Poilievre Calls for Terrorist Designation for Houthis as Group Attacks Vessels in Red Sea

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 19, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre says Canada should follow the example set by the United States and designate the rebel Houthis as terrorists because of the group’s attacks against ships in sea lanes near Yemen.

“Canada must ensure the Houthi terrorists are held accountable for their actions,” said Mr. Poilievre in a Jan. 19 statement. “Currently, they are able to legally operate, organize, recruit and fundraise in Canada, helping them to continue their reign of terror in Yemen while attacking civilian and allied vessels in international waters.”

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are an Iran-backed group involved in a civil war in Yemen that had, up to recently, concentrated its attacks outside the country’s borders on Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has led a multinational effort against the Houthis.

The group turned its weapons against Israel after the latest round of hostilities with Hamas started on Oct. 7, a consequence of the Palestinian terrorist group conducting raids inside Israeli territory.

Along with announcing having fired ballistic missiles at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, the Houthis have been attacking civilian ships and military forces in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Red Sea gives access to the Suez Canal, a major shipping lane used to avoid going around Africa.

The U.S. launched a coalition mission to protect the shipping lanes, which Canada supports, albeit with the provision of only three staff officers. Mr. Poilievre calls this participation “symbolic.”

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Upping the pressure, the U.S. State Department announced Jan. 17 it was designating the Houthis a terrorist organization, with the sanction taking force in mid-February. The department said the designation seeks to “promote accountability” for the group’s attacks using ballistic missiles and armed drones.

The U.S. says it will re-evaluate the designation if the group stops its attacks. Such a step had already been taken, with the State Department revoking the terrorist designation in February 2021. The revocation decision had been explained as a way to alleviate impacts on the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Mr. Poilievre’s appeal to designate the Houthis as terrorists follows a regular call from the Conservatives for such a designation for one of their Iranian sponsor’s military arms, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The organization answers to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and is responsible for shooting down Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS752 in 2020, killing all occupants including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. The Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign operations arm, is already considered a terrorist organization by Canada.

“The Trudeau government has failed for years to call the IRGC what they are: terrorists. This failure must not be repeated,” said Mr. Poilievre.

The Tory leader has recently criticized the Liberal government for positions taken in the Israel–Hamas war, saying he would instead use “moral clarity.”

Canada has not been as supportive of Israel as the United States, calling for a ceasefire and supporting a U.N. resolution to that effect. And, as opposed to the Biden administration, the Canadian government has not rejected a case brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by South Africa accusing Israel of “genocide.”

Ottawa’s position is that its “unwavering” support for the ICJ does not mean it “accept[s] the premise of the case brought by South Africa.” The U.S. State Department calls the accusation “meritless.”

Public Safety Canada would not say whether it’s currently looking at designating the Houthis as terrorists.

“While we cannot disclose what entities may be considered for listing under the Criminal Code, we can assure Canadians that security and law enforcement officials are continuously working to keep them safe,” spokesperson Tim Warmington told The Epoch Times in an email.

The department is responsible, with support from portfolio agencies, for building cases supporting the designation of terrorist entities. Once a group is listed, it becomes prohibited by the Criminal Code to participate in its activities or provide it with support.