List of people banned from entering Canada

This is a list of notable people who have been, or are currently, banned from entering Canada. ^{[1] [2]}

Currently banned

Name	Country of origin	Occupation	Reason banned
Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais	Saudi Arabia	One of the nine imams of the Grand Mosque of Mecca	Has made many anti-semitic remarks. [3]
Steven Anderson	United States	Pastor and founder of New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist	Has called for death of the LGBT community and given antisemitic rhetoric. [4]
Bill Ayers		Retired professor and militant organizer	1969 conviction at an anti-war rally and having been involved “in criminal activity, in human rights violations or in organized crime." [5] [6]
Wes Bentley		Actor	Past drug convictions.
Chris Brown		Singer	Declared "criminally inadmissible". [7]
Jim Cornette		Professional wrestling manager	Criminal record made up of assault charges and arrests. [8]
The Game		Rapper	Alleged gang ties in Los Angeles. [9]
Jeff Hardy		Professional wrestler	Criminal record due to multiple DUIs. [10]
David Irving	United Kingdom	Author and Holocaust denier	Criminal convictions in Germany, relating to his writing on the Holocaust. [11]
Terry Jones	United States	Anti-Islamic activist and pastor	Previous legal infraction in the United States and because the German government has issued a complaint against him. [12]
Dieudonné M'bala M'bala	France	Comedian and political activist	Outstanding criminal convictions [13]
Dennis Mahon	United States	Right-wing terrorist and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan	Grounds that he would likely commit an indictable offense. [14]
Vitaly Malkin	Russia Israel	Business oligarch	Alleged involvement in money laundering and an international arms deals. [15]
Itamar Ben-Gvir	Israel	Politician	[16] [17] [18]
Bezalel Smotrich	Israel	Politician	[19] [17] [18]
Chelsea Manning	United States	Whistleblower and activist	Criminal record. [20]
Zakir Naik	India	Islamic Televangelist	Concerns over inciting Muslim youth to violence and extremism. [21]
Malik Zulu Shabazz	United States	Former chairman of the New Black Panther Party	Past rhetoric that violated Canadian hate laws [22]
Viktor Sheiman	Belarus	Politician	Undermining democratic institutions [23]
Gary Yourofsky	United States	Animal rights activist	Raided a fur farm in Ontario and released 1,542 minks in 1997. [24]

Previously banned

Name	Country of origin	Occupation	Reason banned	Ban lifted
50 Cent	United States	Rapper	Temporarily denied entry in 2005, due to criminal record and promoting gun violence in music.	Allowed to enter Canada on a temporary resident's permit. [25]
Northern Calloway		Actor	Criminal record. [26]	1990 (deceased)
Coolio		Rapper	Criminal record, including possession of a firearm. [27] [28]	2022 (deceased)
DMX			Criminal record. [29]	2021 (deceased)
George Galloway	United Kingdom	Former Member of Parliament	Having expressed sympathy for the Taliban and allegedly providing financial aid to Hamas. [30]	2010 (ban applied in 2009) [31]
Ron Killings (aka R-Truth)	United States	Professional wrestler	Criminal record. [32] [33]	Returned in 2011 for a WWE live event (ban applied in 2008). [34]
Winnie Mandela	South Africa	Anti-apartheid activist and wife of Nelson Mandela	Criminal record, including a conviction of kidnapping and assault. [35]	2018 (deceased) [36]
Antonio Negri	Italy	Marxist philosopher	Criminal charges and involvement in the Moro case. [37]	2023 (deceased)
Lil Wayne	United States	Rapper	String of charges related to weapons and drugs.	Returned to Toronto in 2022 for a concert (ban applied in 2011). [38]

See also

• Travel ban
• List of people banned from entering Australia
• List of people banned from entering China
• List of people banned from entering Ukraine
• List of people banned from entering the United Kingdom
• List of people banned from entering the United States

