The Council of Iranian Canadians and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress demanded the Canadian government take action against the Iranian and Russian governments. .“Our groups stand in solidarity with both the Ukrainian and the Iranian people and in support of democratic values,” said the groups in a letter. .“We, the undersigned, call on you and the Government of Canada to take a firm stance against both the Islamic Republic and its main sponsor, Russia.” .These groups sent the letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. .The letter said Iran is a leading sponsor of international terrorism, which is responsible for bankrolling and arming numerous Canadian-listed terrorist entities. It said the Iranian regime is “a danger to global security — providing training, arms, and personnel to several of non-state terrorist entities as well as to other authoritarian state sponsors of terrorism, such as Syria and Russia.” .Since 1979, the letter said, Iran jailed, tortured, and executed political activists, ethnic minorities, journalists, artists, and sexual minorities. It added the country discriminates against women and ethnic and religious minorities. .The letter went on to say the Iranian government supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine by supplying military drones. It said Iran and Russia conduct assassinations in foreign countries against regime opponents through “a partnership born in evil, violence, and subjugation.” .Russia is threatening the world with nuclear weapons after suffering a string of defeats against Ukraine. Iran seeks to do the same. .While the groups are encouraged by the Canadian government’s sanctions and travel bans, they said they are renewing their call to take a firm stance against these governments. .The groups call on Canada to oppose diplomatic engagement with Iran on its nuclear program and discourage any agreement unfreezing its assets. They said Canada should condemn Iran’s presence on the UN Women’s Rights Commission. .The letter said the Canadian government should list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity and sanction it. It requested Canada investigate reports of regime agents and their families in the country and prosecute them for intimidation. .Russia should be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, as Iran has been. Canada should take action to seize any assets of sanctioned Iranian and Russian people and entities. .The groups said Iranians “deserve the full support of Canada in their fight for a democratic and free Iran.” .“And the Iranian regime deserves to be treated by international community as pariahs,” they said. .Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stood in the House of Commons on Oct. 5 to grill Trudeau over whether the IRGC is a terrorist organization. .READ MORE: Yes or no' Poilievre grills Trudeau on whether the IRGC is a terrorist organization."Is the IRGC a terrorist group, yes or no?" said Poilievre. .Trudeau responded by saying Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism and saying Canada is continuing to hold the IRGC to account, "including by putting sanctions on a number of their top leaders to make sure they can't take safe haven or buy property in Canada."
