstrate the “bluff” of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
In September, an explosion on part of the pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea rendered it unusable. According to Swedish investigators, it was an act of sabotage.
As a result, Minister Wilkinson believes that the sanctions waiver “no longer serves its purpose”.
In a statement, the minister said the decision was made in collaboration with allies in Ukraine, Germany and the rest of Europe.
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