از آنرو که هییت مدیره های
کنگره لزومی برای حفظ اطلاعات از سالی به سال
دیگر نمی بینند، این صفحه بوجود آمده است تا
که اطلاعات را ثبت نموده و تاریخچه ای برای
کنگره بوجود آورد. در تصحیح اطلاعات ما را
یاری کنید.
2018 - 2019
#
Date
Description
1
May 07
ICC Calls On Canadian
Government to Continue its Commitment to Iran Nuclear
Agreement
2
May 11
Letter from 10 Canadian
Organizations on Iran Nuclear Agreement
3
May 16
Appointment of Executive
Officers and Department Chairs
4
May 30
We are hiring: ICC Summer
Internship
5
June 06
Ontario: Go Vote on June
7
6
June 12
Liberal and Conservative
MPs Voted To Abandon Diplomatic Talks With Iran
7
June 19
Watch Live: ICC's First
Parliamentary Briefing to Discuss Canada's Iran Policy
8
June 21
Video: Panel Discussing
Canada's Iran Policy
9
June 26
ICC is Concerned about
Maryam Mombeini and Asks For Her Immediate Return to
Canada
Notice From Monitor Marvin Huberman
Re: Membership
Requests
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
Please
find below an email from Court-Appointed Monitor
Marvin Huberman dated December 16th, 2020
regarding requests for membership, membership
renewals, membership cancellation, and the
deletion of membership information:
Soudeh and
Pouyan,
This letter
follows your emails dated December 15, 2020
advising that the ICC received inquiries and
requests for membership, membership renewals,
membership cancellation, the deletion of
membership information and documentation in the
ICC NationBuilder administrative account, and
for section 307 membership lists, following the
ICC 2019 AGM and the 2019 Election.
The ICC has
requested my assistance, as the Court -
Appointed Monitor, and/or that of the 2019 AGM
Committee, with these matters.
In my view,
as the Monitor, none of these matters post
- ICC 2019 AGM and 2019 Election fall
within the purview of the Monitorship which
relates exclusively to matters in relation to
the ICC 2019 AGM and the 2019 Election, which
were held on December
13, 2020.
Accordingly,
in my view, neither I, as the Monitor, nor the
ICC 2019 AGM Committee, has any power or
authority to deal with any of the matters
requested above.
The ICC is
responsible to address these matters and, as I
indicated in correspondence to you yesterday,
access to the ICC’s NationBuilder Administrative
account will be provided by the Monitor to a
duly authorized representative of the ICC
following the delivery of the Monitor’s Final
Report to the Court and the expiration of my
appointment as the Monitor.
In my view,
as there is no apparent urgency in dealing with
the matters listed above, the ICC should explain
the current situation to the ICC members who
have contacted you in respect thereof.
osted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2509.40sc
December 11, 2020
December 11, 2020
Notice from
the Technical Expertu
have not received appropriate notices to vote in
the ICC 2019 Election or participate in the 2019
Annual General Meeting (AGM), you are invited to
send me an email at: marcel@mongeonconsulting.com.
(You should check spam, promotions and junk
folders first in your email system.) Each person
needs a separate email address to vote and
participate.
In order to ensure sufficient time for me to
complete the preparations for the 2019 Annual
General Meeting, I
will not receive any inquiries about missing
ballots for the Election or missing notices for
the AGM after Saturday, December 12, 2020, at
10:00 pm ET.
Marcel D. Mongeon
Court appointed Technical Expert
Iranian Canadian Congress
2019 Annual General Meeting and 2019 Election
11 دسامبر 2020
اطلاعیه کارشناس فنی
اگر اطلاعیه و ایمیلهای مربوط به رای دهی در
انتخابات 2019 و یا شرکت در مجمع عمومی سالانه
2019 را دریافت نکرده اید از طریق ایمیل زیر با من
تماس بگیرید:
لطفاً ابتدا پوشه ی ایمیلهای ناخواسته خود را
بررسی کنید که احیانااً ایمیلهای مربوطه در آن
پوشه ها قرار نگرفته باشند .
هرعضو کنگره باید ایمیل متمایز خود را داشته باشد
تا بتواند رای بدهد و در مجمع عمومی شرکت کند.
پس از ساعت 10:00 بعد از ظهر (به وقت تورنتو) روز
شنبه 12 دسامبر 2020 و به جهت تدارکات و آمادگی
برای مجمع عمومی سالانه 2019 ، من قادر به
پاسخگویی سوالات در مورد برگه های رای و نیافتن
ایمیلهای مربوطه نخواهم بود.
ICC: Assassination of Iranian Scientist is an
Attempt to Block Diplomacy and Start Military
Confrontation
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
November 27, 2020
The reported assassination of Iranian
scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is an
attempt by warmongers in the region to
push the Middle East into another
military conflict. Faced with an
incoming Biden administration which has
expressed its intentions to re-enter the
Iran Deal and work towards peace, the
forces for war are attempting to trap
this administration and prevent these
efforts by heightening tensions.
Furthermore, assassination of scientists
is an abhorrent and egregious act that
violates all international norms.
As such, the Iranian Canadian Congress
condemns this reckless and illegal
assassination.
The Canadian government must use all
diplomatic means to prevent a military
confrontation in the region. Canada must
stand against war and against acts
designed to spark war such as this
assassination.
ICC Asks Canada to Send Extra
Vaccines to Vulnerable Iranians
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
November 27, 2020
Find
below a letter sent by ICC President
Soudeh Ghasemi asking Canada send its
extra vaccines to vulnerable Iranians:
Attention:
Honourable Minister of Health Patty
Hadju
Honourable Minister of International
Development Karina Gould
My name is Soudeh Ghasemi, President of
the Iranian Canadian Congress, a
non-profit, non-religious, and
non-partisan organization dedicated to
advancing the interests of Canadians of
Iranian heritage.
As has been reported in media, Canada
has purchased in advance more vaccines
than it needs and is currently
considering sharing vaccines with other
countries who need them in the future.
This is a laudable goal and the Iranian
Canadian Congress commends the Canadian
government for considering it. This
letter is to ask the Canadian government
to share the excess vaccines that it has
with healthcare workers, seniors, and
people with underlying health conditions
in Iran.
As you may know, Iran, in particular, is
suffering greatly from the coronavirus
pandemic due to the fact that it is
currently subjected to an inhumane
sanctions regime by the Trump
administration that has made it
difficult to purchase medicines,
ventilators, and other medical equipment
needed to control the pandemic. As such,
Iran has one of the highest death tolls
per capita in the world.
Canada must step in and help Iranians by
giving our excess vaccines to the
Iranians most at risk of this deadly
disease. Indeed, a petition initiated
by a group of health professionals*
signed by nearly 15,000 individuals is
making this exact request.
As such, we ask you to help Iranians in
this time of need by sending our excess
vaccines to Iran’s most vulnerable.
Iranians are suffering, and Canada can
help.
Sincerely,
Soudeh Ghasemi
President
Iranian Canadian
Congress
----------------
* The
petition was initiated by:
Syda Alavi ,DDs, MSc - Elli Baran, MD -
Melika Meshkat, Pharm.D. - Reza Moradi,
MD - Rose Sanei
ICC Calls for Canada to Send Insulin to Iran
Amidst Shortage
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
November 27, 2020
See
below a letter that ICC President Soudeh
Ghasemi sent to the Canadian Ministers
of Health, Foreign Affairs, and
International Development asking them to
help Iranians who are struggling to get
access to insulin amidst a massive
shortage in the country:
Dear
Honourable Ministers,
My
name is Soudeh Ghasemi, and I am the
President of the Iranian Canadian
Congress, a non-profit, non-religious,
and non-partisan organization dedicated
to advancing the interests of the
Iranian Canadian community in Canada.
As
you may know, Iran has been under
suffocating sanctions imposed by the US
Trump administration for years, with
sanctions, only intensifying during the
COVID-19 crisis. Though sanctions have
always threatened Iranians' access to
life-saving medication, the situation
now is reaching disastrous proportions.
Earlier this week, we learned through
social media that tens of thousands of
Iranian diabetics cannot access
life-sustaining insulin. Supplies are
low, and the costs are skyrocketing.
As
such, we call on the Minister of
International Development, working with
the Ministers of Health and Foreign
Affairs, to immediately work to supply
insulin to Iran. The situation is dire,
and Iranians need insulin. Canada must
help.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2055.60sc
November 24, 2020
REMINDER
NOTICE TO REGISTER
Registration for attending the ICC 2019
AGM and voting in the 2019 Election
In
order to attend the ICC 2019 AGM and to
vote in the 2019 Election for ICC
directors, you must
register in advance. You may do
so by
clicking on this link.
You
should register as early as possible in
order for the 2019 AGM Committee to
verify your ICC membership and for the
Technical Expert, Mr. Marcel Mongeon, to
provide you with registration details in
email. You will receive one email for
Zoom (for the 2019 AGM) almost
immediately. An additional email for
Electionbuddy (for the 2019 Election)
will be sent shortly before the opening
of the election. The election will begin
at 12:01am EST on December 6, 2020.
