One of the world’s largest cargo planes has been grounded at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport since February 2022
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau briefed reporters in Kyiv last weekend on plans to seize a Russian cargo plane that has been stranded on the tarmac at Pearson International for over a year, he merely confirmed what trade lawyers and aviation industry watchers had been expecting for weeks.
When Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal got back from meetings in Canada with Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in April, he took to his Facebook page to point out how Canada’s latest sanctions targeted Volga-Dnepr — a Russian cargo airline a Ukrainian court had already grounded for alleged safety violations.
“Preparing for the confiscation of the [Antonov-124] plane and other assets of the aggressor in Canada and [transferring] them to the benefit of Ukraine,” Shmyhal wrote.
Canada added both the Volga-Dnepr Group and Volga-Dnepr Airlines to its list of sanctioned Russian entities on April 5. But officials said very little about seizing this cargo plane — until Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed Canada’s intentions as part of another assistance package for Ukraine announced during Trudeau’s recent surprise trip.
“Should the asset ultimately be forfeited to the Crown, Canada will work with the Government of Ukraine on options to redistribute this asset to compensate victims of human rights abuses, restore international peace and security, or rebuild Ukraine,” says a news release issued Saturday by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
Notwithstanding this apparent slow walk to an official announcement, Trudeau said his government’s plan is to make this forfeiture happen “as soon as possible.”
“We are one of the first countries to bring in specific legislation that allows us not just to ground this plane but to actually seize it and ensure that it is never used by Russia again in the war effort or any other efforts,” Trudeau told reporters.
“There is a process. This is one of the early processes we’re going through. I can tell you the Ukrainians are very pleased that the path is started, not just for Canada but hopefully for other countries as well.”
Today we announced the seizure of the Russian Antonov cargo aircraft at Pearson Airport. This sends a clear message to Russia that their illegal invasion continues to have consequences. We will always be there for the Ukrainian people. ⬇️https://t.co/hu7RiZLtw9 pic.twitter.com/pSLkGqV7lc
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) June 10, 2023
On Monday, Deborah Flint, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, thanked Transport Minister Omar Alghabra for his “leadership on this file” — without specifying exactly what will happen next. The airport authority punted those questions back to the federal government.
Nevertheless, Flint said, “this action will eventually allow us to begin using the parking space currently occupied by the aircraft for operations.”
“While the asset is seized, Public Services and Procurement Canada will take control of and manage the asset in accordance with that order,” GAC spokesperson Jason Kung said in response to questions from CBC News late Sunday. “Public Services and Procurement Canada manages seized property in accordance with federal regulations and disposes of it should the courts declare forfeiture.”
In its coverage of this announcement, Kremlin-friendly Russia Today referred to the plane as “stolen” by Canada.
“The world is watching,” Boscariol said. “Whenever you set a precedent like this, there’s going to be accusations that you’re not doing something in accordance with the international order.”
“I think they now need to be worried about Russia taking action against Canadian investments within the territory of Russia” or making claims under its bilateral investment treaty, he said.
“This won’t be without consequence,” he added.
“At the same time, from the Canadian government’s perspective, the optics of the government acting to seize assets of major Russian corporations in Canada is — they think, at least — very positive. I won’t be surprised to see more like this.”
