Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Marco Mendicino, announced on Tuesday that the North American country Russian President Vladimir Putin banned from enteringand a thousand citizens of the Eurasian country for the invasion of Ukraine.
“In the face of the Putin regime’s brutal attack, Canada stands with Ukraine. For him, we have banned the entry into our country of the associates and main supporters of the Putin regimeincluding those responsible for this unprovoked aggression,” he said, according to the Canadian channel Radio Canada.
In a statement from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Mendicino added that he will present changes to immigration and refugee protection law (IRPA, for its acronym in English) to prevent the entry of sanctioned persons into the country.
“These changes will allow the Canada Border Services Agency refuse entry and deport those subject to sanctionsand allow Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials to deny visas,” the statement read.
Thus, he explained that once entered into force, “these changes to IRPA will apply to all foreign nationals subject to sanctions by Canadaand accompanying family members.
Among those sanctioned are senior Russian government officialsincluding Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, billionaire oligarch Roman Abramovich, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adult daughters, Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, and Putin himself.
“We will continue to exhaust all options to defend freedom and democracy, punish Russia and support Ukraine,” Mendicino said.
Russia has also sanctioned Canadians in retaliation for Canadian sanctions, including prime ministers, military officials and journalists. (European press)
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