All The Maritimers Banned From Russia
HALIFAX—Since Russia began its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Western governments have heaped sanctions on Russia and its most powerful citizens to try to create economic consequences for the war.
Those sanctions have escalated as the war stretches on and Russia has responded with sanctions of its own, including banning politicians and business people from entering the country.
More than 600 Canadian citizens have been caught up in those sanctions, including several prominent Maritimers.
Huddle dug into the list of banned Canadians and uncovered the Maritimers Russia targeted. We’ve listed them below, along with the likely reasons they caught Russia’s attention.
Jim Irving, Co-CEO of J.D. Irving Limited:
On May 21, The Russian Foreign Ministry announced a round of retaliatory sanctions in response to Canadian sanctions targeting Russians connected to Vladimir Putin.
In a statement on its website, posted only in Russian, the Ministry said it was targeting commanders of the Canadian Armed Forces, managers of the military-industrial complex, the shipbuilding industry, as well as their friends and families.
It makes sense, then, that Jim Irving would be on that list. JDI’s shipbuilding division is a partner in the federal government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Since 2011, Irving Shipbuilding Inc. has been building hundred-million-dollar navy warships out of its Halifax shipyard.
Interestingly, Jim Irving’s brother and co-CEO of JDI, Robert Irving, is not on the list.
Kevin Mooney, President of Irving Shipbuilding Inc.:
Mooney falls into a similar category as his boss Jim Irving.
Russia appears particularly interested in sanctioning Canadians connected to the navy. So, as president of Irving Shipbuilding, it makes sense Mooney would be on the list.
Mooney joined Irving Shipbuilding in August 2020 as the chief operating officer and was promoted to president in early 2021. Before Irving, he served in the U.S. Navy and later worked at the General Dynamics NASSCO Shipyard in California.
Huddle reached out to J.D. Irving Limited for comment on Jim Irving and Kevin Mooney making the list but did not hear back before our publication deadline.
Stephen Matier, President and CEO of Maritime Launch Services:
Stephen Matier and his company, Maritime Launch Services, are behind the soon-to-be-completed commercial spaceport in Canso, Nova Scotia. The company and the spaceport have deep ties to the Ukrainian aerospace firms Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash.
Together, the two Ukrainian companies will build the Cyclone-4M rockets that Maritime Launch will use to propel its payloads into space.
Late last year, Matier also appeared alongside Volodymyr Taftay, the head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, at the Halifax International Security Forum.
RELATED: Canso Spaceport Announces First Customer, Plans To Launch In 2023
In a statement to Huddle, Matier said “being placed on Russia’s sanction list is of zero consequence to Maritime Launch. We do not have any current, or future, business in Russia.”
Matier said Maritime Launch “stands with Ukraine” and condemns the “unjustified atrocities committed by Putin and Russia’s military.”
“We stand firm in our partnership with our supplier partners from Ukraine, Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash, and continue to invest in the development of the Cyclone 4M, which we look forward to launching from Spaceport Nova Scotia in 2024,” he said.
John Newton, Retired Royal Canadian Navy Officer:
Rear-Admiral John F. Newton is a retired Royal Canadian Navy officer who once commanded CFB Halifax. He’s now an executive at a J.D. Irving company that works with the Canadian Navy.
Newton joined the Navy in 1983 after graduating as a geologist from Dalhousie University.
He commanded the HMCS Fredericton from 2003 until 2006 and was put in charge of CFB Halifax in 2008. In 2013, he was appointed Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic. He retired from the military in 2018.
Today, Newton is the managing director of Fleetway Incorporated, an Irving-owned company that provides support for Canadian Navy ships.
RELATED: J.D. Irving Company Awarded $72-Million Navy Contract In Halifax
While his current job might have put him on Russia’s radar, the country’s foreign ministry identifies him only as a former navy commander, suggesting that’s the primary reason he’s on the list.
Brian Santarpia, Rear Admiral with the Canadian Navy:
Rear Admiral Brian Santarpia has been with the Canadian Navy since 1986. He went through several postings and promotions before taking over command of CFB Halifax in 2010.
In June 2020, Santarpia became Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic, again taking over a job previously held by Newton.
Santarpia remains in the Armed Forces today, although he’s recently been connected to a few controversies.
The most notable happened this year when two senior officers quit after claiming Santarpia wouldn’t hold members accountable for alleged sexual misconduct.
