Rachel Aiello

March 15, 2022

-CTV

OTTAWA — Just as Canada hit Russia with its latest round of sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Defence Minister Anita Anand were named among hundreds of Canadians Russia is banning, in retaliation for supporting Ukraine.

According to a statement posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s website, numerous members of Parliament and other Canadians in leadership positions at various organizations are now on the “stop list” or “black list” of foreigners that will be denied entry to the Russian Federation.

This move was taken in part because of Canada’s continued sanctions on Russia, according to the foreign ministry, who said it was targeting “top officials, parliamentarians and anti-Russian figures in Canada.”

“This step is forced and taken in response to the outrageous hostility of the current Canadian regime, which has tested our patience for so long,” reads the statement.

The Russian foreign ministry has named 313 Canadians in total, including Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and a handful of other federal cabinet ministers.

Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Sean Fraser who rolled out a series of measures earlier this month aimed at making it easier for some of the millions of Ukrainians who have fled the Russian attacks in their country to come to Canada, was named.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng; Minister for Family, Children and Social Development of Canada Karina Gould; Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino; Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan also made the list.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland was already barred from Russia.

In addition to the cabinet ministers, there are 116 Liberal MPs on the list, including Rob Oliphant who is the parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister, and House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota.

Almost all of the current roster of Conservative MPs are on the list—112 in total—including interim Leader Candice Bergen, foreign affairs critic Michael Chong, as well as leadership contenders Pierre Poilievre and Leslyn Lewis.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and 28 of his party’s MPs, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and 16 other New Democrats, and the two Green MPs Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice also made the list.

Separately, Russia also moved to put U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, former secretary of state and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and other top officials on the “stop list.”

More Coming.