Winnipeg Mayor Gillingham added to Russian sanctions list
Posted April 12, 2023 2:13 pm.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham is among hundreds of Canadians newly banned from entering Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday it was closing its borders to 333 Canadians, most of whom are politicians, in response to the Canadian government periodically imposing sanctions against Russia.
“The measure is also intended to encourage those on the blacklist to change their behaviour,” the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote.
The list is primarily composed of members of the Ontario, Alberta and B.C. legislatures.
It also includes a group of 42 retired Canadian Olympians who signed a statement last month urging the Canadian Olympic Committee to reject the idea of allowing Russians to participate in the 2024 Games unless Russia withdraws from Ukraine.
The Canadian government was also among a group of 35 governments that released a statement in February saying that, without clarity on a workable neutrality model, “we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed back into competition.”
—With files from The Canadian Press
