As you are well aware, in July 2015, Iran and representatives of the international community reached an agreement with the intention of resolving the long-standing dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.  In the near future, UN, American, and European sanctions on Iran will be lifted.

This agreement has been widely celebrated by the general Iranian population, the Iranian human/civil rights movement, and the Iranian-Canadian community. In a poll conducted in July 2015 by the Iranian Canadian Congress for their members, 80% of the respondents supported the nuclear agreement.

Sanctions and the threat of war have never led to an improvement in human or civil rights; in fact, they have always had the opposite effect.  History has shown that wars and sanctions produce an unproductive cycle of destruction, misery, violence and death.

Given the context and international breadth of this diplomatic rapprochement, should your party be elected to form the next government in Canada, will you follow our American and European allies in lifting sanctions against Iran?

Your clear statement on this critical foreign policy issue will help all Canadians who are supporters of peace, including those within the Iranian-Canadian community, have a better understanding of your position and make an informed decision when casting their ballot on October 19th.

Respectfully and Sincerely,

Organizing Team (in alphabetical order):

Bijan Ahmadi, Delshad Emami, Soudeh Ghasemi, Sholeh Khalili, Poyan Nahrvar, Niaz Salimi, and Ahmad Tabrizi