After
registering, please check
your spam or junk folders in
your email system, in case the
registration information emails are in
those folders.
Registration to attend and vote will
close at 12:01pm ET on December 5, 2020 (the
day before the online voting in the 2019
Election begins).
ثبت نام جهت شرکت در مجمع عمومی 2019 و
رأی دهی در انتخابات 2019
جهت شرکت در مجمع عمومی 2019 و رأی دادن
در انتخابات 2019 شما
بایستی پیشاپیش با کلیک کردن روی لینک زیر،
ثبت نام نمایید . ثبت
نام
لطفاً در اسرع وقت برای این ثبت نام اقدام
کنید تا کمیته برگزاری مجمع عمومی 2019
عضویت شما را بررسی کند و کارشناس فنی
منتصب دادگاه، آقای مارسل مونژیان، برای
شما جزئیات ثبت نام را از طریق ایمیل
ارسال کند. یک ایمیل برای استفاده از "زوم"
در مجمع عمومی تقریباً بلافاصله ارسال
خواهد شد. ایمیل دوم برای نرم افزار "الکشن
بادی" و شرکت در انتخابات مدت کوتاهی قبل
از شروع انتخابات فرستاده میشود. انتخابات
در ساعت 12:01 صبح روز 6 دسامبر 2020 (به
وقت تورنتو) آغاز خواهد شد.
بعد از ثبت نام لطفاً پوشه ی ایمیلهای
ناخواسته خود را بررسی کنید که احیانااً
ایمیل تأیید ثبت نام در آن پوشه ها قرار
نگرفته باشد .
مهلت
ثبت نام فوق، برای شرکت در مجمع عمومی و
رای دهی در انتخابات ، ساعت 12:01
بعدازظهر (به وقت تورنتو ) روز 5 دسامبر
2020 (روز قبل از شروع انتخابات) میباشد.
کمیته برگزاری مجمع عمومی سالیانه 2019
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا
Motion Brought Against ICC and Its Board
Dismissed
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
November 03, 2020
Dear ICC Members,
Further to previous communications, we
would like to update the members of the
organization on the motion brought
against the ICC and its Board of
Directors.
We confirm that the Motion brought by
the Applicants Babak Payami, Shayan Moin,
Kamnoosh Shahabi, and Mehrdokht Hadi ("Payami
et al.") was heard earlier this week on
November 2, 2020, before the Honourable
Justice Cavanagh.
Please note that His Honour decided to dismiss
the Motion.
Click this
link to read the full decision of
Justice Cavanagh (the “Order”).
Further to the notice sent out earlier
this week, a clarification is being
provided:
On
October 27th,
2020, a case conference was held before
The Honourable Justice Hainey, the judge
who has been case-managing the matter
between ICC and the Applicants (Payami
et al) since September 9, 2019. Present
at the case conference were Atoosa
Mahdavian, counsel for the Applicants,
Dan Fridmar, counsel for ICC, Mitchel
Wine, counsel representing the 8
Directors and Marvin Huberman, the
Court-Appointed Monitor.
The
purpose of the case conference was for
ICC Counsel to request an adjournment of
the Applicants’ Motion scheduled for
November 2, 2020 for, among other
things, an order removing the Board, an
order restraining the ICC from holding
the Special General Meetings (SGM) and
other relief as set out in the motion
materials.
The
request by ICC for the adjournment of
the Motion was denied.
Justice Hainey further directed that the
SGM called by the ICC Board for November
1, 2020 and the SGM called by certain
members for October 31, 2020 shall not
proceed.
Further decisions and arguments with
respect to the Motion will be heard on
November 2, 2020 before Justice
Cavanaugh and the decisions will be
communicated to the ICC membership
accordingly.
October 28, 2020
ICCweb
ICCFacebook
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: Medi Shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2020,
12:30:31 p.m. EDT
Subject: Postponement of the
Member-Requisitioned Special General Meeting
Medi --
Dear ICC Members,
As mentioned in our previous communications,
the ICC Board was requisitioned by a petition from
approximately 230 members to hold an SGM as soon
as possible. The petition specifically referred
to a hearing on November 2nd and stated that the
members signing the SGM requisition would like
their voices to be heard before this hearing. In
order to fulfil our duty under Section 295 of
the Corporations Act and to provide members the
opportunity to voice their opinions on the
direction of the organization, the Board decided
to hold the Member-requisitioned SGM for October
31st, 2020.
Yesterday, on October 27th, 2020, in a case
conference Justice Hainey instructed the ICC
board to postpone the SGM until after a motion (supplementary
motion material here)
brought by applicants Babak Payami, Kamnoosh
Shahabi, Mehrdokht Hadi, and Shayan Moin ("Payami
et al.") scheduled November 2nd, 2020 is heard.
The Honorable Judge stated that this instruction
is to preserve the status quo before the
scheduled hearing on November 2nd.
The Board therefore has no choice but to
postpone the SGM called by members until after
November 2nd, 2020. The same instructions also
apply to the SGM called by the board which was
scheduled for November 1st, 2020.
The ICC Board continues to be committed to
allowing the membership to have their say on the
organization’s affairs and fulfil its legal
obligations to members’ requisitions. As such,
we encourage all members to stay tuned for
further updates on when this SGM will be held.
Furthermore, the board is happy to announce
that it has both raised enough money to carry
forward the AGM and has renegotiated its debt to
the legal firm Gardiner Roberts and that the
adjusted debt to this legal firm is reduced from
approximately $42,000 to $10,000 with a
reasonable payment schedule. We look forward to
your continued help and ask you to donate using this
link.
In order to ensure that members' attendance,
proxies, and voting all proceed smoothly, we are
putting into place deadlines for members to
register and designate proxies, both of which
are midnight on October 30th:
In order for you to attend and vote at the
SGM personally, you must register using this
linkbefore midnight on October 30th.
If you cannot attend the meeting but want to
designate a proxy, you must also register your
proxy by emailing your name, the name of your
proxy holder, and your membership status to info@iccongress.ca before midnight
on October 30th. Please include the
phrase "SGM Proxy" in the
subject of your email.
We remind all members that in order to
participate at the SGM, you must register
yourself or your proxy before the deadline. We
therefore encourage all members to register
either of these as soon as possible, and to
email info@iccongress.ca if their situation
changes (e.g. if they have designated a proxy
and would like to attend in person, or vice
versa) also before the deadline.
Further, if you want to introduce a motion at
the SGM, please send the text of your motion to
info@iccongress.ca before Noon on October 31st,
2020.
Board Called SGM (November 1st, not
to be confused with Member-Requisitioned SGM)
Further to our previous
communications, the Iranian Canadian
Congress will also be holding a Special General
Meeting, called by the Board of Directors, on
November 1st, 2020, starting at 4PM.
In order to attend and vote at this meeting,
please register using this
link as soon as possible. For security
purposes, only those members in good standing
who register using this link on the Eventbrite
platform will receive the video conferencing
link and voting information.
If you wish to designate a proxy holder for
this meeting, please email info@iccongress.ca
with your intention to do so, along with your
name and membership status and the name(s) of
the individual(s) you wish to designate as your
proxy before Midnight on October 31st,
2020. Please include the phrase "Board SGM
Proxy" in the subject of your email.
Please note that receiving this email does
not necessarily mean that you are a member in
good standing of the ICC. If you want to confirm
your membership status, please email info@iccongress.ca
Postponement of the Member-Requisitioned Special
General Meeting
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
October 28, 2020
Dear
ICC Members,
As
mentioned in our previous
communications, the ICC Board was
requisitioned by a petition from
approximately 230 members to hold an SGM
as soon as possible. The petition
specifically referred to a hearing on
November 2nd and stated that the members
signing the SGM requisition would like
their voices to be heard before this
hearing. In order to fulfil our duty
under Section 295 of the Corporations
Act and to provide members the
opportunity to voice their opinions on
the direction of the organization, the
Board decided to hold the
Member-requisitioned SGM for October
31st, 2020.
Yesterday, on October 27th, 2020, in a
case conference Justice Hainey
instructed the ICC board to postpone the
SGM until after a motion(supplementary
motion material here)
brought by applicants
Babak Payami, Kamnoosh Shahabi,
Mehrdokht Hadi, and Shayan Moin ("Payami
et al.") scheduled November 2nd,
2020 is heard. The Honorable Judge
stated that this instruction is to
preserve the status quo before the
scheduled hearing on November 2nd.
The
Board therefore has no choice but to
postpone the SGM called by members until
after November 2nd, 2020. The same
instructions also apply to the SGM
called by the board which was scheduled
for November 1st,
2020.
The
ICC Board continues to be committed to
allowing the membership to have their
say on the organization’s affairs and
fulfil its legal obligations to members’
requisitions. As such, we encourage all
members to stay tuned for further
updates on when this SGM will be held.
