Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has asked arts bodies that get federal funding to suspend all cultural activities involving Russians linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime in protest of his invasion of Ukraine. Canadian Heritage has written to organizations receiving the department’s funding, asking them to cancel tours and co-productions bankrolled by Russian or Belarusian state organizations. The demand, issued last month, could lead to cancellation of exhibitions of art loaned from Russian galleries, as well as concerts, festivals, and theatre and ballet productions featuring Russian artists. It warned that Canadian cultural organizations found to have ties with the Russian or Belarusian states will also no longer get government funding. But the letter makes it clear that ordinary Russians with no ties to Putin’s regime or to the Belarusian state will not be affected. The Heritage Department said it had launched a review to identify activities involving Russia and Belarus. “We urge …