Lenczner Slaght Represents Ukrainian World Congress in Significant Judicial Review Application

Today, our expert litigators, Monique Jilesen and Katelyn Leonard, supported by Scott Rollwagen, have issued a notice of application for judicial review on behalf of the Ukrainian World Congress, an international non-governmental organization representing the interests of Ukrainians worldwide, as well as Daniel Bilak, a Canadian citizen and resident of Ukraine.

The application is with respect to the recent decision announced by the Minister of Natural Resources on behalf of the Government of Canada to issue a special export permit allowing Siemens Canada to deliver repaired turbines to Germany for use by the sanctioned Russian state-owned company Gazprom at the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Allowing this is contrary to the sanctions regime imposed by Canada after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The application requests:

• an interim declaration that the decision to grant the permit was not reasonable, transparent, or properly authorized, and suspending its effect pending judicial review;
• a declaration that the decision contravenes Canada’s sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, SOR/2014-58 and/or the Special Economic Measures Act, SC 1992, c.17; and
• an order quashing the permit.

“This application is an important step for the Ukrainian World Congress, and the Ukrainian-Canadian community,” says Monique Jilesen, Partner at Lenczner Slaght. “We are hopeful that the court will agree that all sanctions that have been imposed by Canada on Russia should be upheld without exception and that we should not allow this to set a precedent for the waiver of economic sanctions against Russia by Canada or other western countries.”