Furthermore, the board is happy to
announce that it has both raised enough
money to carry forward the AGM and has
renegotiated its debt to the legal firm
Gardiner Roberts and that the adjusted
debt to this legal firm is reduced from
approximately $42,000 to $10,000 with a
reasonable payment schedule. We look
forward to your continued help and ask
you to donate using this
link.
In
order to ensure that members'
attendance, proxies, and voting all
proceed smoothly, we are putting into
place deadlines for members to register
and designate proxies, both of which
are midnight
on October 30th:
In
order for you to attend and vote at the
SGM personally, you must register using this
linkbefore
midnight on October 30th.
If
you cannot attend the meeting but want
to designate a proxy, you must also
register your proxy by emailing your
name, the name of your proxy holder, and
your membership status to info@iccongress.ca before midnight
on October 30th. Please include
the phrase "SGM
Proxy" in the subject of your
email.
We
remind all members that in order to
participate at the SGM, you must
register yourself or your proxy before
the deadline. We therefore encourage all
members to register either of these as
soon as possible, and to email info@iccongress.ca if
their situation changes (e.g. if they
have designated a proxy and would like
to attend in person, or vice versa) also
before the deadline.
Further, if you want to introduce a
motion at the SGM, please send the text
of your motion to info@iccongress.ca before
Noon on October 31st, 2020.
Board Called SGM (November 1st, not to
be confused with Member-Requisitioned
SGM)
Further to our previous
communications, the Iranian Canadian
Congress will also be holding a Special
General Meeting, called by the Board of
Directors, on November 1st, 2020,
starting at 4PM.
In
order to attend and vote at this
meeting, please register using this
link as soon as possible. For
security purposes, only those members in
good standing who register using this
link on the Eventbrite platform will
receive the video conferencing link and
voting information.
If
you wish to designate a proxy holder for
this meeting, please email info@iccongress.ca with
your intention to do so, along with your
name and membership status and the
name(s) of the individual(s) you wish to
designate as your proxy before Midnight
on October 31st, 2020. Please include
the phrase "Board SGM Proxy" in the
subject of your email.
Please note that receiving this email
does not necessarily mean that you are a
member in good standing of the ICC. If
you want to confirm your membership
status, please email info@iccongress.ca
Further to our previous
communications, the Iranian Canadian
Congress will be holding a Special
General Meeting requisitioned by members
on October 31st, 2020, starting at 4PM.
In order to attend and vote at this
meeting, please register using this
link as soon as possible. For
security purposes, only those members in
good standing who register using this
link on the Eventbrite platform will
receive the video conferencing link and
voting information.
If you wish to introduce a motion at the
SGM, we would ask you to please send
your motion to info@iccongress.ca by
no later than Noon
on October 31st, 2020 so that
it can be included in our online voting
platform. Please include the phrase "SGM
Motion" in the subject of your email.
If you wish to designate a proxy holder
for this meeting, please email info@iccongress.ca with
your intention to do so, along with your
your name and membership status and the
name(s) of the individual(s) you wish to
designate as your proxy. Please include
the phrase "SGM Proxy" in the subject of
your email.
Please note that reading this message
does not necessarily mean that you are a
member in good standing of the ICC. If
you want to confirm your membership
status, please email info@iccongress.ca
Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian
Congress (ICC):
As you know, the ICC Board has called a
Special General Meeting of Members on October 31st,
2020.
Since then, the ICC Board has received a
requisition for a Special General
Meeting, i.e. one called by the
membership as opposed to the board, to
be held as soon as possible. Details of
this requisition found here.
Because of this requisition, the Board
has decided to move the date of the SGM
called by the board to November
1st,
2020 beginning at 4:00
PM., Eastern Standard Time, via
Zoom web-conferencing (videoconference
link to follow), and hold the SGM
requisitioned by the membership to October
31st,
2020, also beginning at 4:00
PM., Eastern Standard Time, via
Zoom web-conferencing (videoconference
link to follow). In this way, we hope to
allow those members requisitioning the
SGM to have their say in an open forum
as soon as possible and before the SGM
held by the board, while also giving all
members adequate notice.
We look forward to members' attendance
at these SGMs.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, we
would like to express our appreciation
for your continued interest in the ICC. The
Notice is enclosed.
NOTICE (Member-Requisitioned SGM):
To Members:
A Special General Meeting of Members of
the IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS will be
held on October 31st,
2020 beginning at 4:00
PM., Eastern Standard Time, via
Zoom web-conferencing (link to the
meeting forthcoming), in order to:
Discuss whatever matter the members
attending the meeting see it fit to
discuss.
Conduct such other business as may
properly come before the meeting and
at any adjournment or postponement
of the meeting.
NOTICE (Board-Called SGM):
To Members:
A Special General Meeting of Members of
the IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS will be
held on November
1st,
2020 beginning at 4:00
PM., Eastern Standard Time, via
Zoom web-conferencing (link to the
meeting forthcoming), in order to:
Discuss and decide with our members
the future of the ICC in the context
of the considerable financial
obligations that the Corporation has
due to the ongoing settlement around
the 2019 AGM and the coronavirus
pandemic.
Conduct such other business as may
properly come before the meeting and
at any adjournment or postponement
of the meeting.
با توجه به شرايط همه گيری ويروس
كرونا، توانايي كنگره براي جمع آوری
حمايت های مالی به شدت محدود شده است.
این درحالي است كه اعضای هیئت مدیره
همواره کوشیده اند با تمامی محدودیت
ها، فعالیت های خود را در راستای
منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی به جلو
ببرند.
برای آگاهی شما عزیزان، بخشی از تلاش
های کنگره که از آغاز همه گیری ویروس
کرونا برای هموطنان انجام شده است را
در زیر به اشتراک می گذاریم:
۲) جمع آوری اطلاعات از صاحبان مشاغل
مختلف در جامعه ايراني- كانادايي و تهیه
ليستی شامل اطلاعات راجع
به خدمات مختلفكسب و كار هاي ايراني
برای حمایت از یکدیگر در روزهاي
قرنطينه
۳) برگزاری نظرسنجی
عمومی اطلاعات فارسي
درباره نیاز های جامعه ایرانی از
زمان شروع بحران كرونا در كانادا؛
براي حمايت از كنگره ايرانيان كانادا
در راستا تامین هزینه های جاری و
خدمات به جامعه ايراني- كانادايي، از
شما خواهشمندیم که كمك هاي مالي خود
را ازطريق اين
لينك پراخت كنيد.
شما همچنین می توانید با پرداخت
۱۰ دلار در سال عضو کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا شوید و در انتخابات
کنگره شرکت نمایید و صدای منتخب خود
را برای نمایندگی جامعه انتخاب کنید.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2491.40sc
October 16, 2020
2019
AGM Committee has published the Summary
Report, dated October 16th, 2020,
regarding the verification of the ICC
Member Registry as of December 9, 2018
In
the interests of transparency, we are
communicating to you that the ICC has
been served a legal motion by applicants
Babak Payami, Kamnoosh Shahabi,
Mehrdokht Hadi, and Shayan Moin ("Payami
et al."). You may find the full motion
at this
link. Because the motion is nearly
192 pages, we have extracted two of the
demands of the motion, regarding the
removal of directors and stopping the
upcoming SGM, respectively, below:
7.
An order pursuant to section 332 of the
Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990 (“Act”)
removing the Directors and an order
appointing an interim board of directors
(“Interim Board”) until the 2019 ICC
Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and
election have been held
12.
An order for an interim/interlocutory
injunction restraining the ICC or any
person acting on its behalf or at its
direction from holding the Special
General Meeting ("SGM")
currently scheduled for October 31st,
2020, from introducing any motions with
respect to the "future of the
organization" or from making an
assignment into bankruptcy pending a
final determination by this Honourable
Court of the matters at hand
We
will keep you posted as further
developments occur.
Bulletin: Financial Status of
the Iranian Canadian Congress
and October 18th Information
Session
About this Event
The ICC is also holding an
information session for the purposes
of communicating the financial
status of the organization with the
membership and to fundraise to meet
these obligations on October 18th,
2020 at 6:00 PM. Once you have
registered and shortly before the
meeting you will receive the link to
the Zoom meeting.
You may find more information about
the financial status of the
organization here: https://www.iccongress.ca/draft_financial_statements_2018_2020
My two questions:
- As a member of this organization why I have
never been informed or consulted regarding the legal
case?
- Why BOD has never organized an information or
dialogue gathering related to the legal case?
Further to our previous communications
regarding the financial
status of the Iranian Canadian
Congress (ICC) and in advance of the
ICC's Information session on October
18th, 2020, please find below links to
the ICC's draft financial statements for
the years 2018, 2019, and 2020:
Please note that these financial
statements are still drafts created in
the interests of transparency and may
not represent the final versions of the
financial statements for the respective
years in question.
