Other organizations will be added to the list as well.
The Canadian government is adding the Proud Boys to the list of terrorist entities, according to multiple reports.
The move follows the storming of the US Capitol, and comes at a moment when the Liberal government is seeking to shift attention away from Canada’s growing vaccine shortage.
Designation as a terrorist entity means the group can have their assets frozen by banks, and individuals who ‘financially & materially’ help the organization can be charged by police.
Additional groups will be added as well:
.@BMakuch and I have confirmed that the government is designating Atomwaffen Division and the Base as terror organizations at a press conference later today. Story forthcoming.
This comes after @alexboutilier confirmed they'll also be designating the Proud Boys.
— Mack Lamoureux (@MackLamoureux) February 3, 2021
While the designation of the two groups listed in the first part of the above Tweet will certainly be supported – considering their explicitly horrific ideology – designation of the Proud Boys has led some to question if the process is being politicized.
In a recent Global News story, experts raised concerns:
“But some national security experts watched the decision with trepidation. They believe the move could send Canada down a very dangerous path.
“This is the sort of thing we need to be careful about, because it’s a path that we shouldn’t go down very easily,” said Richard Fadden, the former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Fadden, and other national security experts interviewed by Global News, warn the move takes Canada one step closer towards politicizing the process of placing a group on the terror list — which could have serious impacts on the freedoms of Canadians.”
Spencer Fernando