Acknowledgement and recognition: Canada to pursue terrorist designation for Proud Boys

Canada is a nation whose reputation around the globe seems as far removed from that of its closest ally and southern neighbour, the United States of America. A further contrast is made by Canada’s self-anointed peacekeeping status and polite disposition. Yet, as most Canadians would attest to, it is rare to see one of their citizens reach a high degree of prominence on the international scene given the little sibling status the relationship with the United States has afforded. It is with that that one can understand the sense of pride that often sweeps the nation when one of its citizens becomes a household name, or prominent in current events. 

Over the last four years, such an instance has occurred, with the rise and fame of Gavin McInness, yet the same feeling of national solidarity and pride has been markedly absent. Instead, it has been replaced by a sense of anger, disdain, disappointment and even fear. It is interesting to speculate as to how Gavin McInnes went from founding a magazine in Montreal, Canada, one of the nation's most liberal and multicultural cities, to becoming the figurehead of the far-right movement. All one needs to know is that his prominence and reverence amongst this movement stems from his status as the founder of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group. 

The Proud Boys describe themselves as “western chauvinists” who refuse to apologize for, “creating the modern world”. The group holds a perspective and outlook that is rooted in misogynistic, Islamaphobic, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant views. Moreover, one need not look hard to uncover a myriad of news articles and reports outlining the group’s tendency to use violence as a means to further their aims and promote their ideological standpoint. For the purpose of this article, attention shall only be drawn to the storming of the United States Capitol that took place on January 6th 2021. Among those engaging and leading this blatant act of domestic terrorism were several members of the Proud Boys.

The events that took place on Capitol Hill has ignited a debate around the question as to whether or not the Proud Boys and other like-minded groups be labelled as terrorist organizations by the countries they operate out of? 

When forest fires happen in California, the haze reaches Canadian skies. The Canadian nation has consistently felt the ripple of effect of events occurring south of its border, and the storming of the Capitol has had a similar impact, generating a sense of fear in the minds of Canadians. As of January 10th 2021, reports revealed that Canadian authorities had begun collecting information about the far-right Proud Boys group as part of a possible terrorist designation. However, the office of Public Safety Minister Bill Blair would not indicate when, or even if, the Proud Boys would receive a terrorist designation. Instead, the Proud Boys were named as an “ideologically motivated” extremist group being watched by Canadian security authorities in Ottawa in an attempt to counter the threat posed by white supremacists and other far-right organizations.

For many, including Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, it is a necessity to designate the group as a terrorist entity. On January 12th 2021, Singh publicly called for this action citing, “their involvement in the violence, the undermining of democracy, and the incitement of those horrible images that we saw out of Washington, D.C.,” as the principal reason why “this group should not be able to operate in Canada.” The position taken by Singh resonated with his fellow representatives, who voted unanimously on January 25th 2021 on a motion to call on the federal government of Canada to declare the Proud Boys a “terrorist entity” and to utilize all available tools to address the proliferation of white supremacists and hate groups. While the motion is non-binding, Singh highlighted how this was “a great first step” and that he and his fellow parliamentarians were going to “hold the government to account”.

This is a positive action and represents a step in the right direction, yet it only signifies the beginning of the efforts to combat far-right extremism in Canada. The Khalifa Ihler Institute is hopeful that the Canadian Ministry of Public Safety will be swift in analyzing the abundance of evidence that would warrant a terrorist designation placed upon the Proud Boys. Moreover, this symbolic act will pave the way for other nations to follow suit in demonstrating that it is against their values to offer safe harbour and operation to a group fueled by hate.