We
would also like to note that the ICC is
holding a Special
General Meeting (SGM) on October
31st, 2020. We recommend that all
members attend both the information
session and the SGM.
You
may also find the minutes of the ICC
Board of Directors' meetings at this
link.
The Iranian
Canadian Congress (ICC) will hold a Special
General Meeting of Shareholders on October 31st,
2020 beginning at 4:00
PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom
web-conferencing (videoconference link to
follow). We look forward to your attendance.
This special
meeting has been called for the purpose of
discussing and deciding with our members the
future of the ICC in the context of the
considerable financial obligations that the
Corporation has due to the ongoing settlement
around the 2019 AGM and the coronavirus
pandemic. Per Article 6 (General Meetings) of
the Bylaws of the ICC, this is a 30-day notice
of this meeting.
On behalf of
the Board of Directors, we would like to express
our appreciation for your continued interest in
the ICC. The Notice is enclosed.
NOTICE:
To Members:
A Special
General Meeting of Members of the IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS will be held on October 31st,
2020 beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard
Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (link to the
meeting forthcoming), in order to:
1. Discuss
and decide with our members the future of the
ICC in the context of the considerable financial
obligations that the Corporation has due to the
ongoing settlement around the 2019 AGM and the
coronavirus pandemic.
2. Conduct
such other business as may properly come before
the meeting and at any adjournment or
postponement of the meeting.
Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian
Congress (ICC),
As you may
or may not be aware, the ICC is in a difficult
financial position. This is both due to an
ongoing legal case that the ICC is facing and
because of the limitations on fundraising
imposed on all organizations by the coronavirus
pandemic.
In the
coming days, you will receive a detailed
breakdown of the financial obligations and
status of the organization. The ICC is also
holding an information session for the purposes
of communicating this information with the
membership and to fundraise to meet these
obligations on October
18th,
2020 at 6:00 PM. Please stay tuned for
an email containing the financial status and
web-conferencing information so that you can
inform yourself as well as attend this meeting.
Further,
please be advised that the Board of Directors
has decided to call a Special General Meeting
pursuant to Article 6 of the By-Laws to
determine the future of the organization with
members of the ICC. This Meeting will be held by
web-conference and is scheduled for October
31st,
2020 at 4:00PM Eastern Standard Time.
We strongly encourage all members to attend.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2489.40sc
September 25, 2020
Please see the posted court orders on
the page linked below, especially the
Sep 14, 2020 order of Justice Hainey
pertinent to the 2019 AGM and Election
which will be held on Sunday Dec. 13,
2020, online.
Once again, the Trump administration has
targeted the rules-based international order
with unilateral actions that are contrary to
international norms. The Trump administration
has unilaterally announced that all UN Security
Council resolutions against Iran, waived after
the signing of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA),
have been reimposed.
All other UN Security Council members including
Canada’s European allies (UK, France and
Germany) have spoken against this interpretation
of the Trump administration and have declared
that resolution 2231 is still in effect and
international sanctions are not reimposed.
In the past four years, the Trump administration
has demonstrated its disregard for
multilateralism and the rules-based order.
Trump’s latest actions in the Security Council
can not only further exacerbate the tensions
with Iran leading to another catastrophic
military conflict but also destroy the
legitimacy of the United Nations and the
Security Council.
Canada rightly supported the nuclear deal with
Iran, lifted its sanctions in compliance with
UNSC resolution 2231 and provided assistance to
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to
conduct inspections that are part of the
agreement with Iran.
Therefore, we call on the Trudeau government to
support the efforts of Canada’s European allies
to preserve the non-proliferation agreement with
Iran and to encourage all parties to engage in
diplomatic negotiations to end devastating
sanctions on the Iranian people.
Moreover, Iran is one of the most severely
impacted countries with the global pandemic.
According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource
Centre, as of today over 422 thousand people in
the country have been infected with COVID-19 and
over 24,300 Iranians have lost their lives.
According to credible reports by international
organizations and UN investigators, the US
sanctions have severely impacted Iran’s ability
to fight the pandemic. We call on the Trudeau
government to use all diplomatic means and
international platforms to ensure that Iranian
people can access medicine and medical equipment
at this crucial time.
بررسی نتایج نظرسنجی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا
درباره بحران کرونا
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به تازگی یک نظرسنجی
انجام داده تا نگرانی ها و درخواست های جامعه
ایرانی-کانادایی را بررسی کند. در این نظرسنجی
که در رسانه های مختلف اجتماعی مربوط به کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا انتشار یافت، 241 نفر شرکت
کردند که در ادامه به بررسی نظراتشان خواهیم
پرداخت:
همانطور که در دیاگرام های زیر دیده میشود،
بیش از هفتاد و پنج درصد از پاسخ دهندگان در
سنین بالای سی و پنج سال بوده و شصت و هشت
درصد از آنها، شهروند کانادا هستند.
جناب آقای دیوید
لامِتی وزیر محترم
دادگستری و دادستان
محترم کل کانادا،
جناب آقای بیل بلر
وزیر محترم امنیت
عمومی،
سرکار خانم دیان
لبوتیلیه وزیر محترم
عواید ملّی،
اینجانب از سوی کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا
نگرانی عمیق خود در
خصوص افرادی را ابراز
می نمایم که پس از
متهم شدن به فساد و
اختلاس در ایران به
کانادا گریخته اند.
محمود رضا خاوری یک
بانکدار سابق ایرانی
است که پس از افشای
فساد مالی 2.6
میلیارد دلاری در سال
2011 به کانادا فرار
کرد. در دسامبر سال
2017، خاوری به 30
سال حبس محکوم شد و
پلیس اینترپل حکم
دستگیری او را صادر
کرد. سال گذشته نیز
شما عالیجنابان را در
خصوص مرجان شیخ
الاسلامی آل آقا مطلع
ساختیم که در ایران
در یک پرونده فساد 10
میلیارد دلاری متهم
شده است و در کانادا
در حوزه املاک و سایر
بخش ها سرمایه گذاری
کرده است.
در روزهای اخیر نیز
گزارشهای متعددی در
خصوص افراد دیگری به
دست ما رسیده که در
ایران متهم به فساد
شده اند و به کانادا
گریخته اند. این
افراد میلیونها دلار
پول استحصال شده از
طریق اختلاس و رشوه
را به این کشور منتقل
کرده اند. کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا نمی
تواند بصورت مستقل
صحت برخی از این
گزارشها را تایید کند
اما بررسی های اولیه
ما نشان میدهد که این
افراد زیر که ارتباط
های مالی با کانادا
دارند نیز باید به
فهرست افراد فوق
افزوده شوند:
- علی اشرف ریاحی:
متهم در پرونده فساد
پتروشیمی.
- جلیل سبحانی: متهم
به فساد و دریافت
رشوه در پرونده معاون
سابق قوه قضائیه
ایران.
- امید اسدبیگی: متهم
به فساد و دریافت
رشوه. در نامه ای
اخیر، کارگران کشت و
صنعت هفت تپه بصورت
مستقیم از کاناداییها
درخواست کرده اند که
در خصوص اتهام انتقال
میلیونها دلار از سوی
این فرد به کانادا
تحقیق کنند و در صورت
صحت این مبالغ را
بازگردانند.
جامعه ما و کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا
نگرانی خود در خصوص
این موارد را چندین
مرتبه در زمان دولت
قبلی نخست وزیر هارپر
و دولت فعلی لیبرال
اعلام کرده است. با
این وجود
ایرانی-کاناداییها
هیچگاه پاسخی در این
خصوص دریافت نکرده
اند و دولت نیز
اقدامی در این زمینه
انجام نداده است.
این افراد آزادانه به
کانادا آمده اند و در
کشور سرمایه گذاری
کرده اند اما بسیاری
دیگر از
ایرانی-کانادایی ها
در فرآیند مهاجرت
بصورتی ناعادلانه با
آنها برخورد شده و به
دلیل ملیت و کشور
مبدأ محدودیت های
بانکی بر آنها اعمال
شده است. جامعه ما
مواردی را در ساله
های اخیر بخاطر می
آورد که حسابهای
بانکی دانشجویان بین
المللی ایرانی بسته
شده که تنها چند صد
دلار موجودی داشته
اند.
بی عملی دولت کانادا
در این موارد باعث
شده افرادی از چنگال
عدالت بگریزند که از
طریق فساد ثروتمند
شده اند و همزمان
اقدامات این افراد شک
و تردیدهایی بوجود
آورده که بر کل جامعه
ایرانی-کانادایی
تحمیل شده است.
به همین دلیل از دولت
کانادا، وزیر
دادگستری، وزیر امنیت
عمومی و وزیر عواید
ملّی درخواست میکنیم
که فوراً از طریق
سازمانهای مسئول
تحقیقاتی در خصوص
افراد ذکر شده در این
نامه انجام دهند و از
حداکثر توان قانون
کانادا من جمله قانون
مبارزه با پولشویی در
این مسیر استفاده
نمایند. کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا
آماده است که اطلاعات
بیشتر در این زمینه
را در اختیار دولت
قرار دهد و از دولت
در این زمینه حمایت
کند.
