Canada’s public inquiry into foreign interference needs to examine the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims supports Canada’s Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which began in late January 2024 and is being led by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue.
The Association has concerns, however, regarding the public commentary that has arisen with respect to the precise contours and scope of the inquiry. More specifically, the Association urges the Commissioner to fully exercise discretion to consider all actions undertaken by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran that may have had influenced our federal elections or impacted our institutions.
Given our intimate familiarity with the intent, capabilities, and modus operandi of the Government of the Islamic Republic, we firmly believe that the regime would never forego the opportunity to further its objectives in a clandestine manner.
Our firsthand experience has repeatedly revealed systematic efforts by the Regime in Iran to deploy operatives in Canada to undermine our efforts to pursue truth and justice for our loved ones. Several of our members, particularly those serving as members of our Board of Directors, have faced repeated harassment, intimidation and threats. We can also catalogue numerous instances in which our family members residing in Iran have been persecuted, while others have been banned from leaving the country to visit Canada.
Our observations and experience are consistent with recent statements from Canadian academics, government officials, and national security institutions warning that the Government of the Islamic Republic has engaged in various types of nefarious activity to silence and intimidate its critics in Canada, or to shape public opinion in this country.
Furthermore, recent media reports reveal the presence of hundreds of officials of the Islamic Regime on Canadian soil, with some even closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Many members of the Iranian-Canadian community have been alarmed to witness a rise in the number of organizations and foundations in Canada that appear to be overtly or covertly aligned with the Regime, yet operate under the guise of Canadian advocacy groups. Many among the sizeable Iranian-Canadian community believe that such entities were established to cause division among the over 400,000 strong Iranian-Canadian community, or to conceal the Regime’s influence peddling in Canada.
All such revelations underscore the urgent need to remain vigilant regarding the Islamic Regime’s growing influence in Canada.
We believe that a failure to include the Islamic Republic of Iran as one of the countries being investigated would fundamentally undermine the credibility of its findings. We ask the Commissioner to safeguard against incomplete and potentially misleading findings by ensuring that the Islamic Republic of Iran is included in this public inquiry.
