Terrorist group Samidoun still holds non-profit status despite investigation

Despite being listed as a terrorist entity nearly one year ago, Samidoun still holds non-profit status as an official corporation in Canada.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Despite being listed as a terrorist entity nearly one year ago, Samidoun still holds non-profit status as an official corporation in Canada.

Liberal industry minister Melanie Joly vowed to investigate the Samidoun Palestinian Solidarity Network’s corporation status in Canada on Thursday. Four days later, the listed terror group still holds non-profit status.

“It is completely unacceptable that any organization listed as a terrorist entity by the Government of Canada continues to exist as a federally registered not-for-profit organization,” Joly said in a post on X. “I have therefore directed government officials to urgently look at any and all options to formally dissolve Samidoun as well as any and all listed terrorist entities in Canada.”

Samidoun was listed as a terrorist group in October 2024 by the federal government following calls from both Jewish community groups in Canada and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. The group repeatedly celebrated and advocated for leaders of listed terror groups.

On the federal government’s website, Samidoun is still listed as having an active status under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act since March 2021.

Corporations Canada—the federal regulator and registrar responsible for incorporating and maintaining federal corporations—did not respond to True North’s request for comment.

In an email to True North, Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the organization welcomes the Liberal government's promised action to take measures to formally dissolve Samidoun and other listed terrorist groups in Canada.

“For far too long, Samidoun and other Canadian-listed terrorist entities have continued to operate with impunity. This is why CIJA has fiercely advocated for government action and real consequences for these terrorists and their supporters,” Shack told True North.

Shack called the move a “step in the right direction.”

“At a time when Canadians are facing escalating threats of political violence, it is critical that the government do more to protect Canadians by filling gaps in Canada's anti-terror legislation,” he said.

Shack further called on the government to criminalize membership in Canadian-listed terrorist organizations, ban terrorist recruitment and prohibit the glorification of terror and public display of terrorist symbols, a position the organization has advocated for years.

Honest Reporting Canada, a group which aims to hold the media accountable for antisemitism, said the organization has a well-documented history of ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a listed anti-Israel Marxist-Leninist terror cell. It noted on X that the group repeatedly praised the terror attacks by Hamas after October 7, 2023.

Secure Canada, an anti-terrorism advocacy group, said it was glad Joly was “taking seriously the issue” that the group had raised weeks prior.

“We’re pleased that she’s taking seriously an issue Secure Canada raised weeks ago. Promised action matters, but effective enforcement is what will protect Canadians,” Secure Canada wrote in a post under Joly’s statements on X. “This isn’t just about Samidoun, but any terror entity maintaining charity status in Canada.”