دولت و سازمانهای
مجری قانون باید از
تبدیل شدن کانادا به
بهشت پول حاصل از
فساد جلوگیری نمایند.
ذکر این نکته حائز
اهمیت است که پولشویی
در کانادا یک چالش
عمده است و تنها به
جامعه ایرانیان محدود
نمیشود. دولت باید هم
اکنون در این زمینه
اقدام کند.
۴۰ روز از فاجعه پرواز ۷۵۲ و
زمانی که نیروهای مسلح ایران
هواپیمای مسافربری را با شلیک
موشک ساقط کردند میگذرد. سرنشینان
این هواپیما که اغلب ایرانیان
ساکن کانادا بودند در این پرواز
کشته شدند. از آنجایی که در فرهنگ
ایرانی ۴۰ امین روز درگذشت افراد
بسیار مهم است، کنگره ایرانیان
کانادا بدین وسیله این روز را به
تمامی ایرانیان کانادا تسلیت می
گوید.
همچنین مجددا اعلام میکنیم که ما
خواهان شفافیت، پاسخگویی و عدالت
برای تمام قربانیان این سانحه تلخ
و بازماندگانشان هستیم. ما یک بار
دیگر نه... تنها
شلیک به یک پرواز مسافری توسط
نیروهای ایران را، بلکه سه روز
اطلاعات رسانی نادرست دولت ایران
به عموم مردم را نیز محکوم می
کنیم.
یک بار دیگر خواهان تحقیق و
بررسی کامل این فاجعه با
نظارت کامل نهادهای بین
المللی و بازرسان مستقل و
مشخص شدن و محاکمه مسببین آن
هستیم.
خانواده های قربانیان این
تراژدی وحشتناک می بایست به
هر نحو که ممکن و مطلوب آنان
است، از جمله با پرداخت غرامت،
مورد حمایت قرار گیرند.
همچنین از دولت کانادا تقاضا
داریم تا همراه با متحدان خود
در جهت کاهش تنش ها در منطقه
و برای جلوگیری از فجایع
انسانی بیشتر میانجیگری کند.
کانادا می بایست برای ایجاد
صلح تلاش کند.
پرواز ۷۵۲ - گزارش فعالیت های کنگره ایرانیان
کانادا
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
July 14, 2020
۸ ژانویه:
سرنگونی هواپیما
۹ ژانویه:
مراسم یادبود آی سی سی
برای قربانیان هواپیمای
۷۵۲ با حضور تعدادی از
مقامات سیاسی و شرکت بیش
از ۱۰۰۰ نفر از ایرانیان
شهر تورنتو که توسط CBC
به هم بصورت زنده پخش شد.
برخی از نزدیکان و اعضای
خانواده قربانیان هم در
این مراسم شرکتو سخنرانی
کردند:
https://www.facebook.com/462105760482785/posts/3295517657141567
۱۵ ژانویه:
کمپین کنگره برای ارسال
ایمیل به دفتر نمایندگان
و دفتر نخست وزیر با
تاکید بر اجرای عدالت،
نیاز به پاسخگو کردن
حکومت ایران،تکمیل
تحقیقات زیر نظر سازمان
های بین المللی مسئول و
نیاز به کاهش تنش ها در
خاورمیانه. بیش از ۱۰۰۰
نفر از اعضا و حامیان
کنگره در این کمپین شرکت
کردند:
https://iccongress.good.do/ThankYo…/StandForJusticeAndPeace/
Iranian Canadian Congress Writes Open Letter
Opposing Changes to Quebec's PEQ Immigration System
Find below, in French and English, a letter from the
ICC's President Soudeh Ghasemi to the Government of
Quebec opposing their proposed changes to Quebec's
PEQ (Programme de l’expérience québécoise/ Québec
Experience Program) immigration program. The
proposed changes to the program will not only harm
the lives of countless international students and
workers, but also harm Quebec's ability to gain
access to much needed skills that will be required
in the post-pandemic recovery.
Read below:
Adressé aux honorables premier ministre du Québec,
M. Legault, et M. Jolin-Barrette
Je vous écris en tant que présidente du Congrès
irano-canadien, une organisation à but non lucratif,
non partisane et non religieuse défendant les
intérêts de la communauté irano-canadienne.
Nous voulons
vous exprimer notre vive inquiétude face aux
récentes réformes proposées par votre gouvernement
sur le (PEQ), un programme d'immigration qui offre
aux étudiants internationaux et aux travailleurs
étrangers temporaires déjà au Québec, une voie vers
la résidence permanente au Canada.
Nous voulons
exprimer notre opposition aux réformes annoncées du
PEQ qui ont été proposées par votre ministre de
l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de
l'Intégration, M. Simon Jolin-Barrette, pour les
raisons suivantes.
Nous croyons
qu'en imposant les critères d'admissibilité
obligatoires pour postuler au PEQ à 12 mois
d'expérience de travail à temps plein et en limitant
les professions admissibles, votre gouvernement met
en place des obstacles inutiles pour acquérir le
statut de résident permanent au Québec. Cela
affaiblit non seulement l'économie du Québec, mais
discrimine également particulièrement les employés à
temps partiel et ceux qui tentent de contribuer et
de s'intégrer à la
société québécoise.
Nous croyons
qu'en instaurant ces réformes, qui n'incluent aucune
forme de protection pour les étudiants et les
travailleurs internationaux déjà au Québec, le
gouvernement du Québec décourage de nombreux
étudiants et travailleurs qui ont déménagé dans la
province en supposant l'accessibilité actuelle du
PEQ, et rend la vie de beaucoup de ces résidents
extrêmement précaire, surtout au milieu d'une
urgence de santé publique et économique. Compte tenu
des circonstances actuelles, on peut se demander
comment rendre la résidence du Québec peu attrayante
pour les étudiants et les travailleurs
internationaux pourrait être justifiée,
économiquement ou autrement.
D'un point de
vue humanitaire, il est également évident que ces
réformes indiquent un mépris total pour la vie et
les moyens de subsistance des nombreux étudiants
internationaux qui paient des frais de scolarité
extrêmement élevés et de tous les travailleurs
étrangers temporaires, en particulier ceux qui
travaillent sous les niveaux professionnels C et D
dont le travail est directement lié à la stabilité
économique du Québec.
Bref, nous
croyons que les réformes proposées exercent une
pression indue sur les travailleurs et les étudiants
internationaux, tout en décourageant l'immigration
au Québec faute d'un avenir productif dans la
province.
Ainsi, nous
aimerions que vous mettiez un terme complet à ces
réformes et instauriez des réformes facilitatrices,
plutôt que le contraire, à l'obtention de la
résidence au Québec par les étudiants et les
travailleurs internationaux.
Soudeh Ghasemi,
Présidente
Congrès
Irano-Canadien
****ENGLISH TEXT
****
Addressed to the
Hon. Premier of Quebec Mr. Legault, and Mr. Jolin-Barrette
I am writing you
this email as the President of the Iranian Canadian
Congress, a non-profit, non-partisan, and
non-religious organization advocating for the
interests of the Iranian-Canadian community.
This letter
expresses our concerns about the recent reforms
proposed by your government onto the (PEQ), an
immigration program that offers international
students and temporary foreign workers already in
Quebec a pathway to Canadian permanent residency.
We want to
express our opposition to the announced reforms to
the PEQ which has been proposed by your Immigration,
Francisation and Integration minister, Mr. Simon
Jolin-Barrette, for the following reasons.
We believe, by
enforcing the mandatory criteria of eligibility for
applying to PFQ to 12 months of full-time work
experience, and by limiting the eligible
occupations, your government puts forward
unnecessary barriers for acquiring permanent
residency status in Quebec. This not only weakens
Quebec’s economy, but also discriminates especially
against part-time employees and those who are
attempting to contribute and integrate into Quebec
society.
We believe that
by instituting these reforms, which fail to include
any kind of protection for international students
and workers already in Quebec, the Quebec government
discourages many students and workers whom moved to
the province under the assumption of the present
accessibility of the PEQ, and makes the lives of
many of its residents extremely unstable, especially
now that we are in the midst of a public health and
economic emergency. Given the present circumstances,
one wonders how making Quebec-residency unattractive
for international students and workers could
possibly be justified, economically or otherwise.
From a
humanitarian standpoint, it is also evident that
these reforms indicate total disregard for the lives
and livelihoods of the many international students
who are paying extremely high tuition fees, and all
temporary foreign workers, especially those who are
working under the occupational levels C and D whose
labour is directly related to Quebec’s economic
stability.
In short, we
believe that the proposed reforms exact more undue
pressure on international workers and students,
while discouraging immigration to Quebec for want of
a productive future in the province.
