OTTAWA -- The federal government is adding 13 new extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities, freezing their assets and opening up people who are affiliated with them to criminal sanctions.

The move is a major step towards combatting ideologically-motivated extremist sentiment in Canada, and officials suggested Canada is the first country to make the decision to label the Proud Boys as a serious terror threat.

In addition to several al Qaeda and Daesh affiliates as well as one new international terror group being added to the list, the federal government is moving to list four ideologically motivated violent extremist (IMVE) organizations.

They are:

  • Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group founded in the U.S. in 2013 that was present at the 2017 Charlottesville rally;
  • Russian Imperial Movement, a nationalist group that trained those who bombed a left-wing bookstore and asylum facilities in Sweden in 2016;
  • Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group founded by a Canadian and formed in 2016 that, according to the government, played 鈥渁 pivotal role鈥� in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6; and
  • The Base, a neo-Nazi group founded in 2018, primarily active in the U.S., and whose members plotted to carry out attacks at a January rally in Virginia.

All four of these groups have called for, or engaged in acts of violence against those who are perceived to be opposed to their ideological beliefs, says the government.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced the move on Wednesday, highlighting the safety and security concerns these extremist groups raise for Canadians.

"This update hopefully sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate ideological, religious or politically-motivated acts of violence," Blair said.

The decision also brings a range of 鈥渟ignificant鈥� legal and financial implications for people participating in or who are otherwise affiliated with these groups. Specifically, the Criminal Code includes charges for people or organizations that deal with property or finances of a listed entity. It also criminalizes certain supporting activities such as training and recruitment. These charges could be laid on a going-forward basis and cannot apply to past actions.

For example, any future purchasing Proud Boys merchandise from the group could now be considered a criminal act in this country, though belonging without any financial ties to a group is not illegal.

Further, anyone looking to enter Canada may not be allowed in if they are found to be associated with a listed group, and Blair can revoke the passports of anyone deemed to pose a threat to travel to engage in terrorist activities.

鈥淏ehaviour becomes a threat when people advocate or engage in violence as a means of promoting or furthering their ideology,鈥� said one senior government official briefing reporters on a not-for-attribution basis.

In line with the new label as terrorist entities, steps are also being taken to remove any online content from these entities.

In addition to the IMVE groups, the government has also added the following al Qaeda affiliates to the list: Ansar Dine; Front de Libération du Macina; and Jama鈥檃t Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin. The government is also adding five new Islamic State affiliates based in Bangladesh; East Asia; the Greater Sahara; Libya; and the West Africa Province.

As well, one international terror group has joined the list: Hizbul Mujahideen, which was formed in 1989 as a militant Kashmiri liberation group.

The government says it has recently reviewed seven other organizations currently on the list in line with a legal requirement to do so, and it was determined all six groups remained a threat and so it was warranted to continue listing them.

鈥淏ased on their actions and ideologies, each group meets the legal threshold for listing as set out in the Criminal Code, which requires reasonable grounds to believe that an entity has knowingly participated in or facilitated a terrorist activity, or has knowingly acted on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with such an entity,鈥� said the government in briefing materials provided to reporters in advance of Blair鈥檚 press conference.

GROWING THREAT OF EXTREMIST VIOLENCE

These extremist organizations newly added to the terrorist list join the ranks of Boko Haram and the Taliban, among many others. There are now a total of 73 terrorist entities on Canada鈥檚 list. Wednesday鈥檚 update is the first time new names have been added since 2019, when International neo-Nazi network Blood & Honour and its armed affiliate Combat 18, were added to the roster.

In making the announcement the government emphasized that federal intelligence agencies consider ideologically-motivated violent extremism a 鈥済rowing threat,鈥� and countering the online component of these organizations remains a 鈥渃omplex and ever-evolving issue.鈥�

While generally considered 鈥渞ight-wing鈥� groups, the federal government has sought to move away from that descriptor, stating it and 鈥渓eft-wing鈥� are largely subjective and do not capture the complexity of the threat posed.

The classification of IMVE groups includes racially-motivated and ethno-nationalist violence, anti-authority violence, gender-driven violence like the Incel movement, and other grievance-driven violence. The government differentiates these groups from those who espouse religiously-motivated violent extremism or politically-motivated violent extremism.

In January, Blair first signalled in an interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period that new additions to Canada鈥檚 list of recognized terrorist organizations could be coming.