References

1. Annetts, Kailie (10 July 2018). "Here's A List Of All The Celebrities That Have Been Banned From Entering Canada". Narcity.
2. "5 Celebrities Rejected at the Canadian Border". Canadian Immigration. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
3. "Canada – A Saudi Imam is Banned From Entering the Country". Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism. 18 May 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2007. The Canadian Government has decided to prevent the entry into the country Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the Imam of the Great Mosque of Mecca, because of his preaching of hatred of the Jews....The decision to ban the Imam's entry into Canada is part of the authorities' campaign against antisemitism, in the light of recent events in Toronto and Montreal, and against racist incitement in general.
4. "Anti-LGBT Hate Group Leader Steven Anderson Banned From the Netherlands and the Schengen Zone". Southern Poverty Law Center. 3 May 2019.
5. "Ayers denied entry to Canada" Archived January 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , Globe and Mail, January 19, 2009
6. "Former American radical Bill Ayers again denied access to Canada". National Post. 15 June 2011.
7. "Singer Chris Brown cancels show after he is barred from Canada". BBC. 25 February 2015.
8. Johnson, Mike (18 September 2017). "JIM CORNETTE DONE WITH IMPACT WRESTLING, FOR NOW". PW Insider.
9. "The Game denied entry into Canada over 'gang ties'". Archived from the original on 28 April 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
10. Tessier, Colin (21 June 2023). "Jeff Hardy Unable To Enter Canada, Temporarily Written Off TV". Yahoo! Entertainment.
11. "British author Irving ordered deported from Canada". UPI. 13 November 1992.
12. "Koran-burning U.S. pastor barred from entering Canada for debate". Reuters. 11 October 2012.
13. "Dieudonné barred from entering Canada, returns to France". The Canadian Jewish News. 11 May 2016.
14. "Oklahoma Racist Leader Refused Entry to Canada". The Oklahoman. 23 January 1993.
15. Adrian Humphreys (3 June 2009). "From Russia with difficulty; Oligarch Vitaly Malkin just can't get into Canada". National Post . Retrieved 1 January 2020.
16. Berman, Lazar; Sokol, Sam (10 June 2025). "UK and four other nations sanction Ben Gvir and Smotrich over settler violence". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
17. Doran, Matthew; Crowley, Tom (11 June 2025). "Australia, UK sanction Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich". ABC News Australia .
18. Chase, Steven (10 June 2025). "Canada, Western allies sanction two Israeli lawmakers for incitement of 'extremist violence'". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
19. Berman, Lazar; Sokol, Sam (10 June 2025). "UK and four other nations sanction Ben Gvir and Smotrich over settler violence". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
20. Osman, Laura (12 April 2022). "Chelsea Manning barred from Canada due to prior convictions: Immigration tribunal". CTV News.
21. Stalinsky, Steven (25 June 2010). "Islamist Preacher Zakir Naik, Barred from U.K. and Canada – An Ideological Profile". Memri.
22. Greenberg, Lee (16 May 2007). "Black activist barred from entering Canada". CanWest News Service. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009.
23. "Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations". Cabinet of Canada . 24 June 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
24. Darom, Naomi (6 September 2012). "Is Vegan Superstar Gary Yourofsky an Animal Savior or a Mad Militant?". Haaretz.
25. Patton, Alli. "On This Day in Music History: Canadian Politician Tries to Ban 50 Cent from Country". American Songwriter. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
26. "How Did Sesame Street's Northern Calloway Die?". Heavy. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
27. Kennedy, John R. (29 September 2022). "'Gangsta's Paradise' Rapper Coolio Dies At 59". iHeartRADIO.
28. Dacey, Elisha (19 November 2018). "Coolio unable to gain entry into Canada; misses Winnipeg show". GlobalNews.
29. Glen, Sabrina (20 March 2023). "CANADA DENIES DMX. AGAIN!". Hip Hop DX.
30. "British MP barred from Canada". CBC. 20 March 2009.
31. "British politician George Galloway allowed into Canada". CP 24. 2 October 2010.
32. Clark, Ryan (24 May 2010). "R-Truth-WWE Canada Tour Problems, Batista's Submission, DDP-WWE". Wrestling Inc.
33. Smith, Danny (22 December 2008). "R-Truth Detained at Canadian Border". Bleacher Report.
34. "R-Truth Allowed Into Canada, Legends Host WWE Events, Khali". PW Mania. 30 May 2011.
35. Woods, Allan (6 June 2007). "Winnie Mandela not welcome in Canada". The Star.
36. York, Geoffrey (14 April 2018). "Winnie Madikizela-Mandela honoured by Canadians at her funeral". The Globe and Mail.
37. Sevunts, Levon (6 April 2017). "Firebrand Italian philosopher barred from visiting Canada". Radio Canada International.
38. Glen, Sabrina (7 August 2022). "Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne reunite for The Young Money Show". Canada Today.