In an announcement this week, the federal government confirmed that 13 extremist groups had been added to Canada's terrorist list.
This includes four groups who are “motivated by hateful ideologies,” according to Canada’s Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.
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Violent extremism has no place in Canada. Today, we announced that 13 additional groups have met the threshold to b… https://t.co/4x68QfF4Y2— Bill Blair (@Bill Blair) 1612375921.0
The updated terrorist entities list now includes far-right organizations like the Proud Boys, as well as the Russian Imperial Movement, Atomwaffen Division and The Base.
Following Wednesday’s update, Canada also recognizes more groups associated with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State as official threats.
This means individuals or companies involved with the groups can face severe penalties and Canadian officials can now move to freeze their financial assets.
It also criminalizes certain support activities, including financing, training and recruitment of the organizations.
“The Government of Canada will continue to identify and target entities that meet the threshold for listing, regardless of their ideology, as a means to apply significant consequences on these groups and the individuals that support them,” Public Safety Canada said in a statement.
Sharing the news on Twitter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added, “As threats evolve both here at home and around the world, we’re taking action to keep you safe and combat violent extremism.”
