A former staffer for Premier Doug Ford wants the federal government to bar Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin from coming to Canada as a retaliatory measure against Vladimir Putin.
Laryssa Waler, now a Conservative strategist, has outlined that ask in an online petition that makes the case for the NHL player to be denied entry into the country ahead of the Capitals facing off against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Jan. 29.
"The point of sanctions isn't to find out who is guilty of the war, the point of sanctions is to pressure and make life very uncomfortable for those who support Putin politically and financially," she said. "And so if that's the measure, and if that's what they say sanctions are for, then Ovechkin should fall within that framework."