Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Russia added on Tuesday about sixty Quebecers to its “black list” of people banned from its territory, among a list of federal elected officials and government officials whom the Kremlin accuses of “Russophobic attacks”.
Prominent politicians such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, or even ex-astronaut Marc Garneau are targeted by these sanctions, but also opposition politicians such as the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, the Conservative MP Alain Rayes or even Alexandre Boulerice, of the New Democratic Party.
Economic sanctions imposed by Canada on its companies, leaders and oligarchs have visibly fueled the anger of Moscow, which responded fiercely on Tuesday by announcing sanctions against a total of 313 Canadians in one fell swoop. , including most members of the House of Commons, senior civil servants and “anti-Russian figures”.
The list published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia includes the names of at least 59 Quebecers, according to the count made by The duty. Included are elected Jacques Gourde, Dominique Vien, Gabriel Ste-Marie and Alain Therrien, as well as the majority of the Conservative caucus of Quebec and the Bloc Québécois. There are also Liberal deputies who do not have ministerial functions, such as Yves Robillard, Emmanuel Dubourg or even Joël Lightbound.
Federal elected officials from across the country are targeted, such as the leader of the New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, or even Elizabeth May, of the Green Party. Representatives of organizations, such as the president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Natalie Jatskevych, are also on the lot. All these people find themselves banned from entering Russia until further notice.
“This measure is forced and taken in response to the outrageous hostility of the current Canadian regime, which has tested our patience for so long,” the ministry said in a Russian-language statement on Tuesday.
Mélanie Joly was not surprised by this response from Moscow on Tuesday. “We expected it,” she replied during a press scrum. “We are not going to back down. »
“I thank President Poutine for recognizing me as an adversary of his odious regime,” reacted the leader of the Bloc, Yves-François Blanchet, when the journalists informed him that he too was targeted by these sanctions. “I had no vacation plans in Russia. »
Joe Biden targeted
In a separate statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry also announced on Tuesday a series of “unprecedented” sanctions against 13 elected officials and American personalities, also banned from entering Russia. The list includes US President Joe Biden, his Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The son of the American president, Hunter Biden, is also part of the lot.
“This measure, taken in reaction, was an inevitable consequence of the extremely Russophobic course taken by the current American administration, which, in a desperate attempt to maintain American hegemony, has relied, in defiance of all decency , on the frontal containment of Russia,” the statement said, warning that this list of people sanctioned could grow.
“In the near future, further announcements will follow to expand the sanctions list to include senior US officials, military officials, lawmakers, business people, experts and journalists who are Russophobic or who help incite hatred towards Russia and the introduction of restrictive measures”, one can read.