Thus, we would
like you to stop these reforms entirely and
institute reforms making it easier, rather than
harder, for international students and international
workers to obtain Quebec residency.
پاسخ
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به شبکه ایران اینترنشنال:
با رسانه ای که منابع مالی آن شفاف نیست مصاحبه نمی کنیم
پاسخ کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به شبکه ایران اینترنشنال:
با رسانه ای که منابع مالی آن شفاف نیست مصاحبه نمی
کنیم
روز ۸ آوریل ۲۰۲۰، کنگره ایرانیان کانادا درخواست
مصاحبه ای از گزارشگر شبکه ایرانیان اینترنشنال در
تورنتو دریافت کرد. در این درخواست آمده است که این
شبکه خبری قصد دارد گزارشی درباره کنگره ایرانیان
کانادا تهیه کند و از سخنگوی این سازمان نیز دعوت به
مصاحبه کرده است. هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا
تصمیم گرفت که دراین مصاحبه شرکت نکند و دلایل خود را
برای رد این مصاحبه از طریق
این متن با شما، اعضا و حامیان کنگره ایرانیان کانادا
در میان بگذارد:
دلیل اول: طبق
گزارش های متعدد از جمله از جانب نشریات معتبری
مانند گاردین و وال استریت ژورنال شبکه "ایران
اینترنشنال" وابسته به دربار عربستان سعودی است و
با سرمایه گذاری آنها تاسیس شده است. شبکه ایران
اینترنشنال این گزارش ها را رد کرده است اما
هیچگاه حاضر به شفاف سازی درباره منابع مالی خود
نشده است. ما اعتقاد داریم هر رسانه حرفه ای که
وظیفه آن آگاهی رسانی به مردم و پرسشگری از نهاد
های قدرت است باید ابتدا خود درباره منابع مالی و
وابستگی های خود با مخاطبان شفاف باشد.
دلیل دوم:
خبرنگار شبکه ایران اینترنشنال در تورنتو، محمد
تاج دولتی، در سال های اخیر اتهامات نادرست و کذب
زیادی را درباره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا و داوطلبان
آن منتشر کرده است. متاسفانه نمی توان از چنین
فردی انتظار تهیه یک گزارش حرفه ای و عادلانه را
داشت. بنابراین از نظر اخلاقی نمی توانیم در
مصاحبه ای شرکت کنیم که اطمینان داریم یک سناریو
از پیش نوشته شده بر اساس پیش فرض های یک گزارشگر
غیر حرفه ای در انتظار ماست.
هیات مدیره
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا همواره از همکاری و
پاسخگویی به تمامی رسانه ها استقبال کرده و خواهد
کرد. در سالهای اخیر این سازمان با ده ها رسانه
ایرانی و غیر ایرانی مصاحبه کرده است و چندین جلسه
با نمایندگان رسانه های ایرانی-کانادایی و کنفرانس
مطبوعاتی در محل پارلمان با حضور رسانه های اصلی
کانادا نیز برگزار کرده است. ما به پاسخگویی به
رسانه های حرفه ای و شفاف ادامه میدهیم. در رابطه
با شبکه "ایران اینترنشنال" نیز هر زمانی که
مدیران و مالکان این شبکه اطلاعات مربوط به منابع
مالی خود را شفاف با مخاطبان در میان گذاشتند
آماده پاسخگویی به هر خبرنگار حرفه ای از این
رسانه نیز خواهیم بود.
در آخر نیز از
شبکه ایران اینترنشنال می خواهیم پاسخ رسمی کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا را در هر گزارشی مربوط به این
سازمان پوشش دهد.
با تشکر و
احترام،
سوده قاسمی
از طرف هیات مدیره کنگر ایرانیان کانادا
Iranian Canadian Congress
Response to Interview Request
from Iran International
On April 8th, 2020, we received
an email from Iran International
requesting an interview with the
Iranian Canadian Congress to be
included in a “reportage”
currently being produced by this
network. We have decided to
reject this specific interview
request for the following
reasons:
Based on reports from
the Guardian and
Wall Street Journal, this
news channel is funded by the
Saudi Royal family. While we
understand that International
has rejected these reports, yet
they have failed to be
transparent about their sources
of funding, which we believe is
vital for a media channel whose
mission is to inform the public
and hold those in power
accountable.
Unfortunately, Iran
International correspondent in
Toronto, Mohammad Tajdolati who
also has experience of working
for other Saudi-funded media
outlets has shown no respect for
professional journalism
standards and missed no
opportunity to spread
misinformation about our
volunteer-based organization.
Therefore, it is impossible to
expect this so-called journalist
to produce an unbiased and
professional reportage about the
Iranian Canadian Congress.
The board members of the Iranian
Canadian Congress have
tremendous respect for all media
organizations irrespective of
their ideologies and their
journalism styles and that is
why we have conducted dozens of
interviews with both
English/Farsi media outlets in
the previous years. However, we
will always have serious
reservations to conduct
interviews with news channels
like Iran International that do
not respect professional
journalism principles and are
not transparent about their
ownership and source of funding
to the public
Last but not least, we would
like to ask Iran International
to include the ICC official
response in any of the reports
they produce about this
organization.
Support Iranian-Canadian Businesses
During COVID Pandemic
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
April 09, 2020
As our country continues to
fight the #COVID19 pandemic, we
encourage members of our
community to support local
Persian restaurants and grocery
stores offering take out foods
and delivery options.
Please note the Iranian Canadian
Congress is only sharing the
lists of the businesses that are
still operating and has no
responsibility about the
quality of their services.
در راستای رعایت قوانین حفظ
فاصله اجتماعی و ماندن در
خانه، تسهیل دسترسی به خدمات
و کالا نقشی مهم در عدم شیوع
بیشتر COVID-19 ایفا میکند..
كنگره ايرانيان كانادا در
همین راستا تصميم گرفت با
صاحبان مشاغل مختلف در جامعه
ايرانى-کانادایی تماس بگيرد و
امكانات سرويس دهى انها در
شرايط موجود را جويا شود.
داوطلبين كنگره ايرانيان
کانادا در تماس با برخی
رستورانها و فروشگاههاى
ايرانى-کانادایی اقدام به جمع
آوری اطلاعات و نوع سرویس های
آنان کرده و لیستی تهیه
نمودند تا به دنبال آن جامعه
ایرانی-کانادایی
از خدمات آنها در روزهای
قرنطینه مطلع گردند و بتوانند
از آن استفاده کنند. این
اقدام نه تنها سبب دسترسی
آسان‌تر خانواده ها به خدمات
و اقلام مورد نیازشان می شود،
بلکه می تواند منجر به حمایت
از کسب و کار ایرانیان کانادا
نیز شود.
صاحبان رستورانها، فروشگاهها
و ديگر مشاغلى كه مايلند اسم
و مشخصاتشان به اين جدول
اضافه شود مى توانند از طریق
info@iccongress.ca با ما
تماس گرفته و اطلاعات مربوط
به كسب و كارشان را با ما در
ميان بگذارند. اين تلاش براى
تسهيل دسترسى جامعه ايرانیان
کانادا به فروشگاهها،
رستورانها صورت گرفته و محدود
به كلان شهر تورنتو نيست.
داوطلبين كنگره ايرانيان در
مونتريال و ونكوور در حال جمع
اورى اطلاعات هستند كه در اين
جدول اطلاعات مربوط به
مونتريال درج شده است. كمك
كنيد تا با هم روزهاى قرنطينه
و در خانه ماندن را راحتتر سر
كنيم.
(کنگره ایرانیان کانادا
مسئولیتی راجع به کیفیت کالا
و سرویس های ارایه شده توسط
کسب و کار های ذکر شده در
لیست زیر ندارد.)
ICC Signs Open Letter Calling for an End to US
Sanctions on
Iran During the Coronavirus Epidemic
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
March 29, 2020
The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is proud to
join hundreds of academics, experts, and civil
society activists who signed this open letter
that calls for an end to US sanctions on Iran
during this global pandemic. Find below the
letter. You may also find it at this
link.
This week,
confirmed infections of the rapidly spreading
COVID-19 surpassed 586,000 worldwide and global
deaths rose past 26,800 as the outbreak
continues to spread across the Middle East,
Europe, and North America. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide
deaths have tripled while global cases have more
than doubled in the past week.
Iran is
among the hardest-hit countries by the pandemic,
with over 2,300 deaths and 32,000 cases of
infections from the COVID-19. It is also the
only country that is dealing with this level of
cases while living under severe economic
sanctions.
In 2018, the
Trump administration imposed unilateral
sanctions on Iran and implemented a policy of
maximum pressure after withdrawing from the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in violation
of the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 2231.
While on
paper the US administration has provided
humanitarian exemptions in its sanctions regime,
reports from Iranian civil society,
international aid organizations, and human
rights groups including Human
Rights Watch, show a different reality on
the ground as US sanctions, including banking
restrictions, have severely impacted Iranians’
access to medical equipment and essential
medicine.
