Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's an honour to testify today before this committee on behalf of the Canadian Coalition Against Terror, also known as C-CAT. C-CAT was founded by Canadian terror victims in 2004. It is a non-partisan research and policy group committed to seeking innovative legal and public policy strategies in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
On January 8, 2020, UIA flight PS752 was blown out of the sky by operatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the IRGC. One hundred and seventy-six people were murdered, including around 55 Canadian citizens and 138 people in total who were flying to Canada. It was the second-deadliest terror attack in history against Canadians, after only the Air India bombing of 1985. In fact, more Canadians died aboard PS752 than on 9/11.
Almost three years ago today, the House of Commons overwhelmingly adopted a motion calling on the Government of Canada to immediately designate the IRGC as a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. On May 20 of this year, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice handed down a decision in which it found that the IRGC committed an intentional act of terrorism by shooting down UIA flight PS752.
After my remarks, Mr. Chair, being advised on the correct procedure, I would like to table a copy of that decision before this committee.
C-CAT stands firmly with the victims of this atrocity and their family members, and believes the best immediate and concrete way to stand in solidarity with them right now is to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity, in line with the will of the House of Commons. In light of the facts I've outlined, we believe the onus is on anyone who opposes this move to justify their opposition. Nonetheless, I want to address some of the points that have been raised here and there in objection to this step.
First, it has been said by some that there is no need for this step, because the Quds Force, which is the external operations arm of the IRGC, is already listed as a terrorist entity. However, the House resolution that I mentioned explicitly called for the IRGC as a whole to be listed, and was passed after the Quds Force had already been listed. Clearly, the intent was to refer to the entire IRGC.
Second, the recent Ontario court judgment that I mentioned specifically finds that the IRGC operating in Iran, rather than specifically the Quds Force, was responsible for this act of terrorism. The government ought to honour that court decision.
Finally, in other cases, Canada has rightly rejected the artificial distinction between different wings of the same organization when it comes to other listed terrorist entities, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. There is no reason not to follow that precedent in this case as well.
[Technical difficulty—Editor] said that the IRGC cannot or should not be listed as a terrorist entity, because it is part of the armed forces of a state, namely Iran, but in reality this can't be a real barrier. As I said, the Quds Force is already listed, and the Quds Force is a part of the IRGC, meaning that it is also part of the state apparatus. Iran itself, in addition, is already designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, pursuant to the State Immunity Act.
Moreover, to give another example, Hamas was not removed as a designated terrorist entity when it won Palestinian elections in 2006 and became part of the Palestinian government. The same is true with respect to Hezbollah, which has been part of the Lebanese government for a number of years.
In fact, it would be completely illogical if being part of the state apparatus somehow prevented Canada from designating a group as a terrorist entity, because if that were true, it would actually create a perverse incentive for countries like Iran to incorporate terrorist proxies into the state apparatus, which is the opposite of what we should want.
In conclusion, it is C-CAT's position that none of the arguments against listing the IRGC as a terrorist group, consistent with the court ruling and consistent with the will of the House of Commons, hold any water. We believe the government should act and should designate the IRGC as a whole as a terrorist entity as soon as possible.
Thank you.