(OTTAWA) The federal government is taking steps to prevent the disclosure of “sensitive or potentially harmful information” during a legal challenge to its decision to hand over a repaired turbine in Montreal to a Russian energy giant.
Posted yesterday at 11:54 p.m.
In a motion to the Federal Court, the Attorney General seeks confirmation that certain information reported by the Department of Justice will not be disclosed in the legal proceedings regarding these turbines.
In early July, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly issued a permit to Siemens Energy Canada authorizing it to service turbines used by Russian state-owned Gazprom, despite sanctions against Moscow in because of his invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine has criticized the Canadian government for agreeing to a request from Germany to exempt Siemens from sanctions so it can return an early turbine for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies natural gas to the Germany.
The turbine was being repaired at Siemens’ facility in Montreal, the only place in the world capable of servicing this piece of equipment.
It was delivered to Germany and was then due to be returned to Russia, but Russian authorities have so far refused to accept it.
The Ukrainian World Congress and Daniel Bilak, a Canadian who lives in Ukraine, filed an application for judicial review of the permit decision.
On August 3, a Department of Justice lawyer advised the Attorney General under the Canada Evidence Act that she believed that some of the information to be filed in the court proceedings related to sensitive information.
Although redacted documents have been released, the government says some information should be kept secret because releasing this information would harm Canada’s international relations.
Canada’s permit also allows Siemens to import, repair and return five other turbines used in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, depending on their maintenance schedule. This temporary permit is valid until the end of 2024.