MPs vote unanimously in support of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group

The House of Commons has voted unanimously in support of a motion to add Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps to an official list of terrorist organizations.

The motion came from a House justice committee report that, among other things, called on the government to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity in Canada. MPs voted 327 to 0 to accept the report on Wednesday.

The government has been facing mounting pressure to declare the IRGC a terrorist group under the Criminal Code.

Last month, opposition parties amplified their demands to add the IRGC to the terrorist entity list after Iran launched an airstrike on Israel.

• Opposition parties want IRGC named as terrorist group after attack on Israel (new window)

• Israel calls on Canada to list Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist group (new window)

Families of the victims of Flight PS752 have been calling on the government to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization for years. PS752 was shot down by the IRGC shortly after taking off from Tehran on Jan. 8, 2020, killing all 176 people onboard, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

The report does not impose any binding obligation on the government.

During a PS752 commemoration ceremony, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is looking for ways to responsibly list the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

In the past, his government has argued that such a listing would be a blunt-force approach that could affect low-level people who were forced to serve in the paramilitary force.

The CIA says conscripts make up (new window) more than 50 per cent of the IRGC.

Darren Major (new window) · CBC News