	The B’nai Brith Canada Institute for International Affairs has a mandate to protest the abuse of human rights throughout the world and advocate on behalf of worldwide Jewish communities in distress. The Institute has a special focus on pro-Israel advocacy and education.
Rochelle Wilner President	Frank Dimant Chief Executive Officer	Amos Sochaczevski National Chair	Ruth Klein National Director

SUBMISSION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

in preparation for the 56^th session of the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights

3. INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has indicated that many of the world’s extremist groups have a presence in Canada, where they engage in a variety of activities in support of terrorism.⁴¹

3.1 Fundraising for Terror

These groups have parallel fundraising activities that illegally siphon off money to finance overseas operations. At one point, it is alleged, an estimated $8.4 million per year was flowing from Canada to fund the Tamil Liberation Tigers’ campaign of bombings and assassinations against the Sri Lankan government.⁴²

According to CSIS sources, terrorist operatives can blend into the local émigré community, functioning under the guise of social welfare and charity clubs, or utilize the religious framework of the community to raise funds, spread political propaganda and foster bias and friction based on so-called ’homeland issues’. CSIS has reported that Canadian citizens in émigré communities have been intimidated and manipulated to support such fundraising activities.⁴³ Operational and logistic support for terrorist activities are also provided through this network.

According to media accounts of US officials investigating international terrorist attacks, certain Islamic charities and relief organizations are suspected of playing a major role in the infrastructure of terrorism, facilitating the movement of manpower, arms and money across borders.⁴⁴ The report adds that the charities themselves are often unaware that their operations are being used as a cover for terrorist activities.

3.2 The Canadian Connection

The issue of foreign extremist terror groups operating on our doorstep was highlighted in the run-up to the millennium with the arrest of Montreal-based Ahmed Ressam and his alleged accomplices on charges of smuggling explosives to the United States in connection with a planned terror attack. Montreal police also arrested members of an Algerian crime ring they suspect of funnelling money to Islamic extremists, such as the Armed Islamic Group. Police have linked these arrests, while definite connections have been established between Ressam and Saudi terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

This development is particularly worrying in light of Bin Laden’s recent statements, which impact on all countries, including Canada:

“We will continue to fight for what is rightfully ours whatever Israel says, thinks or does and we continue to terrorize the Israeli cowards with our love of death…We will drum these thoughts into our children’s minds and into the minds of our children’s children…we will continue to fight against the enemies of Islam, we will continue to raise money for the Jihad and we will continue to recruit for the Jihad wherever Muslims are, whether in the UK, US, France, Germany or any other country [our emphasis].”⁴⁵

Canada is not immune to the repercussions of such strategies. According to confidential intelligence sources, the Hezbollah is planning to upgrade its operations in North America using Montreal as a base. Its mission is to unite Arabs in a ’holy war’ against Israel and potentially to target Israeli organizations in Canada. Jewish organizations with links or perceived links to the State of Israel could also be at risk.

3.3 International Action

It is indeed heartening that Canada is a signatory to a UN Resolution designed to eliminate international terrorism through international co-operation.⁴⁶ This resolution stresses the need to further international co-operation between states to combat acts of terrorism which are “…unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other nature that may be invoked to justify them.” It calls on “States to refrain from financing, encouraging, providing training or otherwise supporting terrorist activities”.

International co-operation at all levels is pivotal to the success of this accord. Firm societal and governmental attitudes towards state sponsors of terrorism are also a crucial component of the overall resolve of the international community to address this issue effectively. It is arguable, for example, that doing business with countries that are known as sponsors of terrorism is, in effect, the moral equivalent of non-compliance with the thrust of this resolution.

On February 10, 2000 Canada signed the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which is designed to prevent the territories of signatory states from being used as bases for terrorist fund raising activities. This Convention calls on states “to take steps to prevent and counteract, through appropriate domestic measures, the financing of terrorists and terrorist organizations, whether such financing is direct or indirect through organizations which also have or claim to have charitable, social or cultural goals or which are also engaged in unlawful activities such as illicit arms trafficking, drug dealing and racketeering, including the exploitation of persons for purposes of funding terrorist activities, and in particular to consider, where appropriate, adopting regulatory measures to prevent and counteract movements of funds suspected to be intended for terrorist purposes.”⁴⁷

Each state party is required, if necessary, to amend its domestic legislation to enforce the provisions of the Convention within its jurisdiction. The Canadian Government has already approved plans to remove charitable status from groups that abuse this privilege to raise money for terrorist activities.

The Convention goes even further in its suggestion that financial institutions should “report promptly to the competent authorities all complex, unusual large transactions or unusual patterns of transactions, which have no apparent economic or obviously lawful purpose, without fear of assuming criminal or civil liability for breach of any restriction on disclosure of information if they report their suspicions in good faith.”⁴⁸

º B’nai Brith Canada advocates the amendment of domestic legislation, as necessary, to ensure that this country does not become an operational, recruitment or fundraising base for terrorism.
º B’nai Brith Canada urges the Government to ensure that stringent entry procedures will exclude the entry into the country of individuals bent on criminal activities in support of terrorism.
º B’nai Brith Canada asks the Government to use its diplomatic channels to voice its condemnation of state sponsorship of terrorism.