Russian vodka ban under consideration by Sask. Premier Brad Wall

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is considering a move to pull Russian vodka off the government store shelves.

Wall says a Saskatchewan Liquor Board ban on Russian alcohol would send a message about what that country is doing in Ukraine.

"We can send a small signal about what Saskatchewan thinks about Russian aggression in Ukraine," Wall told reporters in Regina.
"I think Manitoba is thinking about the same thing with respect to de-listing some products, but again we want to do it in the context of what Canada's doing."

The Russian government has moved to annex Crimea, part of Ukraine, following
a hastily arranged referendum in the region on Sunday.

That followed the incursion of armed soldiers, believed to be from Russia, into Crimea.

Canada has condemned the activities and says the referendum has no legitimacy.   

Wall says there are surprisingly few products actually from Russia in government liquor stores.

It's believed the only one, in fact, is Russian Standard vodka.

Wall says he should have a decision on whether or not to pull the product from Saskatchewan store shelves by early next week.

About 14 per cent of the people in Saskatchewan claim Ukrainian ancestry.

Replay the Saskatoon Morning live chat about this story.