CANORA — Canora-Pelly MLA Terry Dennis and his predecessor Ken Krawetz recently found out they are on the latest list of about 200 more names of Canadians sanctioned by the Russian government.
Krawetz, who served as Canora-Pelly MLA from 1995 to 2016, said the sanctions are largely a form of retaliation against Canada.
“If I ever have plans or business interests in Russia, I would never be able to fly to Moscow, so I could never have business dealings there,” said Krawetz. “I think it’s more of a show that the Russians are putting on for their people, sanctioning Canadians in response to Canada’s sanctions against Russians.”
Krawetz said it was no surprise that Dennis’ name was on the list, since he has been prominent in his support of Ukraine in his role as Saskatchewan Secretary for Ukrainian Relations, including supporting displaced Ukrainians finding their way to Canada.
“Obviously the Russians are displeased with him.”
But Krawetz found it somewhat humorous that he was listed by the Russians as Saskatchewan deputy premier.
“I stepped down from that position in 2015 when I decided not to seek re-election,” he explained. “But then I looked at others in this latest list and realized it is a reciprocal move by the Russians. Because of what Canada did to the Russians, maybe the goal is to sanction more Canadians because of the number of Russians that have been sanctioned by Canada.”
In addition to politicians, the Canadian names on the sanctions list include: business people, actors, producers, journalists, doctors, police officers, professors, activists and soldiers.
Krawetz welcomes additional new lists of people being sanctioned.
“We have to put more pressure on Russia, one way is to sanction Russian oligarchs (rich business leaders with plenty of political influence) and the money doesn’t flow to Russia. I heard that Putin was going to add up to 1.5 million troops to their army in the next few years. We need to keep in mind that Ukraine isn’t just fighting for its own future, it’s fighting for democracy in all of Western Europe.”
The effects of the war are being felt on a global scale. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international economic and policy forum, has said that Russia’s war in Ukraine will cost the global economy $2.8 trillion in economic output by the end of 2023. OECD estimates that figure could be even higher because of the risk of declining economic activity in several European countries as they attempt to ration their energy supplies during winter.
Krawetz has remained active since stepping down as MLA, with an emphasis on supporting Ukraine.
“The former Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada had approached me and asked me to be the honourary consul of Ukraine, a position we didn’t previously have in Saskatchewan,” said Krawetz. “Then he was moved back to Ukraine, and there was no ambassador for a while. But then the Russian invasion took place, Ukraine appointed a new ambassador, and I was appointed as honorary consul.”
A significant portion of Saskatchewan’s population is of Ukrainian descent, with the latest figure between 17 and 18 per cent.
Krawetz has been busy in helping with the effort to support Ukraine, including assisting Terry Dennis in meeting with various groups to look after displaced Ukrainians who have arrived in Saskatchewan.
“It’s been good to see the international support for Ukraine, especially the support and leadership of U.S. President Joe Biden. Without that, the war might have gone the other way by now,” assessed Krawetz.
“Canada’s response on the other hand has been quite disappointing. They’re saying we might be able to supply a limited number of tanks but we need to do more and quick, every day there are many people killed.”
Ukraine’s soldiers have shown themselves to be worthy of the support, according to Krawetz.
“Ukraine is a surprising country to many. They are innovators in technology and are adopting older equipment to meet today’s needs on the battlefield.”
Krawetz said he is not at all concerned about being sanctioned by the Russians, but rather looks at is as motivation.
“Yes, it will encourage me to do even more in Saskatchewan for displaced Ukrainians, supporting fundraising, whatever I can do to ensure the terrorist nation is driven out of Ukraine in whatever means necessary.
“We need to do all we can to help the war come to the correct conclusion.”
