(OTTAWA) Newly released documents show that when authorizing the return to Russia of a turbine being repaired in Montreal, Ottawa considered the impact on Canadian jobs and global inflation.
Posted at 5:06 p.m.
The “memorandum for decision” prepared by Global Affairs for the Minister of Foreign Affairs recommended that Mélanie Joly grant a license exempting Siemens Canada from the sanctions imposed on Russia. The exemption would allow it to return the equipment for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which carries Russian gas to Germany.
The document was filed in Federal Court as part of a challenge by the Ukrainian World Congress to Ottawa’s decision in this case.
The brief from senior officials points out that Siemens’ specialized plant in Montreal employs more than 400 highly skilled workers.
In a heavily redacted section, the memo warns of possible job losses and even the closure of the plant — although the scenario that would have caused this outcome has been deleted because it contains “sensitive information from from a business point of view.
Senior officials also warn that failure to return the turbine could ultimately weaken support for Western allies’ tough stance in this war. On the other hand, the return of the equipment would allow Canada to “manage the message”, it was said.
The Global Affairs brief points out that without this turbine, Russia could maintain the thesis that Western sanctions are limiting the pipeline’s ability to operate, which would likely drive up global energy prices even further — and fuel inflation. world.