Documentation · Canada

Listed terrorist entities under the Criminal Code

Section 83.05 of the Criminal Code lets the federal Cabinet list terrorist entities. Once an entity is listed, dealing in its property, facilitating its transactions and failing to disclose property you know it controls are all offences. This page explains what the list is, who must comply, the duties it creates, how it differs from the UN-based regulations, and how Crown Intelligence covers the official registers.

What it is

Section 83.05 allows the Governor in Council (the federal Cabinet) to make a regulation placing an entity on a list. The Minister of Public Safety must recommend the listing, and Cabinet must be satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe that the entity has knowingly carried out, attempted to carry out, participated in or facilitated a terrorist activity, or has knowingly acted on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with such an entity [1].

An entity on that list is a "listed entity" [2]. The Criminal Code defines an entity as a person, group, trust, partnership or fund, or an unincorporated association or organization [2]. The Minister may also add or change names used by a listed entity [1].

The list is maintained by Public Safety Canada as "Currently listed entities", with a matching XML file [9][10].

Who it applies to

The prohibitions in section 83.08 apply to "no person in Canada and no Canadian outside Canada" [3]. The disclosure duty in section 83.1 applies to every person in Canada and every Canadian outside Canada [4]. A "Canadian" is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a body corporate incorporated or continued under the laws of Canada or a province [2].

The scope is wider than the list itself. The Code's definition of "terrorist group" covers any entity that has, as one of its purposes or activities, facilitating or carrying out terrorist activity, as well as any listed entity [2]. Section 83.08 therefore reaches groups that meet that test even if they are not on the list.

Reporting entities under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act must also comply with FINTRAC's listed person and entity property reporting requirements [11].

What it requires of a business

Duty	Source	What it means in practice
No dealing in property	Criminal Code s. 83.08(1)(a) [3]	Do not knowingly deal, directly or indirectly, in property owned or controlled by or on behalf of a terrorist group.
No facilitating transactions	s. 83.08(1)(b) [3]	Do not knowingly enter into or facilitate, directly or indirectly, any transaction involving that property.
No related services	s. 83.08(1)(c) [3]	Do not knowingly provide financial or other related services to, for the benefit of, or at the direction of a terrorist group in respect of that property.
Duty to disclose property	s. 83.1(1)(a) [4]	Disclose, without delay, to the RCMP Commissioner or the CSIS Director, the existence of property you know is owned or controlled by or on behalf of a terrorist group.
Duty to disclose transactions	s. 83.1(1)(b) [4]	Disclose information about a transaction, or a proposed transaction, involving that property.
FINTRAC report	FINTRAC guidance [11]	Submit a Listed Person or Entity Property Report to FINTRAC immediately. A transaction does not have to take place for the duty to arise. Where you know a transaction relates to listed property, do not complete it [11].
Record keeping	FINTRAC guidance [11]	Keep a copy of each report for at least five years from the day it is sent. An electronic copy is acceptable if a paper copy can be produced from it [11].
Good-faith protection	ss. 83.08(2) and 83.1(2) [3][4]	A person who acts reasonably to comply is protected from civil liability. Good-faith disclosures attract no criminal or civil proceedings [3][4].
Offences and penalties	s. 83.12 [5]	Breaching ss. 83.08, 83.1 or 83.11 is an offence. On indictment, up to 10 years' imprisonment. On summary conviction, a fine of up to $100,000, up to two years less a day, or both [5].
Related offences	ss. 83.18 and 83.19 [6][7]	Knowingly participating in or contributing to the activity of a terrorist group carries up to 10 years [6]. Knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity carries up to 14 years [7].

The Criminal Code does not set a general duty to screen customers. The prohibitions apply when a person knows, or in the case of section 83.1 knows, that property is connected with a terrorist group. Screening is the practical way to meet that knowledge, and it is the reason a register matters to a business.

The official lists involved

Criminal Code list (s. 83.05). Maintained by Public Safety Canada. The "Currently listed entities" page gives each entity's names, a description, and the date it was added or last reviewed [9]. The XML version is the machine-readable copy [10].
RIUNRST schedule. The Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on the Suppression of Terrorism list "listed persons" in a schedule. They implement Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) [8]. This is a separate list from the Criminal Code list.

The two lists overlap in part, but neither is a subset of the other. An entity or person can appear on one list, both, or neither. Each list carries its own prohibitions and disclosure duties, so a match on either list needs to be checked against the official source.

How it relates to RIUNRST

The Criminal Code regime is criminal law. It is made under section 83.05, it creates offences under sections 83.08, 83.1 and 83.12, and it applies to terrorist groups in general [1][3][4][5].

The RIUNRST regime is made under the United Nations Act to give effect to Security Council Resolution 1373 [8]. Its main features are:

a prohibition on knowingly providing or collecting funds for a listed person (s. 3) [8];
a prohibition on dealing in, or making available, property of a listed person (s. 4) [8];
a prohibition on knowingly causing, facilitating or assisting an activity prohibited by ss. 3 and 4 (s. 6) [8];
a duty on banks, credit unions, insurers, trust companies and other listed financial entities to determine on a continuing basis whether they hold property of a listed person (s. 7) [8];
a duty to disclose property where the person has reason to believe it is owned, held or controlled by or on behalf of a listed person (s. 8) [8].

