Iran's Revolutionary Guard listed as terrorist group in Canada

Canada's government lists Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist group after years of pressure.

Canada listing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist group after years of pressure | CBC News | Ashley Burke & Michael Woods:

Jun 19, 2024 - "The federal government is listing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under Canada's Criminal Code after years of mounting pressure. Federal ministers delivered the news Wednesday afternoon.... Once a group is placed on the country's terror list, police can charge anyone who financially or materially supports the group and banks can freeze its assets.

"The IRGC is a branch of the Iranian armed forces that answers directly to Iran's supreme leader. The IRGC shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 above the skies of Tehran in January 2020, killing 175 passengers, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

"Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly warned that Canadians in Iran might face a heightened risk of arbitrary detention after Wednesday's announcement. 'For those who are in Iran right now, it's time to come back home. And for those who are planning to go to Iran, don't go,' Joly said.

"This latest development comes after years of pressure on the federal government to list the IRGC. The association representing family members of Flight PS752 victims, members of the Iranian Canadian community, the Conservative Party and the NDP have all called on the government to designate the entire militia group as a terrorist entity. MPs voted unanimously last month to do so.....

When asked why it took the government so long to make the move, [Public Safety Minister Dominic] LeBlanc said the decision was made based on the advice of security services and foreign policy considerations.... LeBlanc added that Canada's security services hold a monthly review to determine whether to recommend that various entities be listed as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. 'The government of Canada has concluded after a deliberative process, based on very, very strong and compelling evidence that the cabinet received, that now is the time,' he added.

"Canada does not have an embassy in Iran; it cut diplomatic ties with the country in 2012."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-list-iran-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-terrorist-group-1.7238522

CBC News: The National | Canada lists Iran’s IRGC a terrorist group | CBC News: The National | June 20, 2024 (0:00-4:40):

The U.S. did it. The EU might. Why Canada won't put Iran's revolutionary guard on its terrorist list | CBC News | Mark Gollom:

November 4, 2022 - "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed following Iran's 1979 revolution, created to protect the new government. It has since, according to the Council on Foreign Relations website, grown to become one of the most powerful paramilitary organizations in the Middle East. It operates its own intelligence services and answers directly to Iran's supreme leader. It is a branch of the Iranian armed forces but operates independently of the regular military and has vast economic interests across the country.... But it has also been accused of orchestrating a number of state-sanctioned terror attacks throughout the world, while also offering support to terrorist organizations, accusations Iran denies....

"In June 2018, the federal Liberals supported a House of Commons motion introduced by the Conservatives that sought to 'immediately designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code of Canada'....Still, Canada has not taken the extra step to list it as a terrorist entity....

"Attorney General and Justice Minister David Lametti explained that since the IRGC is part of Iran's military, and military service is mandatory, there are concerns that ... Including the IRGC in those terrorist listings might unfairly capture Iranians in Canada who oppose and fled the regime, but had been conscripted into the IRGC.... Thomas Juneau, who specializes in the politics of the Middle East at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, agreed that the problem with the IRGC is that in the over 40 years of the Islamic Republic, there are over 'hundreds of thousands of individuals, mostly men, who have been in the IRGC, in many cases conscripts'....

"The implementation of listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity would be extraordinarily resource intensive, Juneau says. The demand that such a listing would impose on agencies like the RCMP, CSIS, the Canada Border Services Agency, and FINTRAC, the financial intelligence unit, would be massive, he said.... 'You need to hire people with very technical skills in financial intelligence and border security. You need to train them. You need to get them a security clearance, usually at the top secret level,' he said.

"But there's also a legal issue that the government has not discussed....  Andrew House, who specializes in national security law and who was the chief of staff to former public safety minister Vic Toews, said that ... [u]nder the Criminal Code, entity is defined as "a person, group, trust, partnership or fund or an unincorporated association or organization.' That means the IRGC, as an arm of the Iranian government, might technically not fit into that category; arguably, it's a state actor, which are subject to sanctions, but wouldn't be placed on a terrorist list. 'That's the purist legal position,' House said. 'Judges make a big deal of these types of differences'.... 

"Yet House ... points out that the Taliban, for example, are on the list, and that they are the de facto government of Afghanistan. 'If you want it to be legally pure about this, you should delist the Taliban. And I don't know anyone who would be supportive of that.'"

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/iran-irgc-terrorist-list-1.6637869