Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here today, Your Excellency.
Yesterday afternoon, in Ottawa, the Canada-Ukraine Friendship Group received Mr. Pierre Heilbronn, President Macron's Special Envoy for Ukraine's Relief and Reconstruction. Of course, there was discussion of the efforts currently being made to rebuild much of Ukraine's infrastructure, particularly in the areas that are not being as intensively bombed by Russia.
In your opening remarks, you stressed the importance of seizing Russian assets in order to help with reconstruction. Canada has moved quickly to enact legislation that enables us to seize Russian assets. In December 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that she was considering making “a court application to forfeit the asset permanently to the Crown” with a view to eventually handing them over to Ukraine.
It's now been over a year.
What has the Canadian government told you about its intention to confiscate Russian assets, including those of oligarch Roman Abramovich, to help rebuild Ukraine?