Armed Islamic Group (GIA) Delisted

Summary#

The federal government removed Armed Islamic Group (GIA) (also shown as Groupe islamique armé) from the list of terrorist entities. The change came into force on June 18, 2024 and reflects that the group has been inactive since 2006.

What it does#

• Removes Armed Islamic Group (GIA) from the Regulations Establishing a List of Entities.
• The amendment came into force on June 18, 2024 (the day the regulation was made).
• The decision followed a review of 47 listed entities that found the GIA no longer has operational capacity and has had no linked activity since 2006.
• Financial institutions and other organizations that keep consolidated terrorist-entity lists will need to update those lists to reflect the removal.

Who's affected#

• Financial institutions (banks, credit unions, payment service providers) that use the official list for anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terrorist‑financing checks.
• Federal security and enforcement bodies that maintain and use the list, including Public Safety Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Global Affairs Canada.
• Anyone or any organization relying on the official list for compliance, screening, or risk assessments (the government says impacts on small businesses are expected to be minimal).
• The general public is unlikely to notice any direct change in daily life.

Why it matters#

• It removes a group that the government says has been defunct since 2006, so the official list better reflects current threats.
• Delisting aligns Canada’s list with some allies (for example, the United States and Australia have also delisted the GIA).
• Being a listed entity affects legal and administrative treatment under the Criminal Code; removing an entity ends that special listed status and reduces the need for institutions to treat the group as an active terrorist entity for compliance purposes.
• The government says the change poses no new risk to Canadians and reduces outdated entries on the terrorist-entity list.