Blair said at the time that Canadian national security officials were actively gathering intelligence about white supremacist and other extremist hate groups on an ongoing basis.

PROUD BOYS鈥� CANADIAN ROOTS

Started by Canadian and former VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys are a far-right organization that prides itself on 鈥渘eo-chauvinism鈥� and their core belief in 鈥渁nti-political correctness.鈥�

Although the group has denied any affiliation with far-right rhetoric in the past, it has been increasingly violent in the wake of Donald Trump鈥檚 election in 2016.

The group has 鈥渙penly encouraged, planned, and conducted violent activities against those they perceive to be opposed to their ideology and political beliefs,鈥� according to federal officials, who also acknowledged that no members of the group have been charged with terrorism offenses to date.

Trump鈥檚 infamously told the Proud Boys to 鈥渟tand back and stand by鈥� in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020.

Attention on the organization has been heightened following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, where participants were seen clearly in footage and on social media sporting Proud Boy colours, patches, flags and apparel affiliated with the group.

There are chapters of the group across Canada, and the labelling of the organization as a terrorist entity could have future implications for its Canadian members.

According to the government鈥檚 description of the organization published on Wednesday, 鈥渕embers of the group espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and/or white supremacist ideologies and associate with white supremacist groups.鈥�

While Blair could not provide specific intelligence gathered that led to the inclusion of the Proud Boys on the terror list, he said federal security officials have been monitoring its activities for some time and has seen 鈥渁n escalation,鈥� like acquiring weapons and engaging in criminal actions.

The minister said that while freedom of speech and freedom of association remain rights, 鈥渢here is a threshold鈥� where it becomes terrorism.

鈥淭here is a trove of evidence that has become available to us through the work of our law enforcement and security officials, but also the Americans, that really demonstrates the criminal intent, the violent criminal intent to engage in violent insurrection but also targeting individuals, targeting politicians for violent acts, all of which crosses that threshold where we believe it's necessary and appropriate to list them as a terrorist entity,鈥� Blair said in an interview on CTV鈥檚 Power Play.

SEPARATE FROM HOUSE MOTION

In the wake of the U.S. Capitol attacks, the federal government has faced calls to reassess the domestic terror threat and on Jan. 25, on the proposal of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, members of Parliament unanimously agreed to call on the federal government to declare the Proud Boys a 鈥渢errorist entity.鈥�

The motion called on the government to 鈥渦se all available tools to address the proliferation of white supremacists and hate groups,鈥� however the decision on who is, or isn鈥檛 declared a terrorist group, is not one for politicians to make.

As officials emphasized on Wednesday, the decision was based on the intelligence Canada鈥檚 federal agencies have gathered. As the process works, the justice department would have had input on the legality of the decision and Blair would have then consulted cabinet on the new listings before the amendments were made to the regulations to add the new groups.

During the briefing on the decision, a federal official told reporters that the listing of these 13 entities was an action taken 鈥渧ery much aside鈥� from the parliamentary motion.

Reacting to the announcement, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he was pleased with the move as he thinks it will have 鈥渞eal impacts鈥� on the Proud Boys networks in Canada, but called for a further dismantling of all white supremacist and extreme right-wing groups in Canada.

鈥淲e need to build a country where everyone feels like they belong and those types of hateful groups have no place in this country,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat this, I hope, does is have a chilling effect on these groups.鈥�

In a statement, Conservative public safety critic Shannon Stubbs questioned why Iran鈥檚 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has not been deemed a terrorist entity, after parliamentarians have called for them to be added for years.

鈥淭he Trudeau Liberals have been soft on extremism鈥� Canada must stand against terrorism wherever it is found and whatever its motivation,鈥� Stubbs said.

In a statement the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group expressed concerns about using terrorism laws to combat hate-based violence, stating that it鈥檚 been criticized by civil liberties organizations, and racial justice advocates for 鈥渢hreatening the fundamental rights of Canadians.鈥�

Officials cautioned that not all extremist actions in Canada will meet the threshold for making the terrorist list and other efforts are being taken to combat the threat this 鈥渢oxic rhetoric鈥� can pose, such as the amplification of conspiracy theories. For example, CSIS says it has shifted its resources to better focus on the ongoing threat posed by IMVE groups.

Entities have the ability to apply to challenge their listing, and can take the matter to Federal Court.

With files from 麻豆影视鈥� Christy Somos