In recent
weeks, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and
Pakistan have asked the U.S to ease sanctions on
Iran during this unprecedented global pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has ignored
these requests and instead have imposed even
more sanctions on the country.
We believe
that it is not only unjust to leave Iranian
people alone in this global crisis, but is
indeed a violation of Iranians’ inalienable
rights to health and access to medical care.
Furthermore, we believe that this pandemic is a
shared global threat and it could only be
defeated when all countries and people come
together and support one another.
Therefore,
we, the undersigned, call on all members of the
United Nations Security Council to act in
compliance with international law and UNSC
resolution 2231 and to support Iranian people in
their fight against this global pandemic.
We also urge
the US lawmakers to pressure the Trump
administration to immediately lift all sanctions
that are impeding Iran’s response to the
outbreak, including financial sanctions.
نامه
روابط عمومی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا خطاب
به صاحبان کسب و کارهای ایرانی-کانادایی
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
March 18, 2020
شرایط ویژه پیش آمده به دلیل
شیوع ویروس کوید-۱۹ کسب و
کارهای ایرانی-کانادایی را
با دشواری های بسیاری روبرو
کرده است. این شرایط دشوار نه
تنها مشکلات بسیاری را برای
کارآفرینان ایرانی-کانادایی
ایجاد میکند بلکه کارمندانی
که در این کسب و کارها مشغول
کار هستند نیز با مشکلات
متعدد روبرو خواهند شد. کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا اعتقاد دارد
که حمایت از کسب و کارهای
ایرانی-کانادایی به پویایی و
پیشرفت جامعه ما کمک
خواهد کرد.
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا از
دولت کانادا و دولت های
استانی میخواهد که با
اختصاص بودجه ویژه و
اضطراری اقدامات لازم را
برای حمایت از کسب و
کارهای کانادایی به ویژه
کسب و کارهای کوچک انجام
دهند.
در روزهای اخیر دولت
فدرال و دولت های استانی
برنامه خود برای اختصاص
بودجه های ویژه و برخی
اقدامات مثبت برای حمایت
از بیزینس ها را اعلام
کرده اند. کنگره ایرانیان
کانادا از این اقدامات
استقبال میکند اما حمایت
از کسب و کارهای کوچک و
کارمندان و کارگران نیاز
به اقدامات بیشتر و
اقدامات عملی و فوری دارد.
همچنین کنگره ایرانیان
کانادا از کارآفرینان
ایرانی-کانادایی و
متخصصان و کارشناسان دعوت
میکند که پیشنهادات خود
را درباره راه های ممکن
برای حمایت جامعه ایرانی
از کسب و کارهای
ایرانی-کانادایی در این
زمان ویژه ارائه دهند.
اولویت ما حفظ سلامت
جامعه ایرانی-کانادایی و
سلامت جامعه بزرگتر
کانادا است. رعایت اصول و
توصیه های بهداشتی
مسئولان استانی و کشوری
اولویت اصلی کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا است.
همزمان ای سی سی آماده
بررسی راه کارهای
پیشنهادی شما برای حمایت
از بیزینس های
ایرانی-کانادایی از طریق
همکاری و حمایت جامعه
ایرانی است.
لطفا پیشنهادات خود را
همراه با اطلاعات تماس از
طریق ایمیل برای ما ارسال
کنید.
info@iccongress.ca
ICC Asks Canada & Red Cross to Help Iran During
COVID19 Crisis
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
March 13, 2020
Find below an email that the ICC 's President
Soudeh Ghasemi sent to Canadian Government
Ministers asking Canada to help Iran during the
COVID19 crisis:
Kind Attention:
The Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of
International Development
MP Rob Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Janet Johnson, Vice President Philanthropy
Canadian Red Cross
I am
contacting you on behalf of the Iranian Canadian
Congress (ICC), a non-profit, non-partisan, and
non-religious organization, established in 2007,
to advance the interests of the Iranian-Canadian
community.
In recent
weeks Iran has been severely impacted by the
Coronavirus outbreak. The country has the third
greatest number of deaths from the COVID-19
after China and Italy. According to the latest official
statistics, Iran has confirmed 429 deaths
and more than 10,000 cases of infections from
this global epidemic. Iran has also been the
main source of dozens of cases in countries
including Canada, the United States, and the
United Kingdom. The concerning part is that
some studies suggest
that there are still many more unidentified
cases in the country and the situation is
expected to become even worse in the upcoming
days.
Iran has
published a list of medical items and equipment
it urgently needs which you can find attached to
this email. Iran has communicated its list of
requirements with the International Federation
of Red Cross as well asking the international
community for support in combating this COVID-19
outbreak in the country. Last week, some
European countries along with the World Health
Organization (WHO) have reportedly provided both
technical and financial support to Iran.
Yesterday,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his
$1B COVID-19 package that included “ an
additional $50 million to help vulnerable
countries prepared for and respond to the virus,
supporting efforts of the WHO and other
partners.” We certainly believe that Iran is
vulnerable and should meet the requirements to
receive help and support from Canada. We urge
the Canadian government to help Iran in its
fight with this global pandemic.
Last year,
the ICC had a successful experience with the
Canadian Red Cross (CRC) in the case of severe
flooding in Iran. The federal government also
provided aid through the Red Cross. Indeed, that
is why we are reaching out again to explore ways
in which we could help our government and
Canadian Red Cross to, once again, provide
support for the Iranian people in this time of
emergency. Last time, the Government of Canada
generously provided $250,000 to Iran through the
International Federation of Red Cross and the
CRC also launched a fundraising appeal to help
flood victims in Iran. Based on the final report
from the CRC, $150,000 was raised through this
channel and was sent to Iran as part of the
emergency assistance fund.
We strongly
believe there is an urgent need to take similar
actions now and the ICC is fully prepared to
help the government and the Canadian Red Cross
in any way possible, especially when it comes to
fundraising within the Iranian-Canadian
community in Canada.
Letter from Iranian Canadian Congress
to Justin Trudeau on 60th Day Since Flight 752
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
March 08, 2020
Find below a letter sent by ICC
President Soudeh Ghasemi to Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau on the 60th day
since the Flight 752 tragedy:
Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau,
Today marks the 60th day since the
tragedy of Flight 752, when Iranian
armed forces shot down a passenger
airplane and killed all on board, the
vast majority of whom were from the
Iranian-Canadian community.
We take this moment to recommit
ourselves to transparency,
accountability, and justice for the
victims of Flight 752 and their
families. We once again condemn the
Iranian government providing false
information to the public in the three
days after the tragedy.
On this 60th day since the tragedy, we
would like to call again for a full and
transparent investigation of the tragedy
based on international rules and
regulations that are complemented with
full oversight by responsible
international bodies to confirm what
exactly took place and to identify those
responsible for this tragedy.
We appreciate the efforts of the
Canadian government in supporting the
families of the victims and urge the
federal government to continue their
pursuit of justice and transparency for
the victims of flight 752. The families
of the victims of this horrible tragedy
must be supported in any way necessary
including through restitution.
We also ask that the Canadian government
works with its allies to mediate
conflicts in the Middle East and the
Persian Gulf region in an effort to
de-escalate tensions and prevent further
loss of life. Canada must utilize its
diplomatic capacity to stand for peace
and support its citizens abroad.
ICC Demands Government Return Iranian-Canadians
Trapped in Coronavirus-Stricken Iran
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
February 27, 2020
Below is a letter sent by the Vice President of
the Iranian Canadian Congress to Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, and relevant Ministers,
Critics and Shadow Ministers demanding help for
Iranian Canadians stranded in coronavirus-stricken
Iran
I am writing
this letter to you as Vice-President of the
Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC), a non-profit,
non-partisan, and non-religious organization
dedicated to defending the interests of the
Iranian-Canadian community, a population
estimated at 300,000 across Canada.
As you are
aware, the coronavirus epidemic is affecting
numerous countries across the world and many
countries are extracting their citizens from the
countries that are most affected. Iran is the
latest of these affected countries, with many
neighbouring countries are shutting off travel
and shutting their borders. Further, many
airlines have stopped flying in and out of the
country due to the outbreak in Iran.
Over the
weekend, the ICC put out a call to the
Iranian-Canadian community to contact us if they
or their family is in Iran and unable to leave
the country.
The response
was unexpected and massive, with dozens of
Canadian citizens and residents contacting the
ICC within the past 48 hours telling us that
they are effectively stranded in Iran and are
unable to leave by any means.
As such, we
ask that you immediately
arrange for Canadians in Iran to leave the
country and return directly to Canada,
as Canada has done with Canadians stranded in
like manner in China.
We look
forward to receiving a response from your
offices on this urgent matter.
Today marks the 40th day since the tragedy of
Flight 752, when Iranian forces shot down a
passenger airplane and killed all onboard, the
vast majority of whom were from the
Iranian-Canadian community. In Iranian culture,
the milestone of 40 days is extremely important,
and the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) at this
moment consoles the rest of the Iranian-Canadian
community in this difficult time.
