Jagmeet Singh calls on Liberals to support victims of human rights violation abroad

OTTAWA — As Ukrainians continue to suffer at the hands of Putin’s war crimes, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called on the Prime Minister to support victims of human rights violations with seized assets from Russian Oligarchs. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Singh urged the Liberals to adopt a Senate Bill that would allow the government to repurpose seized assets into aid for people impacted by human rights abuses

“This legislation is long overdue. Canada has been freezing the assets of those connected to human rights abuses perpetrated by governments in countries like Myanmar for a long time,” wrote Singh. “While the proceeds of crimes in Canada’s criminal code can be ordered by a judge to support victims of crime, the same cannot be said for crimes perpetrated by corrupt foreign officials abroad. Like other countries did, Canada must immediately fill this gap so that victims of war crimes and other human rights abuses have access to greater supports as part of an important step towards justice.”

Singh added that where assets may include ownership of companies employing significant numbers of Canadians, the government should take ownership of the frozen assets to protect those jobs while redirecting profits to help victims of human rights abuses. This should be done in consultations with any unions that represent affected workers.

“With the current international crisis before us, time is of the essence. Putin’s threats of nuclear action cannot be taken lightly,” said Singh. “It would be a disservice to Ukrainians, Canadians and the world if the federal government doesn’t take the actions needed to ensure that this Bill is passed quickly.”

New Democrats say if the Liberal government is not willing to introduce this Bill in a timely way, they will bring it forward as a Private Members Bill.