To the Honourable Canadian Prime Minister, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Minister of Public Safety, and Minister of Foreign Affairs: 

We, concerned Canadians and members of the Iranian Diaspora express our deepest concern about the developments in Iran over the past eight weeks and their ensuing wide-ranging impacts across Canada. 

We are grateful for the meaningful efforts the Canadian Government has undertaken to construct strong foreign policies that hold the Iranian Government accountable for its violent and brutal crackdown against its own people. Canada’s continuous leadership in this arena has been commendable. 

But we must do more to eliminate avenues and loopholes available to Iranian Government officials and their beneficiaries to use and abuse Canada’s social and financial infrastructure. It is a matter of public record that key figures from the Iranian regime, who may be complicit in many of the human rights abuses Iranians are protesting against, along with their family members, routinely visit Canada and even take up permanent residency and citizenship here. For example:

General Morteza Talaei, Tehran’s former police chief — accused of various human rights abuses and, incidentally, head of the police force when Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was arrested and murdered in Tehran— was spotted in the Toronto area earlier in 2022. 
The great-granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini, the late founding father of the Islamic Republic and the architect of over 4,000 political assassinations, has been freely living in Ontario, where she is attending university. 
Hamid Rezazadeh, the son of Ensieh Khazali, Iran’s Vice President responsible for women and family affairs, has been living quietly in B.C. and developing a venture-backed technology startup. It is believed he obtained residency through Canada’s Startup Visa Program with the support of 7Gate Ventures. 
Sina Ardeshir Larijani, the son of Fazel Ardeshir Larijani and a descendent of the Larijani family -  one of the most powerful and influential political dynasties in Iran - whose four uncles have held the most senior positions in the Iranian Government ( the former head of the judicial system of Iran, the former Deputy Foreign Minister, the former Speaker of the Majlis of Iran and the former nuclear negotiator to the EU) has been quietly living in Vancouver, B.C. for years. 
 

The presence of these individuals within the fabric of Canadian society is not only inconsistent with Canadian values and foreign policy objectives but also poses a material threat to the safety and security of all Canadians, particularly Canadians of Iranian descent. To provide just one example, according to a recent report from the CBC, CSIS is investigating credible death threats from the Iranian Regime against individuals in Canada, claiming it has intelligence about hostile activities undermining Canadians' security.  As a country that prides itself on the safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad, it is vital that our government takes active steps to identify and eliminate such threats to the Iranian community.  

As Canada has rightfully declared, the Islamic Republic of Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and a threat to the world. It is entirely within reason for the executive leaders of Iran, who are collectively responsible for orchestrating terrorism both regionally and domestically, to be sanctioned accordingly and be rightfully assigned corresponding designations.  

Unfortunately, our current entry and immigration screening procedures appear inadequate and/or misaligned with our foreign policy objectives and the broader mandate to ensure the safety and security of our people.  For instance, background checks lack the degree of scrutiny that other Canadian institutions routinely apply to ensure those looking to participate in our financial sector or economy are not politically compromised. Specifically, these background checks fail to verify the source of income and wealth for those entering Canada, even where the funds entering our financial system reach millions, or even billions, of dollars. While a surplus of immigrant funds entering Canadian banks may appear to benefit the Canadian economy and financial sector, it can also have a destructive impact on our safety, culture and reputation where the funds originate from compromised or corrupt sources. 

If left unaddressed, these policies and procedures severely undermine the Iranian-Canadian community’s sense of safety and security while ensuring Canada remains a safe haven for terrorists, human rights abusers, and their relatives.

To ensure a more consistent and proportional policy response that addresses our immigration system’s loopholes and supports Canada’s policy of holding the Islamic Regime accountable, we call on our government to immediately implement the following 8 recommendations:

Designate all  Iranian Regime authorities at the executive levels — parliamentarians, executive leadership, Ministers, Deputy ministers, Advisors to the minister, the Revolutionary Guard, law enforcement agencies, the military leadership – as “Politically Compromised Individuals”. 
 Designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity, and consequently designate any company or organization working with the IRGC as collaborators with a terrorist entity, deeming them politically compromised (“Politically Compromised Entities”). Directors and Officers of such Politically Compromised Entities should be listed under the appropriate sanctions as Islamic Regime close collaborators. 
 

Impose a travel ban on all “Politically Compromised Individuals”, particularly Iranian Regime authorities at the executive level,  and Directors and Officers of “Politically Compromised Entities”, along with their immediate family members.
 

Establish a task force to investigate the application of Magnitsky sanctions to Politically Compromised Individuals and Entities, along with the freezing and seizure of assets and that of their immediate family members of Iranian Regime figures in Canada under the law. Leveraging Bill S-217, The Frozen Assets Repurposing Act (known as FARA), Canada can not only seize the frozen assets of these individuals corrupt foreign officials held in Canada through court order but repurpose them back to the victims of the Islamic Republic, for example, the surviving family members of flight PS752 or other relevant organizations in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of individuals and families who have been directly harmed most by their actions.
 Expand the scope of the Sergei Magnitsky Law and Sanctions in accordance with the recommended amendments proposed in Bill S-247 – the Act to amend the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) – to include family members of rights abusers.
 Allocate the budget from the recently announced funds to augment sanctions enforcement to launch formal investigations into the Iranian Regime’s money laundering activities in Canada through key figures’ family relations, proxies, business holdings, and indirect operatives.
 

Augment entry and immigration screening procedures with a mandatory declaration that foreign nationals entering Canada have no direct or family relations with Politically Compromised Individuals or Politically Compromised Entities. Verify mandatory declarations through routine audits and background checks. If a foreign national entering Canada fails to disclose or omits material information pertaining to direct or family relations to Politically Compromised Individuals or Politically Compromised Entities, take immediate measures to revoke the foreign’s national’s visitor visa on the grounds of misrepresentation.
 Strengthen entry and immigration screening and background checks with more rigorous financial due diligence in order to prevent Politically Compromised Individuals and their family members from bringing money into Canada. Background checks and financial due diligence must verify the source of wealth foreign nationals have when entering Canada if funds exceed certain thresholds (ex. $3 million CAD). 
 

We urge all ministers included in this letter to take immediate and serious action on these recommendations. We look forward to working with you to strengthen Canada’s foreign policy objectives to ensure Canada is not a safe haven for human rights abusers. We all deserve to feel safe in this country, and we believe the above measures will allow us to continue to strive for peace, prosperity, and safety.