QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Citizenship Status of Samidoun Members
October 8, 2024
Minister, after nine years of Justin Trudeau, violent crime has surged by 50% in Canada. Canadians have witnessed a shocking rise in violent acts of Jew hatred following the October 7 terror attack against our ally Israel. Meanwhile, your government allows terrorist organizations to operate freely in this country, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, which openly supports other terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.
It took years of pressure from the Conservatives, including various motions in the House, before you finally did the right thing and listed them. What is taking so long with respect to Samidoun? They openly raise funds in Canada on behalf of terrorist groups. They have clear and direct ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has been listed as a terrorist entity since 2023, and its founders have been openly glorifying terrorism, advocating Jew hatred and celebrating the death of Jews. Why hasn’t your government listed Samidoun and kicked its founders out of Canada?
Thank you, senator, for the question. I assume that you are not blaming all of these issues on immigrants, as I am here in my capacity as the Minister of Immigration. Assuming that’s correct, if you had paid attention to Question Period today, you would have heard the answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, who said that this matter has been referred by the Prime Minister to the National Security Advisor.
You are Minister of Immigration, and clearly I’m not blaming all immigrants. I’m the son of an immigrant. Today, Pierre Poilievre made it clear that when he becomes Prime Minister, he will immediately list Samidoun as the terrorist organization that it is. In the meantime, Samidoun has already been listed by several of our allies, including Germany. Samidoun’s leadership was also deported from Germany in 2019 and denied entry into the EU in 2022. However, your government continues to receive them here in Canada.
I have two simple questions, minister: Why are Samidoun leaders Charlotte Kates and Khaled Barakat allowed in Canada? Why are you allowing those two individuals here? Second, can you confirm if either of these individuals is even a Canadian citizen?
You clearly before this house have assumed they are not. I am not aware of what their status is currently in this country. I think the important thing here is that we need to, as a house, condemn all acts of hatred unequivocally and — particularly given the day that we commemorated sombrely yesterday — anti-Semitism in all its forms.
