As part of its ongoing sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, Canada presented a bill in the House on Tuesday. The bill would bar Vladimir Putin and 1,000 other members of his government and military from entering the country.
“Banning close associates and key supporters of Putin’s regime, including those responsible for this unprovoked aggression, from entering our country is one of the many ways in which we’re holding Russia accountable for its crimes,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in a statement.
Canada and other Western allies have implemented a series of sanctions against Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. Canada has also been supplying Ukraine with weapons. In response, Russia has prohibited the Canadian Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and around 600 other Canadians from coming into the country.
The sanctions cannot stop any individual from entering Canada
Although the sanctions restrict doing trade with those on the list, they cannot stop someone from entering Canada. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act lays out the basis for inadmissibility, which presently does not include sanctions as a justification. However, border or immigration officers have the authority to cancel or refuse a visa to anyone on a sanctions list.
Russia is banning hundreds of Canadian government, political, and military personnel, as well as journalists, from entering the country in recent weeks. Some of the Canadian officials are facing lifetime suspension from entering Russia. Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said that Ottawa will continue to assist Ukraine in building a strong military.
“As far as Ukraine is concerned, Canada has always been a supporter of NATO’s open-door policy. We are currently widely involved in supporting Ukraine in these negotiations to establish strong security mechanisms. At this point, we will continue to offer strategic technical advice to Ukrainian negotiators,” said Melanie Joly.
