Poilievre Calls for Increased Security Measures Citing Rise In Violence, Terrorism Threat

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference in Vancouver on Nov. 13, 2023. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to implement a number of measures to “protect the freedom and security of Canadians” such as banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), establishing a foreign agent registry, and eliminating “red tape” on the country’s security infrastructure program.

Mr. Poilevre said cost-of-living woes, “divisive” federal policies, and “weak laws” have led to a rise in hate crimes, violence, and “desperation” in the country. He also called on the federal government for a review of Canada’s terrorist threat assessment, citing the U.K. government’s recent assessment that an attack in Canada was “very likely.”

“Conservatives are presenting a common-sense action plan to protect our people in these times,” Mr. Poilievre said during a press conference in Toronto on Nov. 23.

The Tory leader called for the Liberal government to ban the IRGC from Canada, which he called the “most sophisticated, well-financed terror group on planet Earth.” He accused the group of coordinating the Oct. 7 attack against Israel by Hamas militants that killed over 1,200, an accusation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made on Nov. 14.

Mr. Trudeau has not committed to listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity, telling reporters on that day that Canada would "continue to do everything necessary both to hold that regime to account to limit its impact around the world and to protect Canadians.”

The Liberals supported a Tory motion in the House of Commons to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity back in 2018, but have not done so since. Back in 2022, then-Justice Minister David Lametti said he was concerned that using the Criminal Code against Iran would be too much of a “blunt instrument” since military service is mandatory and Iran and labelling the IRGC a terrorist organization may “punish innocent people or those against the regime.”

Mr. Poilievre cited a recent report by Global News that found there are 700 IRGC agents operating on Canadian soil. He also highlighted the 2020 incident where Iran shot down a passenger jet flying over the country, killing 176 people, including 55 Canadians.

“We should work to kick out every single regime, agent, or terrorist that is operating in this country,” Mr. Poilievre said.

Foreign Registry, Security Task Force

Mr. Poilievre reiterated his calls for the federal government to establish a foreign agent registry, which would require people acting on behalf of a foreign state in order to advance its goals to disclose their ties. While the United States and Australia have foreign agent registries, Ottawa only began public consultations on creating a foreign influence transparency registry back in March.

The Tory leader also called for a review of Canada’s assessment of the risk of a terrorist attack, citing the U.K. government’s recent assessment that an attack in Canada was “very likely.”

“While [the prime minister] says the risk level is only medium, we also have terrorist attacks that happened against innocent Muslims in Quebec City and in London, Ontario, and we’ve had churches burned down. We need to have a review of Canada’s assessment of the risk of an attack in this country,” he said.

Mr. Poilievre also called for red tape to be removed from the security infrastructure program that protects places of worship and other community centres from attacks. He highlighted the story of one mosque in Canada that had been waiting two years to receive protection following an attack, but the application had been delayed by “red tape and bureaucracy.”

A coordinated task force to bring together local law enforcement and federal intelligence is also needed, according to Mr. Poilievre.

“The risk we have is that federal intelligence bureaucracies in Ottawa may be aware of a potential risk, but if they don’t tell the local police where that risk could manifest itself, the attack could happen before anyone has a chance to prevent it,” he said.

The Conservative leader’s calls for more action on national security come a day after a car crash and explosion occurred at a U.S.-Canadian border checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. While it was initially feared that the incident was a terrorist attack, the U.S. FBI later said that a search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and “no terrorism nexus was identified.”