Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has called on the federal government to immediately designate Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist entity on Sunday, urging authorities in an open letter to Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree to “immediately recommend that the government of Canada list Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.”
The push follows a recent US legal filing detailing the actions of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an alleged senior commander of Kataib Hezbollah and operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to the US criminal complaint, Saadi helped plan and coordinate, and claimed responsibility for, “nearly 20 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and North America,” including two specific incidents in Canada.
The complaint cites the March 10 shooting at the United States consulate in Toronto as well as an attack against a Canadian synagogue.
During recorded conversations cited in the legal filings, Saadi allegedly confirmed that his “people were behind the attacks against the consulate and the Knesset,” which investigators understood to refer to the Toronto consulate and a synagogue.
The documents further state that Saadi “was running multiple teams and sought help carrying out further attacks against Jewish and other targets in Canada and the United States.”
Poilievre argues that Canada should not wait for further attacks before acting
Poilievre argued in his letter that “Canada should not wait for another synagogue or another foreign consulate to be attacked before shutting down the terrorist organization allegedly directing these attacks.”
Noting that Kataib Hezbollah has been listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the US since 2009, the letter emphasized that listing the group would make it illegal to “knowingly deal in its property or finances, allow authorities to restrain or seize its assets, and strengthen Canada’s ability to prevent its members from entering or remaining in the country.”
The open letter explicitly calls on the government to take five key actions: investigate whether the group’s members, operatives, facilitators, or financial networks are operating in Canada; disclose how many individuals connected to the Iranian regime and its proxies have been identified, denied entry, investigated, detained, or removed; investigate and disclose any known links between Iranian terrorist proxies and organized crime in Canada; and explain what action Canadian authorities are taking in response to the alleged Kataib Hezbollah-directed attacks in Toronto.
The letter also highlights broader domestic safety concerns, stating that “Jewish Canadians have watched their synagogues, schools and businesses targeted by shootings, vandalism, firebombings and threats.” Poilievre added that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was finally listed as a terrorist entity only “after years of pressure from Conservatives,” while asking the government to “disclose how many individuals connected to the Iranian regime and its proxies have been identified, denied entry, investigated, detained, or removed.”
Alongside the official correspondence, the Conservative Party of Canada launched a public petition stating that “Canadians deserve protection from terrorism, foreign intimidation, and violent extremist activity on Canadian soil.” The petition notes that while the US listed Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2009, “the Liberal government has still failed to do so in Canada.”
Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs welcomes Poilievre’s letter
In a statement posted on social media, The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) wrote that it welcomed Poilievre’s “call to list Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist entity” and noted that it had urged the government in May to take the same step to ensure terrorist organizations and their proxies cannot operate in Canada.
CIJA emphasized that “the warning signs are clear,” pointing to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw identifying a “similar modus operandi” as that of criminals-for-hire targeting the Jewish community and diplomatic sites, alongside warnings from Canada’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center of a “realistic possibility” that the Iranian regime is directing local criminal elements to target Canada’s Jewish community.
The urgent call comes amid escalating threats and violence directed at Jewish institutions across the country, marked by incidents such as the recent suspicious arson that gutted Nöam, a popular kosher restaurant in Montreal, as well as a series of targeted attacks in Toronto where gunfire struck a branch of Kiva’s Bagel Bar – while another location had its windows smashed.