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The federal government has issued a deportation order against an Ottawa woman it alleged worked as a Russian “sex spy” in the 1990s, ruling she’s inadmissible to Canada on security grounds.

Following hearings in Montreal in December, the immigration appeal division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada issued its decision in late June. It found Elena Crenna, 57, engaged in “acts of espionage contrary to Canada’s interest” and is to be deported.

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Crenna, a Russian-born American citizen who’s been living with her Canadian husband in Ottawa since 2013, said her initial reaction to the ruling was to laugh at how unreasonable it seemed.

“But then the shock set in,” Crenna said on Monday.

“What threat am I presenting right now to Canadian security?” she asked. “I’m here quietly, walking my dog and being with my husband. That’s it. And all of a sudden I’m a danger to Canada’s democratic ideals?”