OTTAWA, Dec. 6, 2025 – Canada has removed Syria from its official list of state sponsors of terrorism and simultaneously delisted Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist entity, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced Friday. The twin decisions represent one of the clearest diplomatic endorsements yet of Syria’s transitional government exactly one year after the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The measures, jointly announced with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, bring Canada into line with similar moves by the United States and United Kingdom earlier this year. Ottawa cited the Syrian transitional government’s efforts to stabilize the country, pursue an inclusive political process, and cooperate with international partners against remaining jihadist threats.
“Canada welcomes the positive steps taken by the Syrian transitional government since the end of the Assad regime toward a peaceful Syrian-led political transition,” Minister Anand said. “We stand steadfast with the people of Syria in their quest for an inclusive, stable, and prosperous future.” She stressed that Canada will continue to closely monitor developments, particularly the new government’s actions against ISIS and al-Qaeda remnants, both of which remain designated terrorist organizations.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry quickly welcomed the decision, calling it “a positive and constructive development” that finally acknowledges the severe hardship imposed on ordinary Syrians by years of broad sanctions. Damascus described the move as an important milestone for bilateral ties and a gateway to expanded cooperation in economic recovery, reconstruction, and regional security.
Syria had been on Canada’s State Immunity Act terrorism-sponsor list since 2012, a designation that barred the Assad regime from claiming sovereign immunity in Canadian courts and triggered sweeping financial restrictions. HTS, the powerful northwestern rebel group that spearheaded the final offensive against Assad, was added to Canada’s Criminal Code terrorist-entity list in 2018 because of its past al-Qaeda affiliation and use of suicide bombings.
The group’s leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa (previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani), formally severed ties with al-Qaeda in 2016, rebranded the organization in 2017, and dissolved HTS entirely in January 2025 after taking power. Its fighters were integrated into the new Ministry of Defense, and al-Sharaa was named transitional president at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference in Damascus on January 29, 2025.
The rapid collapse of the Assad regime began in late November 2024 when HTS and allied forces launched a lightning offensive from Idlib. Aleppo fell within days, followed by Hama, Homs, and Daraa. On December 8, 2024, rebel fighters entered Damascus almost unopposed. Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow aboard a private aircraft, where Russia granted him and his family asylum. Hours later, the Syrian Arab Army announced its dissolution on state television, effectively ending 61 years of Baath Party rule.
Celebrations erupted across Syria and in refugee communities worldwide. In Damascus’s Umayyad Square, tens of thousands waved the three-star revolutionary flag and chanted slogans from the original 2011 uprising. Al-Sharaa’s transitional administration unveiled a five-year roadmap in March 2025, including a provisional constitution, agreements with Kurdish forces on border security, parliamentary elections held in October, and a commitment to presidential elections by 2030.
Canada had already begun easing restrictions earlier this year. In February 2025, Global Affairs issued a general permit (extended in August and now valid until February 23, 2026) that allows limited financial transactions with Syria’s Central Bank and six state-owned commercial banks for humanitarian, stabilization, and democratization purposes. The permit unlocked an additional $84 million in Canadian aid for food security, health care, and gender-based violence prevention. Since 2016, Canada has provided more than $4.7 billion in assistance to Syrians inside the country and in neighboring host nations.
Targeted sanctions remain in place against 225 individuals and 56 entities linked to the former regime, including Assad family members and senior officials accused of war crimes and chemical-weapons use.
The United States removed al-Sharaa from its global terrorist list in June 2025 after his White House meeting with President Donald Trump and partially suspended broader sanctions. The United Kingdom followed suit in October. Canada’s move Friday is widely seen as the final major Western holdout falling into line.
Analysts describe the delisting as pragmatic diplomacy designed to reward and reinforce al-Sharaa’s moderation. Since taking power, he has met French President Emmanuel Macron, addressed the United Nations General Assembly, repeatedly invoked UN Security Council Resolution 2254 as the basis for transition, and pledged protection for Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities.
Significant challenges remain. Ninety percent of Syrians live below the poverty line, reconstruction costs are estimated at $400 billion, and minority communities (particularly Alawites and Druze) continue to voice fears of reprisals. Israeli forces have maintained a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and sporadic clashes persist in the northeast.
For many Syrian-Canadians, the news is bittersweet. “Assad is gone and that is an enormous relief,” said Reem Rifai, a refugee activist in Ottawa. “But the scars of fourteen years of war don’t disappear overnight. Today’s decision opens real doors for rebuilding lives and, hopefully, for bringing more families home.”
The full text of the announcement and updated sanction lists are available on the Global Affairs Canada website.
