The Canadian Government will not submit claims of Canadian residents against the Bonn Government for injuries and damages suffered under the Nazis by residents who were not Canadian citizens at the time they were injured or who had not become Canadian citizens by the time the claims were submitted. L.D. Wilgress, Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs, has informed the Canadian Jewish Congress.
His statement was in reply to a C.J.C. request for government assistance in facilitating unfulfilled claims which in some cases are two years old. Sec. Wilgress said his position was based on “well-established principles of international law.”
In response to another request from the Congress, that Canadian Government authorities ask the Bonn Government to instruct its representatives in Canada to facilate the filing of claims by Canadian residents, Sec. Wilgress said that the Canadian Ambassador to Bonn would be asked to do so. The Congress had pointed out that Bonn consulates in Canada had been uncooperative on assisting claimants even with routine matters such as translation of documents.
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