Madam Speaker, four and a half years ago, I put forward a motion in this House calling on the Government of Canada to list the IRGC, the Iranian government's weapon of terror against its own people and people throughout the world, as a terrorist organization within the Criminal Code. That motion passed this House. All Conservatives and every present member of the Liberal caucus, including the Prime Minister, voted in favour of that motion.
The government voted four and a half years ago, nearly five years ago, to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. At the time, in 2018, the case was already clear that this organization existed for the purpose of terrorizing its own population and those throughout the region and around the world, and of asserting its control over those people by any possible means.
Since 2018, we have had the shooting down of flight PS752 and the killing of dozens of Canadians and many more people with connections to Canada. We have had the emergence of the Woman Life Freedom movement and the arbitrary execution of protesters by the Iranian regime. For most of that period, the Canadian government did not even impose sanctions against that regime. It merely trumpeted the continuation of restrictions that were put in place by Conservatives.
Since the issue of the violence being inflicted by the Iranian regime has gotten more public attention, since the opposition has been pushing the government aggressively under the leadership of the member for Carleton in the last six months, the government has imposed some additional sanctions. It is too little, too late, though, and the government persists in refusing to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. It is particularly ironic, because the Deputy Prime Minister has called it a terrorist organization.
We have a member of the government saying she recognizes the IRGC is a terrorist organization, but then refusing to list it as a terrorist organization in the Criminal Code. It does not make any sense. She said, in that press conference, that they recognize that the IRGC is a terrorist organization, so they were going to list it in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, but not in the Criminal Code.
I keep asking this question. I have been asking this question persistently for the last five years. If the government voted for this and if the government is now saying this is a terrorist organization, why can it not use the Criminal Code to list it as a terrorist organization?
This is important, because listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization would decisively shut down the operations of that organization in Canada. The government has responded, and will no doubt respond again, that it has listed specific individuals within these organizations. However, when we list specific individuals within the organization, then other people who are part of that same organization, or new people who end up taking on the same positions others previously held, are still able to operate. We would still have the IRGC active here in Canada, intimidating and threatening Canadians.
I spoke to someone. A member of their family was killed when flight PS752 was shot down by the IRGC, and this individual has faced threats here on Canadian soil from the IRGC. We have evidence of violence being planned against Canadians by the IRGC, yet the government refuses to list it.
Why, after voting for this, and after five years, has the government still refused to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization?