Premiers, mayors, head of CBC all banned from visiting Russia in latest round of sanctions
Russia's action comes after Canada announced its own round of sanctions earlier this month
Premiers, mayors, senior intelligence and military officials and a handful of Canadian journalists are now banned from entering Russia following the latest round of sanctions announced by President Vladimir Putin's regime.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry added 61 Canadians to what it calls its "stop list," prohibiting them from entering Russia indefinitely.
All are accused of being "involved in the development, substantiation and implementation of the Russophobic course of the ruling regime in Canada," said the ministry.
When he heard that he'd been banned, Lloyd Axworthy, a Chrétien-era cabinet minister who now heads the World Refugee Council, laughed it off.
"The old saying is that you're well known by the company you keep and by the company that doesn't like you," he said.
"It's not surprising but it indicates to me how silly they really are."
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, who supported installing bilingual "Free-Libre Ukraine" signs outside the Russian embassy, said he'll continue to support Ukrainians and "antagonize the Russians."
"I had no plans to go to Moscow or any part of Russia and wouldn't do so because I don't want to give them any element of support," he told CBC.
"But it's a serious issue. They're doing this because, quite frankly, I think they're losing the public relations war as a result of their illegal occupation of parts of Ukraine."
The sanctions were imposed in the same week the Canadian government announced its own new round of sanctions targeting individuals with ties to the Russian government — including Putin's daughters.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced this week plans to send heavy artillery to Ukraine as Russian forces step up their attacks in the country's eastern regions.
The 61 people added to Russia's growing "stop list" are:
- Cameron Ahmad, director of communications to the prime minister
- Maj-Gen. Steve Boivin, commander of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command
- Jeremy Broadhurst, senior adviser to the prime minister
- Shelly Bruce, head of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
- Vice-Admiral Craig Baines, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
- Halyna Vynnyk, head of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women
- David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS)
- Terry Glavin, journalist and columnist
- Balkan Devlen, senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute
- Romeo Dallaire, retired senator and former Canadian Forces lieutenant-general
- Col. Ryan Deming, commander of the 8 Wing division at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton
- Lt.-Gen. Luc-Frederic Gilbert, commander of the Operation Unifier training mission in Ukraine
- John Ivison, journalist and columnist at the National Post
- Martine Irman, chair of Export Development Canada (EDC)
- Jason Kenney, premier of Alberta
- Brian Clow, deputy chief of staff to the prime minister
- Dan Costello, foreign and defence policy adviser to the prime minister
- Frederick Côté, former commander of the Unifier training mission
- Melanie Lake, former commander of the Unifier training mission
- Mark MacKinnon, senior international correspondent Globe and Mail
I'm getting a lot of "congratulations" replies to this. But for me, it's a genuinely sad day. I loved my time living in Russia, and made a lot of friends there (though many of them have left). I always tried to report honestly about the country. I guess that was the problem. <a href="https://t.co/o8BjheD3yr">https://t.co/o8BjheD3yr</a>
—@markmackinnon- Shuvaloy Majumdar, senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute
- Sabrina Maddeaux, columnist
- Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada
- Roman Medyk, senior investment counsellor at BMO
- Michael Melling, head of CTV News
- Borys Mikhaylets, Ukrainian League of Canada
- Scott Moe, premier of Saskatchewan
- David Morrison, deputy minister of international trade and personal representative of the prime minister for the G7
- Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger, commander of the Canadian Air Force
- Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada
- Sandra Aube, chief of staff to the minister of foreign affairs
- Vice-Admiral Robert Auchterlonie, commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command
- Mike Power, chief of staff to the minister of national defence
- Lt.-Gen. Alain Pelletier, deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command
- Bob Rae, Canadian ambassador to the United Nations
- Michael Sabia, deputy minister of finance
- Rear Admiral Brian Santarpia, commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic
- Jill Sinclair, Canada's representative to the Ukraine Defence Reform Advisory Board
- Heather Stefanson, premier of Manitoba
- Ryan Stimpson, former commander of the Unifier training mission
- Maj.-Gen. Michel-Henri St-Louis, acting commander of the Canadian Army
- John Tory, mayor of Toronto
- Patrick Travers, senior foreign policy adviser to the prime minister
- Jeffrey Toope, former commander of the Unifier training mission
- Catherine Tait, president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
- Katie Telford, chief of staff to the prime minister
- David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of the Globe and Mail
- Jim Watson, mayor of Ottawa
- Graham Flack, secretary of the Treasury Board
- Doug Ford, premier of Ontario
- David Fraser, retired major general
- Michael Harris, contributing editor with The Tyee
- Tasha Kheiriddin, National Post columnist
- Sarah Heer, former commander of the Unifier training mission
- John Horgan, premier of British Columbia
- Leslie Church, chief of staff to the deputy prime minister and minister of finance
- Janice Charette, acting clerk of the Privy Council
- Richard Shimooka, fellow at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute;
- Chris Ecklund, founder of FightForUkraine.ca
- Lloyd Axworthy, chair of the World Refugee Council
- Oz Jungic, policy adviser to the prime minister
With files from Ian Froese
