The Canadian government today (Monday) designated the Houthi rebel group in Yemen as a terrorist organization.
"Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced that the Government of Canada has listed Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code," the official announcement from the Canadian government reads.
"Ansarallah is a militant group that has waged an insurgency in Yemen since the early 2000s seeking to unseat the internationally recognized government of Yemen. The group now controls vast swathes of North-Western Yemen, including the capital Sana’a. Since November 2023, Ansarallah has contributed to unrest in the Middle East through numerous attacks targeting civilian and naval vessels on the Red Sea and other waterways, as well as those against Israel. Ansarallah is also closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and Hezbollah, two listed terrorist entities in Canada. In January 2024, the U.S. Department of State announced the designation of Ansarallah as a specially designated global terrorist through its Executive Order 13224. It is important to note that there is a differentiation between the armed political movement which is often referred to as 'the Houthis' (but is officially called Ansarallah), and the ethnic group in Yemen by the same name, which is not the target of this listing," it continued.
"As a now-listed entity, Ansarallah has met the definition of a 'terrorist group' under Canada’s Criminal Code. The Criminal Code prohibits certain actions in relation to terrorist groups, including those related to terrorist financing, travel and recruitment. For example, it is a criminal offence for anyone in Canada and Canadians abroad to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by a terrorist group. It is also an offence to directly or indirectly provide property knowing that it will be used by or benefit a terrorist group. Furthermore, persons seeking entry into Canada are inadmissible if they are found to be members of organizations engaged in terrorism.'
LeBlanc stated, “Today’s addition of Ansarallah as a listed terrorist entity contributes to our efforts in fighting terrorism globally and aligning Canada with our allies. Acts of violent extremism and terrorism have no place in the world and we will continue to take action to curtail the spread of these activities internationally and to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.”
The designation of the Houthis as terrorists was praised by the B'nai Brith organization, which wrote, "After more than a year of advocacy by B’nai Brith Canada, the Federal Government has finally listed Ansar Allah, otherwise known as the Houthis, as a terrorist entity."
“This designation is long overdue,” said David Granovsky, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Government Relations. “Other countries, including the United States, have regarded the Houthis as terrorists for years. Thousands of Canadians joined B’nai Brith’s letter-writing campaign last February demanding Canada take a similar approach.”