Hi
Two things will happen either in the next few days or weeks. We will see raids and arrests and press coverage or......the Government will roll over and go back to sleep satisfied that they've taken appropriate action.
I would be surprised if the former happens.
The problem is and it something Canadian governments are notorious for in my opinion.
And that's forgetting that they're not the only player in the game. And in these things the " the other guy " can do things too.
Moral outrage is a wonderful thing but it's no substitute for for actually doing something .
If you were in a political entity and it was suddenly deemed a terrorist organization, do you get a chance to distance yourself, or are you completely effed?
Is it the Government that makes the decision to launch raids and make arrests? I thought it was law enforcement in consultation with the Crown?
There are criminal charges that cover activities done for/with listed groups. Those cannot be retroactive in the sense that you can be charged for listed-entity offences before an entity was listed. However, criminal charges for terrorism don’t have to pertain to listed entity. Listing just makes some offences easier to prove and puts some on the table that otherwise aren’t. You can be charged with terrorism offences if the elements are proven, whether or not you wear the label of a listed entity.
Terrorism charges would be laid by RCMP, nearly always with the approval of federal prosecutors and, if I recall right, Attorney General consent. But that’s a law enforcement decision, it’s not driven by government. Government doesn’t get to nose in and order police to charge someone with terrorism.
Outside of the terrorism framework, but often potentially overlapping, there are hate crimes offences. These don’t rely on anything out of the terrorism legislation. These investigations would be local police of jurisdiction and provincial crown. In some provinces - notably, and relevantly, British Columbia - police
recommend charges, but crown has to approve them.
I still would not be surprised to see hate crimes charges from this event, but that’s a Vancouver Police and BC Crown thing.
No idea if terrorism charges are on the table, or being investigated. However, due to Samidoun being listed. There are things now illegal as of today that weren’t illegal yesterday. You want your life to get complicated? Be a leadership figure in an entity that eats a terrorist listing.