New round of sanctions hits Russian TV, media and head of Russian Orthodox Church
Canada has imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia's media machine designed to puncture disinformation campaigns about the war in Ukraine.
It has also imposed sanctions on Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has preached favourably about the conflict, saying it has "metaphysical significance."
Gundyayev — known as Patriarch Kirill — is a powerful figure in Russia and its diaspora community and is much admired by President Vladimir Putin.
The patriarch has preached that it is "God's truth" that the people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia share one heritage and should be united.
Canada has also targeted Russian news agencies, TV stations and journalists. Petr Akopov, who has written approvingly about Putin's rationale for the invasion of Ukraine, and Tigran Keosayan, a pro-Kremlin television presenter, are among those on the latest list.
In addition Ottawa launched a web page correcting disinformation about the invasion of Ukraine and "countering it with facts."
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that the site will be continually updated to "shed light on how the Russian regime is using lies to justify its illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine."
Its launch came as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly told a meeting of the G20 that the world would "not accept Russia's false narrative."
In a speech to the summit of foreign ministers in Bali, Indonesia, which is also being attended by Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, Joly said it was "shocking" to hear him use "pure propaganda to legitimize invading their sovereign neighbour, killing, raping women and men, and torturing its people."
"We will not let Russia evade blame for this food crisis of their making," she added. "Canada clearly rejects Russia's assertion that sanctions are to blame. It is not so. Basically, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has thrown a wrench into global food supply chains."
While in Indonesia, Joly held talks with her G7 counterparts about the war in Ukraine, taking the lead in calling out Russian disinformation.
She also had a face-to-face meeting Friday on the sidelines of the G20 with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. The impact of Russia's war in Ukraine and the global food crisis were among the topics discussed
The face-to-face meeting will be seen by some as a thawing of fraught diplomatic relations between the two nations, following the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor from detention in China last year.
Joly also spoke to Wang in April in Germany when the two ministers agreed to keep communications channels open.
Also among the 29 people on Canada's latest sanctions list is Vladimir Sungorkin, editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda, described by Putin as his favourite newspaper.
Russian broadcaster RT was banned from Canada's airwaves earlier this year after ministers accused it of spreading Kremlin-inspired propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine.
But the latest round of sanctions hits RT directly as well as Russian broadcasters Sputnik, Channel One Russia and the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), whose chief executive, Oleg Dobrodeev, is also sanctioned.
The long-established Russian news agency TASS is also on this latest list, as well as Gazprom Media, which owns a string of TV and radio stations.
The new sanctions list also includes Russian author and journalist Yevgeniy Prilepin, and TV host and documentary maker Arkady Mamontov as well as Irina Volk, a well-known Russian ministry spokeswoman.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,150 people and organizations in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
It has co-ordinated sanctions with allies in the European Union as well as with the United States and the United Kingdom to stop Russians from exploiting loopholes.
Global Affairs Canada said the fresh wave of sanctions against Russia targets "state-sponsored disinformation and propaganda agents."
In March, Joly joined many others in walking out of a United Nations meeting in Geneva when Lavrov, whom Canada had sanctioned days earlier, began speaking.
As announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G7 summit late last month in Elmau, Germany, Canada has also banned certain gold imports from Russia.
This is to stop Russians from converting cash into gold to get around previous sanctions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Canada cancels automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas, tightens rules
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Trump names Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy in new administration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is naming longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration.
Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets misprint on 'Wicked' dolls packaging that links to porn site
Toy giant Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets an error on the packaging of its 'Wicked' movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Twin port shutdowns risk more damage to Canadian economy: business groups
Business groups are raising concerns about the broad effects of another round of labour disruptions in the transport sector as Canada faces shutdowns at its two biggest ports.
A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.
Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
Local Spotlight
Should Toronto tear up its bike lanes to improve traffic flow? Critics say it's not so simple
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.