Government accused of sending tax money to terrorists

Canadian taxpayers are supporting terrorists, warns a former military-intelligence officer and court-recognized expert on Islamic terrorism.

Tom Quiggin, in a report published by the Gatestone Institute said Canadian taxpayers "have unwittingly been funding terrorism for more than two decades, often through federally registered charities, many of which have since been banned in other countries and subsequently by Ottawa as well."

Quiggin is a former intelligence contractor for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who has contributed to writings about the danger of political Islam.

"The International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy, which has sent tens of millions of dollars in goods and services to the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, is one example, he writes.

"Another is the Islamic Society of North America's Development Foundation, which was discovered to be funding the Pakistani Islamist movement Jamaat-e-Islami. A third was Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's 'Jihad Fund,' which was operating in Canada through a charity registered as the World Islamic Call Society."

He said there's been a shift, however, in the way Canadian money is "funneled" to terror groups in the last few years.

"Whereas prior to 2015, the individuals responsible for terrorism-funding were not members of the government or parliament, current evidence suggests that acting politicians are involved in directing money down a path where the ultimate destination is a listed terrorist group," he writes.

For example, the money "is being funneled through a variety of government organizations and programs, including the International Humanitarian Aid Program (2017), M103 Islamophobia Funding (2018), Canada Summer Jobs Program (2017 and 2018), Myanmar Crisis Relief Fund/Islamic Relief (May 2018), Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund (CHAF), Canada's Humanitarian and Development Assistance to Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, and Prime Minister Trudeau's volunteer work and promotional video for Islamic Relief Canada."

He said that if true, it would violate the nation's criminal law, and "an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is required to determine the legality of the government of Canada funding a known Islamist front group."

Quiggin explains he's already asked the head of the RCMP for a criminal investigation into those who may have knowledge of the money funneling.

In that letter, he raised the concern that members of parliament are using their positions to channel taxpayer money to Islamic Relief Canada.

"The IRC is a federally registered charity, so the taxpayer is subsidizing this activity. IRC in turn is sending millions of dollars to Islamic Relief Worldwide. Seven independent and reliable sources have gone on the public record and stated that IRW uses charitable funds to provide material support to terrorism. In most cases, this means Hamas, an organization which is listed as a terrorist entity by the Government of Canada," he writes.

Much of the evidence, he explains, comes from other nations who have had significant concerns about terrorism funding, including the United Arab Emirates, which described Islamic Relief Worldwide and Islamic Relief UK as terrorist groups.

Then there was the decision by Bangladesh to ban Islamic Relief, Israel's related decision, and the determination by HSBC Bank of the United Kingdom to end its links with Islamic Relief.

Earlier, USB Bank cut its ties, and the U.K. Charities Aid Foundation removed Islamic Relief from its donation page.

The report said it was "imperative" for an investigation to be conducted.