By Canadian Press

Joly testifies at Senate committee on Ukraine war and possible new sanctions law

Apr 28, 2022 | 11:19 AM

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she supports a bill from an independent senator to confiscate seized Russian assets even though the government’s version of such a law differs in one key area.

Sen. Ratna Omidvar, who has a bill with that goal that is currently at third reading in the Senate, asked Joly at a committee meeting today why being forcibly displaced is not a criterion in the government bill that would allow for asset seizure, as it is in her proposed legislation.

Omidvar said since millions of Ukrainians have had to flee their homes since the Feb. 24 invasion, that should be a feature of any new law that gives the government the power to seize and repurpose the sanctioned assets of Russian oligarchs supportive of President Vladimir Putin.

Joly told Omidvar that the government wanted to build on her work in the Senate and did not want to craft a law that placed a higher legal burden on government officials when they try to impose sanctions.

Joly said that by keeping the bill broad, the government could follow through more effectively on the intent of Omidvar’s bill.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2022.

The Canadian Press