Victims' families, human rights groups call for Canada to sanction individuals close to Hamas

Irwin Cotler is requesting the government apply the Magnitsky Act against people with ties to the terrorist group

Article content

OTTAWA — Human rights groups, MPs from several parties and family members of those killed or taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel called for Canada to sanction dozens of people with ties to Hamas.

At a press conference Tuesday, Harel Lapidot talked about his niece Tiferet, who the family initially believed had been taken hostage, but was later identified among the dead from the attacks.

Advertisement 2

Article content

Article content

He said too much money from Western countries, including Canada, is still flowing to Hamas and it must be stopped.

“That money is the money with which they bought the bullets, with which they bought the truck that Tiferet was taken with and afterwards she was shot dead,” he said.

Romi Cohen, whose twin brother Nimrod was kidnapped on Oct. 7, said her family has heard nothing since and has no idea what has happened to him.

“We don’t know anything about his condition. He could be injured, if he’s even alive. We don’t know anything,” she said. “It’s the holidays. The world is celebrating and we’re not. Hanukkah is a family holiday and our family is broken.”

Irwin Cotler, the former justice minister and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, submitted a recommendation to the government Tuesday calling for Magnitsky Act sanctions to be applied against people with ties to Hamas.

The submission names 44 people, charities or businesses that the centre has identified have some connection to the terrorist organization. The Magnitsky Act is an international sanctions regime first used in response to Russian abuses and targets individuals who have ties to human rights violations. The group is also calling for Canada to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Parliament has called for that listing, but the Canadian government has so far declined.

Advertisement 3

Article content

Cotler, who was joined by MPs from the Liberals, Conservatives and Bloc Québécois, said he has called for that listing for at least 15 years. He said whatever reason the government had for delay in the past it should act now.

“Sometimes governments move more slowly than they should and don’t move as compellingly as they must. I think that the presence here of the families of the hostages is the best reminder that what we are experiencing is an ongoing crime against humanity every day.”

Conservative MP Shuv Majumdar said Canada should be doing everything possible to ensure Hamas is eradicated.

“Hamas has no objective except to eradicate the Jewish people in the state of Israel. It is backed by Iran and that entire apparatus has to be dismantled now.”

Hamas is a listed terrorist entity in Canada, which prohibits anyone from doing businesses or working with the group. Brandon Silver, a lawyer working at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre, said sanctioning individual people on top of that would be an important additional step to prevent the terrorist group from receiving any financing, a step many of Canada’s allies have already taken.

Advertisement 4

Article content

“For these cases, Canada is an outlier and we encourage the government to join our allies in naming, shaming and ensuring enforcement of sanctions against those responsible for the atrocities,” he said.

Silver said the IRGC is a state-sponsored backer of terror groups, including Hamas, and the government should finally list it as a terrorist organization.

“There’s a direct line between the IRGC and the crimes you’ve heard described, and it is a mockery of the Canadian justice system and of our values as Canadians that they’re given free rein in Canada,” he said.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said he and other MPs who travelled to Israel last month saw the aftermath of Oct. 7.

“We saw what was essentially a crime scene. The bodies were gone, but the smells, blood, bullet holes and the memories remain.”

Housefather didn’t have an answer for why his government has failed to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity but said that needs to change.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that they have assets or people that are linked to the IRGC that are not sanctioned and coming to Canada, so I voted that way in the House. I’ve maintained that position throughout my entire time as a member of Parliament and I maintain it today.”

Twitter: RyanTumilty
Email: [email protected]

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

Article content