Premiers, mayors, senior intelligence and military officials and a handful of Canadian journalists have been part of the latest group of people that have been banned from entering Russia.
The new sanctions against the Canadians were announced by President Vladimir Putin’s regime on Thursday when the Russian Foreign Ministry added 61 Canadians to its “stop list.”
When a name is added to Putin’s “stop list,” it means that the individual is prohibited from entering Russia indefinitely.
Among those added to the list was B.C. Premier John Horgan.
In addition to Horgan, the list included other premiers, such as Doug Ford of Ontario and Jason Kenney of Alberta, military officials, city mayors, and journalists.
Russia’s decision to ban Horgan and the 60 other Canadians came in response to the Canadian government imposing its own new round of sanctions targeting individuals with ties to the Russian government, including Putin’s daughters.
Putin’s regime said that the 61 Canadians added to the list are banned from Russia because they are “directly involved in the development, substantiation and implementation of the Russophobic course of the ruling regime in Canada, are indefinitely prohibited from entering the Russian Federation.”
Following the news, Horgan responded to the sanctions during a live press conference on Thursday morning, referring to it as a source of pride for the province.
“Well, I consider that a badge of honour, not for myself but for British Columbia,” Horgan said on Thursday.
“The fact that we were able to catch the attention of a brutal dictator in the middle of an illegal invasion of a neighbour tells me that British Columbians stood up immediately and said we are going to boycott Russian products, we are going to stand up and open our hearts and our homes to the Ukrainian people.”
Horgan added that he is ultimately proud of the efforts being put forward by British Columbia as the war continues in Ukraine.
“I am proud to stand with Ukraine, I’m proud to stand with British Columbians who are working together to make life better for those who are fleeing violence,” he added
“If the Russians don’t want me to visit, I have no plans to go. But I guess I’ll scratch that off my list of things to do. No longer on the bucket list, if it ever was.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry also indicated that more sanctions were coming toward the Government of Canada and Canadian officials, suggesting the “stop list” would be expanded soon.
“The Russian side will continue the principled line, which implies a resolute rebuff to the Russophobic actions of the official Ottawa, including the supply of weapons and connivance in sending mercenaries to Ukraine,” said the Ministry.
“In this regard, we warn the Canadian curators of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the national battalions of responsibility for the war crimes committed by their wards. The guilty will definitely be punished.”
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine at the end of February.
A full list of the 61 Canadians added to Russia’s list can be found online here.
Graham Cox