Three differences matter in practice:

Knowledge standard. Section 83.1 of the Criminal Code requires that the person know [4]. RIUNRST section 8 requires only reason to believe [8]. A reason-to-believe standard means a business cannot rely on a lack of confirmed knowledge.
Delisting timing. A listed person applying under RIUNRST gets a decision on whether to recommend removal within 60 working days, or is deemed to recommend that the person remain listed [8]. A Criminal Code applicant gets a decision within 90 days, or is deemed to remain listed [1].
Scope. RIUNRST excludes persons associated with the Taliban, ISIL and Al-Qaida, which are covered by separate regulations [8]. Those regulations are not reviewed on this page.

To be confirmed: the penalties for contravening the RIUNRST prohibitions, which are set by the United Nations Act. The United Nations Act was not reviewed for this draft. Compliance to confirm before publication.

How Crown Intelligence covers this

Both lists are collected from the official publisher and each record is credited to it and dated. Live status for the two Canadian registers, from our sources API:

Register	Records loaded	Last run	Open
Canada Listed Entities: Criminal Code terrorist entities	Loading	Loading	Source page
Canada RIUNRST: schedule of listed persons	Loading	Loading	Source page

To see every Canadian register we collect, use all Canadian sources. To see the terrorism-related registers across all countries, use terrorism sources.

A record in our data reproduces what the publisher released. It does not decide whether a party should be listed. Confirm any match against the official list before acting on it.

How other providers cover this rule

The provider research in our files shows that the Criminal Code and RIUNRST lists are standard data sources for screening providers, and that Canadian regulatory guides are not common. This page goes further on the points that are easy to get wrong:

the difference between the "know" standard in section 83.1 and the "reason to believe" standard in RIUNRST;
the wider definition of "terrorist group" in section 83.01, which reaches unlisted groups [2];
the FINTRAC duty to report immediately, even where no transaction takes place [11];
the five-year record-keeping duty [11];
the penalty structure in section 83.12 and the related offences in ss. 83.18 and 83.19 [5][6][7].

Practical checklist

Screen customers, beneficial owners, counterparties and payment parties against the Criminal Code list and the RIUNRST schedule.
Record the list version, the date you checked, and the outcome of each check.
Where a match is confirmed or cannot be ruled out, stop the transaction and do not complete it [11].
Disclose property you know is connected with a terrorist group to the RCMP or CSIS, without delay [4].
Submit a Listed Person or Entity Property Report to FINTRAC immediately [11].
Keep a copy of every report for at least five years [11].
Review the lists regularly. Public Safety Canada lists entities and reviews them, and listings are added and removed over time [9][1].
Document your reasonable steps. Those steps support the good-faith protections in sections 83.08(2) and 83.1(2) [3][4].

Frequently asked questions

Is a listed entity the same as a terrorist group?

Every listed entity is a terrorist group, because the definition includes "a listed entity" [2]. The definition also covers any entity that has facilitating or carrying out terrorist activity as one of its purposes or activities, even if it is not listed [2].

Do I have to report property I only suspect is connected with a listed entity?

Section 83.1 of the Criminal Code applies where you know the property is owned or controlled by or on behalf of a terrorist group [4]. The RIUNRST duty applies where you have reason to believe the property belongs to a listed person [8]. Your obligations may therefore depend on which list is involved, so take legal advice on borderline cases.

Does the Criminal Code list cover people as well as organizations?

The Criminal Code's "entity" definition covers a person, group, trust, partnership or fund, or an unincorporated association or organization [2]. Listing can apply to any of these. The RIUNRST schedule lists individuals and entities as "listed persons" [8].

Where should a business report?

The Criminal Code requires disclosure to the Commissioner of the RCMP or the Director of CSIS [4]. Reporting entities must also submit a Listed Person or Entity Property Report to FINTRAC [11]. The FINTRAC guidance sets out how to submit it [11].

How often does the list change?

Public Safety Canada publishes the list and notes the dates entities were added or reviewed [9]. Section 83.05 requires the Minister to review each listed entity within five years and publish the results in the Canada Gazette [1]. Check the official list for the current position.

Does Crown Intelligence tell me whether a party is listed?

We publish what the official registers say, credited and dated, and we match against them. We do not make the legal determination. Confirm each match against the publisher before you act on it.

Sources

Not legal advice. This page summarizes official Canadian sources for information. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from a qualified lawyer or compliance professional. Read the sources themselves before relying on any point.

Criminal Code, s. 83.05 (Establishment of list). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.05.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Criminal Code, s. 83.01 (Definitions). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.01.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Criminal Code, s. 83.08 (Freezing of property). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.08.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Criminal Code, s. 83.1 (Disclosure). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.1.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Criminal Code, s. 83.12 (Offences). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.12.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Criminal Code, s. 83.18 (Participation in activity of terrorist group). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.18.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Criminal Code, s. 83.19 (Facilitating terrorist activity). Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-83.19.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on the Suppression of Terrorism (SOR/2001-360), full text. Justice Laws Website. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2001-360/FullText.html. Read 2026-10-10.
Currently listed entities. Public Safety Canada. publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx. Read 2026-10-10.
Currently listed entities, XML format. Public Safety Canada. publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/_xml/lstd-ntts-eng.xml. Read 2026-10-10.
Reporting listed person or entity property to FINTRAC. FINTRAC. fintrac-canafe.canada.ca/guidance-directives/transaction-operation/Guide5/5-eng. Read 2026-10-10.

Last updated 2026-10-10