The Canadian government is considering the dissolution of Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a nonprofit corporation, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced on Friday, following criticism of the federal government’s inaction despite designating the anti-Israel group as a terrorist organization in October.
Joly said that it was unacceptable that Samidoun, listed as a terrorist entity in a joint October 15 statement with the US, “continues to exist as a federally registered not-for-profit organization.”
“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,” Joly said.
Opposition deputy leader Melissa Lantsman responded on X/Twitter by saying that the statement was “vacuous” and that there was no need to look into the matter. It is time for action, not words, she implied.
“Terrorists shouldn’t be treated like charities,” said Lantsman. “Do your job, minister.”
B’nai Brith Canada, which launched an August 7 campaign calling on the government to initiate dissolution proceedings against Samidoun, welcomed Joly’s announcement.
'A blight on our society'
“Its continued existence as a corporation has made a mockery of our nation’s efforts to combat terrorism,” the Jewish group said on X on Friday.
“Every day that the corporation exists is a blight on our society. We look forward to the end of this sordid saga and to the implementation of legislative reform that will ensure that Canada never again finds itself in such an odious predicament.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a Friday statement that it was a step in the right direction to dissolve Samidoun, calling on the federal government to fill “gaps in Canada’s anti-terror legislation” by criminalizing membership in a listed terrorist organization, banning terrorist recruitment, prohibiting the display of terrorist symbols, and the glorification of terrorism.
“For far too long, Samidoun and other Canadian-listed terrorist entities have continued to operate with impunity,” said CIJA CEO Noah Shack.
Samidoun was listed as a terrorist organization on October 15 due to its ties to another such entity – the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – but has remained active as a nonprofit in Corporations Canada’s database. That said, the Samidoun profile on the Corporations Canada website has a banner noting the Vancouver-based group’s terrorism designation.
Vancouver resident Charlotte Kates, the group’s international coordinator, is listed as a director alongside Surrey resident Dave Diewert and Netherlands resident Thomas Hofland.
Kates is married to another Samidoun leader, Khaled Barakat, who was sanctioned by the US on October 15 for serving as a PFLP leader abroad.
While Samidoun was designated a terrorist entity in 2024, a Jerusalem Post exposé earlier this month detailed how the group has continued to operate in Canada and America through a complex network of proxy groups and allies.