Canada adds 13 groups, including Proud Boys, to terror list

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Canada has added 13 organizations, including the Proud Boys, to its official terror list.

The Proud Boys have been listed as an ideologically motivated, violent extremist group. The far-right organization has been added to that category alongside the Atomwaffen Division, The Base, and the Russian Imperial Movement.

Eight Daesh and Al Qaeda-affiliated groups, as well as a new international terror group, Hizbul Mujahideen, have also been included on the country’s official list.

Giving an organization a terror designation would give law enforcement more investigative tools and allow financial institutions to freeze their assets. It also prevents people from financially supporting these groups.

“Violent acts of terrorism have no place in Canadian society or abroad,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said. “Canadians expect their government to keep them safe and to keep pace with evolving threats and global trends, such as the growing threat of ideologically motivated violent extremism.”

There have been growing calls to label the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization, with the group in the U.S. allegedly taking part in helping organize the storming of the Capitol building in early January. Several members, including some leaders, are facing charges in connection with the violent protest in Washington.

The House of Commons passed a unanimous motion last month calling on the government to make this designation.

Blair insists these terror designations are not politically motivated, but rather based on a strong legal process involving Canada’s national security agencies.

There are now 73 terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code. Canada last added groups to its terror list in 2019, designating Blood & Honour and Combat 18 as ideologically motivated violent extremist groups.

Organizations that receive these designations are reviewed every five years, at which point the government can decide if they are removed or kept on the list.

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