PM meets with Winnipeg Iranians

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This article was published 28/10/2022 (1058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with leaders of the Winnipeg Iranian community Friday to discuss what more Canada can do to respond to the violent clashes in their home country.

The discussion — held over plates of baklava at Pembina Highway’s Tehran Café — comes in the midst of an aggressive crackdown on protests in Iran for the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s religious morality police and died under mysterious circumstances in September.

Trudeau assured attendees Canada would uphold “some of the strongest sanctions in the world” against the Islamic Republic.

“We have listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under the most stringent legislation (and) powers we have. (They are) the same kinds of tools we used for those responsible for the Rwandan genocide or Bosnian war zones, in banning the top leaders of Iran, including the top leaders of the IRGC, for life from Canada, from ever being able to see this country as a haven, a place where they can take refuge or hide,” he said.

There were two goals of the meeting: to thank the Canadian government for its efforts to stop the crackdown, and to relay the community’s requests. It wants increased intervention from Canada on violent crackdowns in Iran by gathering its allies and ensuring diplomats of the Islamic republic regime be expelled from across the world, explained Arian Arianpour of the Iranian Community of Manitoba.

“It was a very constructive conversation,” he said afterward.

“I can see that the Canadian government understands (its) responsibility as one of the leaders of the free world, to protect the human rights of Iranian people, people who are fighting for their basic human rights. Unfortunately, (we) have not seen enough action from the international community.”

The group also spoke with Trudeau about standing in solidarity with the families of the victims of the downed Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 as they take their legal case to international court. Iran shot down the civilian flight after it took off from Tehran, en route to Kyiv, on Jan. 8, 2020. In total, 176 people were killed, including several Canadians. As of January, Ontario Superior Court had awarded the families of six victims more than $107 million, but Iran views the court ruling as illegitimate and no settlements have been paid.

“I am optimistic that in a democratic country, our elected officials hear us and will act,” Arianpour said.

The talk was part of Trudeau’s day-long visit to the city, which began with speaking at the Congress of Ukrainian Canadians Friday morning.

He said watching the two struggles occur simultaneously strengthened Canada’s resolve to help.

“It shouldn’t surprise anyone, but it is sort of interconnected and characteristic of the Iranian regime that they have decided to send drones and military supplies to Russia to use against innocent Ukrainians,” he said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca