'A badge of honour': B.C. premier among dozens of Canadians sanctioned by Russia
British Columbia Premier John Horgan was named among dozens of Canadian officials and journalists sanctioned by Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday.
The move comes two days after Canada announced a new round of sanctions against close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, including his two daughters.
The list of 61 Canadians newly banned from entering Russia includes the premiers of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as the commanders of Canada's navy, air force, army and special operations forces.
Horgan says he considers his inclusion on the list "a badge of honour, not for myself but for British Columbia."
"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 boycott Russian products, we are going to stand up and open our hearts and our homes to the Ukrainian people," Horgan said during a news conference Thursday.
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem and the prime minister's chief of staff Katie Telford are also on the sanctioned list.
The Russian foreign ministry says the new round of sanctions target those "directly involved in the development, substantiation and implementation of the Russophobic course of the ruling regime in Canada," adding they "are indefinitely prohibited from entering the Russian Federation."
The sanctions also apply to Canadian journalists, namely Globe and Mail correspondent Mark MacKinnon and National Post columnist John Ivison, as well as CTV News vice-president Michael Melling.
In response, Horgan said a visit to Russia is no longer on his "bucket list, if it ever was."
"If the Russians don't want me to visit, I had no plans to go," the premier said.
Horgan was among the first Canadian leaders to publicly condemn Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in February, saying his government would stand with Ottawa in imposing sanctions against the country and would welcome Ukrainian refugees to B.C.
Russia had already banned many prominent Canadians from entering the country, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, members of his cabinet and MPs from other parties.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.