Canada’s House of Commons unanimously voted this week to support a motion that officially labels Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, in total 327 members of parliament accepted the decision, CBC News reported.
Despite the unanimous vote, the report including the motion, is not legally binding and therefore does not impose an obligation on the government.
The Canadian government has been under pressure to list IRGC as a terrorist group since Iran launched air strikes as a retaliation attack on Israel last month.
The North American country has strong bilateral ties with Israel, with a healthy trade value of over 315 million dollars in 2023 according to Trading Economics. Machinery and nuclear reactors were among the top three products exported by value, with over 47 million dollars sold from Canada to Israel last year.
Support for the terrorist title goes beyond the nation’s ties with Israel. Since 2020, the families of the victims of Flight PS752 have demanded Canada recognize IRGC as a terrorist group. The flight leaving Tehran was shot down on January 8, 2020, by the IRGC, killing all 176 passengers, including 55 Canadian citizens.
Similar motions have been voted for in the past, although this occasion stands out as it received a resounding acceptance. Before the recent vote, the country’s liberal government had resisted calls to label the IRGC as a terrorist group, arguing the title could affect “low-level people who were compelled to serve in the force,” CBC wrote.
Canada’s terrorist list began after the 9/11 attacks. If a group is placed on the list, it allows the authorities to charge anyone who financially or materially backs the group.
The North American country has not added any new entities to its list since 2021 when it made four additions.