OTTAWA — Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to immediately designate the Shiite Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah as a terrorist entity in Canada, arguing recent allegations linking the group to attacks in Toronto require an urgent response.In a letter sent Saturday to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged the government to use the Criminal Code to add Kata'ib Hezbollah to Canada's list of terrorist entities.“Canada should not wait for another synagogue to be shot or another foreign consulate to be attacked before shutting down the terrorist organization allegedly directing these attacks,” Poilievre wrote.The Conservatives are expected to renew that call Tuesday during a news conference on Parliament Hill led by justice critic Frank Caputo.The letter cites a U.S. criminal complaint filed against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an alleged senior Kata'ib Hezbollah commander and operative of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.According to the complaint, Al-Saadi helped plan, coordinate and claim responsibility for nearly 20 alleged terrorist attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and North America..The complaint alleges those attacks included the March 10 shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto and an attack on a Canadian synagogue.During recorded conversations referenced in the U.S. court filing, Al-Saadi allegedly said his “people” were responsible for attacks against “the consulate and the Knesset,” which investigators interpreted as referring to the Toronto consulate and a synagogue. The complaint also alleges he sought assistance in carrying out additional attacks against Jewish and other targets in Canada and the United States.The allegations have not been tested in a Canadian court.Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States since 2009 but is not currently listed as a terrorist entity under Canada's Criminal Code.Poilievre said adding the group to Canada's terrorist list would make it illegal to knowingly deal in its property or finances, allow authorities to freeze and seize assets, and strengthen efforts to prevent members from entering or remaining in Canada.“There is no justification for delay,” he wrote.The Conservative leader also called on the government to investigate whether Kata'ib Hezbollah members, facilitators or financial networks are operating in Canada, disclose how many individuals connected to the Iranian regime have been identified or removed from the country, and examine possible links between Iranian-backed groups and organized crime.“The IRGC was finally listed as a terrorist entity only after years of pressure from Conservatives,” Poilievre wrote. “Listing the parent organization means little if its commanders, proxies, financiers and hired criminals remain free to operate here.”He argued Jewish Canadians have faced shootings, vandalism, firebombings and threats targeting synagogues, schools and businesses, while Iranian Canadians who fled the Islamic Republic continue to face intimidation.“Canadians must be free to worship without fear of gunfire,” Poilievre wrote. “Iranian Canadians must be free to oppose the regime without facing its enforcers here at home.”
