The Liberal government faced accusations on Thursday of fuelling Vladimir Putin’s war machine by returning pipeline equipment in Montreal for repairs to a Russian energy giant.
Ukraine’s ambassador and Conservative critics argued Canada’s decision to return the turbine means more funds will be pumped into Gazprom, which is controlled by the Russian state, and in turn will allow the country’s president to buy more arms to attack Ukraine.
The accusations were made during heated exchanges at a parliamentary committee meeting where Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson gave evidence on the ent.
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The ambassador said the decision marked a slippery slope and allows Russia to weaponize energy while giving Putin “grounds for further blackmail.”
She said Canada repairing and returning additional turbines will be “turned by Russia into tools of humiliation and there is no need to take the bait.”