Federal Politicians:
Russian sanctions include what is essentially a blanket ban on every federal politician in Canada. That means dozens of Maritime MPs, from both sides of the aisle, are barred from the country. They include:
- René Arseneault, Liberal MP representing Madawaska—Restigouche, NB;
- Jenica Atwin, Liberal MP representing Fredericton;
- Richard Bragson, Conservative MP representing Tobique—Mactaquac, NB;
- Serge Cormier, Liberal MP representing Acadie—Bathurst, NB;
- Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal MP representing Beauséjour, NB;
- Wayne Long, Liberal MP representing Saint John—Rothesay, NB;
- Rob Moore, Conservative MP representing Fundy Royal, NB;
- Jake Stewart, Conservative MP representing Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB;
- John Williamson, Conservative MP representing New Brunswick Southwest;
- Jamie Battiste, Liberal MP representing Sydney—Victoria, NS;
- Kody Blois, Liberal MP representing Kings—Hants, NS;
- Chris d’Entremont, Conservative MP representing West Nova, NS;
- Lena Metledge Diab, Libera MP representing Halifax West, NS;
- Stephen Ellis, Conservative MP representing Cumberland—Colchester, NS;
- Andy Fillmore, Liberal MP representing Halifax, NS;
- Darren Fisher, Liberal MP representing Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS;
- Sean Fraser, Liberal MP representing Central Nova, NS;
- Mike Kelloway, Liberal MP representing Cape Breton—Canso, NS;
- Darrell Samson, Liberal MP representing Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS;
- Rick Perkins, Conservative MP representing South Shore—St. Margarets, NS;
- Sean Casey, Liberal MP representing Charlottetown, PEI;
- Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal MP representing Cardigan, PEI;
- Robert Morrissey, Liberal MP representing Egmont, PEI.
- New Brunswick Senator René Cormier;
- New Brunswick Senator Nancy Hartling;
- New Brunswick Senator Sandra Lovelace Nicholas;
- New Brunswick Senator Percy Mockler;
- New Brunswick Senator Rose-May Poirier;
- New Brunswick Senator Jim Quinn;
- New Brunswick Senator David Richards;
- New Brunswick Senator Pierrette Ringuette.
- Nova Scotia Senator Wanda Bernard;
- Nova Scotia Senator Dan Christmas;
- Nova Scotia Senator Jane Cord;
- Nova Scotia Senator Mary Coyle;
- Nova Scotia Senator Colin Deacon;
- Nova Scotia Senator Stephen Greene;
- Nova Scotia Senator Stan Kutcher;
- Nova Scotia Senator Michael MacDonald;
- Prince Edward Island Senator Percy Downe;
- Prince Edward Island Senator Brian Francis.
Strangely, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the Liberal MP representing Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, does not appear on the list. Like most other Canadian politicians, Petitpas Taylor has expressed support for Ukraine and condemned Russia’s invasion.
The Rest Of The List
Russia’s list of sanctioned Canadians includes 617 people who fall into a few broad categories.
Most of them are politicians: it appears Russia put in place what is essentially a blanket ban on members of parliament and federal senators, regardless of their political stripes.
But several premiers, as well as the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto, also made the list. Former Conservative Party leaders Stephen Harper and Andrew Scheer are also banned from travelling to Russia.
Military personnel make up another big chunk of the list. Russia banned several top Canadian Armed Forces commanders but also specifically targeted commanders of Operation UNIFIER, a 2016 mission to support Ukrainian security forces.
Russia also set its sights on the defense and shipbuilding industries, singling out top executives of companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Canada, and J.D. Irving Limited.
The remainder of the list consists of a few university professors, the heads of major media organizations, a handful of political commentators, people connected to Ukrainian advocacy organizations like the Canadian-Ukrainian Congress, and a few others.
The Russian Foreign Ministry claims more countermeasures are coming in response to The Canadian government’s continued sanctions, and that more names will be added to the list.
Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].
Editor’s Note: This story was last updated May 27, at 8:53 a.m.
James Geddes
May 27, 2022 @ 6:30 am
Construction of the proposed spaceport has not started. MLS is not permitted to start construction until they complete the required conditions attacked to their conditional environmental approval. The Cyclone-4M does not exist and never has. Prior to Russia invading Ukraine, their state agency was saying they hoped to have the rocket ready for its testing phase in 2025. When and if this rocket is ever completed is anybody’s guess.