PREMIER David Eby on Wednesday released a letter he wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday to designate groups engaged in extortion and related crime as terrorist entities.

He noted that last February the federal government had announced the listing of seven transnational criminal groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code and added that this legal instrument should be applied to groups such as India’s Lawrence Bishnoi gang that was involved in extortion and violent crime sin multiple Canadian provinces.

Here is Eby’s letter to Carney:

I am writing to request that the federal government take action to designate groups engaged in extortion and related crimes as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code.

Canadian provinces, including Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, have experienced a rise in extortion activities over the last two years targeting law-abiding citizens and businesses. Other criminal offences, including murder, arson, assaults, drive-by shootings, threats and damage to property, are associated with this rise in extortion. This is a direct threat to the public safety of all Canadians, causing widespread fear and low reporting within communities. Canadians want their criminal justice system to respond effectively to prevent, deter and respond to these crimes.

The occurrences of these criminal acts in multiple cities across Canada has resulted in the formation of a RCMP national task force to coordinate the sharing of intelligence and case information to ensure local and provincial policing agencies have access to current developments in and potential linkages between these investigations. While the task force is a positive step, it is imperative that consequential Criminal Code amendments are in place to support enforcement efforts targeting those engaged in or facilitating these crimes. This is particularly critical when these groups operate under the direction of, or with the support of, foreign-based criminal entities. As Attorney General, I previously wrote a letter to former Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, The Honourable Bill Blair, regarding the need for establishment of a Canadian version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act and/or Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute.

On February 15, 2025, the Government of Canada announced the listing of seven transnational criminal groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. British Columbia believes that this legal instrument should be applied to groups, such a the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, engaged in extortion and violent crimes in multiple Canadian provinces. This is a complex and nationally impactful criminal issue deserving of a national criminal law response to investigate and prosecute those participating in, promoting and/or facilitating these crimes.

I request that federal law enforcement and security agencies urgently assess their intelligence and investigative repositories to identify and designate these key groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. Our government is fully prepared to assist and collaborate in these efforts to keep our communities safe. I look forward to your positive response.