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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 314

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 21, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 314 - May/22/24
Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC)
  • May/22/24 12:00:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Conservatives have been relentlessly calling on the government for more than six years to recognize that the Iran regime-backed IRGC is indeed a terrorist organization and to shut down its operations in Canada. Indeed, as long as the IRGC remains off the terrorist list, this heinous organization can continue to operate, to be present, to fundraise and to recruit right here on Canadian soil. We have seen directly the impacts here in Canada and on Canadians associated with IRGC operations. This is why Conservatives have been persistently calling on the government to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. We heard testimony at the Subcommittee on International Human Rights today about the IRGC. One particular point I want to highlight is that if we look at the Canadian terrorist list, we will actually see many organizations on that list that are backed by the IRGC. We will see Hamas, which is backed by the IRGC. We will see Hezbollah, which is backed and supported by the IRGC. We have well recognized the actions of the Assad regime, including gross violations of human rights; it is indeed backed by the IRGC. There are many different smaller, lesser-known and splinter-grade organizations. The Taliban, I should mention, also receives support from the IRGC. Many that are already recognized as terrorist groups are on our list, but the government has failed to sanction the mother ship, the IRGC, which is supporting and enabling all of these other terrorist organizations. It makes no sense that the government has failed to hold responsible that Iran regime-affiliated terrorist organization, which is really at the heart of so much of the carnage we have seen in the Middle East and in many other places. Six years ago, I put a motion before this House to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization and shut down its operations in this country. That motion passed. It was not unanimous, but it passed with the support of the government. Then, after the House voted to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the government failed to act. For a while, the Liberals said they were thinking about it. The government said, “It is under review, it is under discussion, it is being investigated.” It takes some time to list a terrorist organization. Maybe, in some cases, they have a month or a couple of months of reviewing the details, but in six years, the Liberals did nothing. They failed to list the IRGC in six years. In the intervening time, so much has happened. The Iranian regime was responsible for shooting down flight PS752, killing many Canadians and others with close connections to Canada. There was the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini and the launch of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement; and there are many other crimes we could list that the IRGC was responsible for. Therefore, a couple of weeks ago, we brought the same motion back to this House and, again, the government voted for it. It was amazing. The Liberals voted for it and they did nothing for six years. Then it came back and they voted for it again. This time, it was unanimous. The entire House voted to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization and to shut down its operations in Canada and yet, the Liberals still have done nothing. What shameless hypocrisy we see when the government votes repeatedly to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization and it fails to act. I will ask again and I hope I'll get an answer: Will the government finally list the IRGC as a terrorist organization? Will the Liberals do what they voted to do and shut down the—
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Context: House Hansard - 314 - May/22/24
Mrs. Élisabeth Brière
  • May/22/24 12:09:50 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my answer is the same answer that my colleague would have received from any other parliamentary secretary. In terms of adding the IRGC to the list, I would like to point out that the Government of Canada could use listing as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code as a way to respond to Iran's blatant contempt and gross violations. Moreover, the Government of Canada is committed to holding the Iranian regime and the IRGC accountable for their actions that support terrorism and for gross and systematic violations of human rights.
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