We also at this moment recommit ourselves to
transparency, accountability and justice
for the victims of Flight 752 and their
families. We once again condemn not only the
reckless shooting of the plane itself, but also
the Iranian government providing false
information to the public in the three days
after the tragedy.
On this 40th day since the tragedy, we once
again call for a transparent and thorough
investigation of the tragedy, with full
cooperation and oversight by international
bodies and independent investigators to
confirm what happened and to identify those
responsible.
The families of the victims of this horrible
tragedy must be supported in any way deemed
appropriate and desired by the families,
including through restitution.
We also ask that the Canadian government
works with allies to mediate conflicts in an
effort to de-escalate tensions in the region
to prevent further loss of life. Canada must
stand for peace.
برخی از اعضای خانواده های قربانیان پرواز ۷۵۲ با ما
تماس گرفته اند تا متن زیر را با اعضای خود در میان
بگذاریم. لطفا پس از خواندن متن آن را با اطرافیان خود
نیز به اشتراک بگذارید تا خانواده درجه یک این
قربانیان بتوانند به منظور همدلی و همکاری یکدیگر را
پیدا کنند.
این دعوتنامه ای برای خانواده درجه یک قربانیان پرواز
۷۵۲ است تا بتوانند در یک گروه اختصاصی که توسط خود
این خانواده ها ایجاد شده و نظارت می شود، با هم در
تماس باشند. این گروه برای مراوده و سازماندهی موثر ثر
میان خانواده ...ها
و به منظور همدلی و همکاری ایجاد شده است.
در صورت تمایل
لطفا اطلاعات زیر را به آدرس ایمیل planecrash.family@gmail.com ارسال
کنید:
۱. نام
۲. شماره تماس
۳. آدرس ایمیل
۴. نام مسافر پرواز
۵. نسبت مسافر با شما
توجه: لطفا اطلاعات تماس تنها یک عضو از خانواده
درجه یک (مادر، پدر، خواهر، برادر، فرزند دختر یا
پسر) مسافر را ارسال نمایید
ICC Demands Government Action to Protect
Iranian-Canadians
at the US-Canada Border
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
February 06, 2020
This letter is following up to a previous
correspondence sent on January 7th, 2020, in
which we communicated our concerns over reports of
discrimination against Iranian-Canadians at the
US-Canada border.
In some cases, Iranian-Canadians have reported
being held for over 30 hours without explanation
and being asked racially charged questions. Some
have reported being finger printed before being
sent back to Canada and are worried about what
the United States plans on doing with
these finger prints.
There have also been reports from Canadian
outlets about the United States government
collecting DNA samples from those who are
detained at the border, which can be very
dangerous for all Canadians who wish to enter
the United States, whether it be for business or
personal reasons.
Since these initial reports, the accusations
were confirmed and leaked
memos have shown that individuals of Iranian
descent, including Canadian citizens, residents,
and international students, are being
discriminated against by US border officials,
subject to extra interrogation, and being
detained, solely because of their national
origin, as part of what seems to be formal
government policy.
We ask again that the Prime Minister's Office,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the
Minister of Public Safety immediately
investigate this issue and lodge the strongest
possible complaint with the Trump
administration. We expect the Canadian
government to stand up against this racial
discrimination by Donald Trump's government, a
discrimination not only violates the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but also
international laws that prohibit discrimination
based on national or ethnic origin.
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا طومار
نژاد پرستانه
«درخواست خروج دانشجوهای ایرانی» را محکوم میکند
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا طومار نژاد پرستانه «درخواست
خروج دانشجوهای ایرانی» را محکوم میکند.
هفته گذشته، ازرالوانت، از ربل مدیا، در پاسخ به سقوط
هواپیمای ۷۵۲ اوکراینی طوماری نوشت که در آن از
دانشگاه‌های کانادا درخواست میکند دانشجوهای با
تابعیت ایرانی را اخراج
کند، این در حالیست که پس از سقوط هواپیمای
اوکراینی درخشش و نقش دانشجوهای ایرانی در جامعه علمی
کانادا پر رنگتر از قبل شد.
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا ضمن ابراز خشم و انزجار جامعه
ایرانی-کانادایی از این طومار که توسط رسانه راست‌گ...رای
افراطی به منظور فرصت طلبی و بهره برداری از فاجعه
سقوط هواپیما منتشر شده، بار دیگر تاکید میکند:
ایرانیان کانادا و بخصوص دانشجویان بین‌المللی ایرانی
مشغول به تحصیل در کانادا، جز اصلی و تاثیرگذار در
پیشرفت علم و دانش کانادا هستند، و ما تا اخرین لحظه
از حقمان برای ماندن در کانادا ،خلاف سلیقه مهاجر‌ستیزانی
مانند ازرا لاونت، دفاع خواهیم کرد.
بدین منظور کنگره ایرانیان کانادا با تمام قوا
بدنبال یافتن گزینه مناسب برای پاسخ به تنفر
پراکنی و تبعیض علیه ایرانیان میباشد، گزینه های
پیش رو شامل درخواست برای بررسی تبعیض علنی علیه
ایرانیان، و سوال از شبکه های اجتماعی برای در
اختیار قرار دادن تریبون به نفرت پراکنی و مهاجر
ستیزیست. بزودی اطلاعات بیشتر را در این امر مهم
به اطلاع شما می‌رسانیم.
ICC CONDEMNS RACIST PETITION CALLING FOR
EXPULSION OF IRANIAN STUDENTS
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
January 21, 2020
Last week, Ezra Levant of the notorious Rebel
Media outlet created a petition that called for,
among other things, the expulsion
of Iranian international students from
Canadian universities, supposedly in reaction to
the downing of Flight 752.
The Iranian Canadian Congress expresses the
anger that many Iranian Canadians feel toward
Levant and his far-right outlet for trying to
take advantage of a tragedy that has affected
the Iranian Canadian community so deeply, as
well as his effort to use this tragedy as an
excuse to attack our community. Iranian
Canadians, including and especially Iranian
international students studying in Canada, are
an integral part of Canadian society and we will
defend our right to stay here in Canada despite
the wishes of hateful people like Ezra Levant.
In this effort, the Iranian Canadian Congress is
vigorously exploring its options in responding
to this hateful and reprehensible action by
Levant, including asking for social media
platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to
deplatform Levant and Rebel Media, and exploring
whether Levant's actions constitute hate speech.
Please stay tuned for more information about
this important case.
Iranian Canadian Congress's Message to
Prime Minister Trudeau
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
January 14, 2020
Find below a message sent from the Iranian
Canadian Congress to Prime Minister Trudeau in
the aftermath of Flight 752:
Dear Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau,
On behalf of
the Iranian Canadian Congress, we would like to
thank you for the leadership, sensitivity, and
compassion that you've shown to the Iranian
Canadian community and Canadians at large as we
cope with the tragic events of Flight 752.
Iranian
Canadians are looking to our Canadian government
to help provide accountability, transparency,
and justice to the victims and their families.
Specifically, the Iranian authorities need to be
held accountable for not only the lives lost but
also for the misleading statements released from
Iran following the incident. We appreciate that
you and the Canadian Government have committed
yourselves to these very principles.
We also
commend Prime Minister Trudeau for calling for
de-escalation in the region, rightfully noting
that “If there were no tensions, if there was no
escalation recently in the region, those
Canadians would be right now home with their
families."
Although the
responsible Iranian authorities should in no way
be exonerated, it is important to recognize, as
you have, that the first victims of war and
conflict are innocent civilians. Furthermore, as
this tragic incident has shown, the 300,000
strong Iranian Canadian community means that
any threat to innocent lives in Iran is also a
threat to Canadian lives.
The ties
that bond Canada and Iran are deep and they
require that Canada take a positive and active
role in the region to help foster peace and
stability in the region, a role that can draw on
the long-standing Canadian tradition of
mediation and diplomacy.
We thank you
for the support you have shown the Iranian
Canadian community in committing to bring
accountability, transparency, and justice for
families of the victims as well as working
towards a peace that helps ensure that such a
tragedy will never happen again. We look forward
to working with the Government on these
difficult yet vital goals.
IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS STATEMENT
ON NEWS ABOUT FLIGHT 752
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
January 11, 2020
Late last night, the Iranian government released
a statement admitting that they shot down Flight
752. As Prime Minister Trudeau emphasized in his
press conference, there needs to be
transparency, accountability and justice.
The Iranian Canadian Congress condemns the
actions of the Iranian government in providing
false information to the public during the past
three days. Those who have committed this crime
of shooting down a passenger airplane and those
who have been responsible in releasing false
information must be held accountable.
A transparent and thorough investigation of the
tragedy must be completed, with full cooperation
and oversight by international bodies and
independent investigators to confirm what
happened and identify those responsible.
The families of the victims of this horrible
tragedy must be supported in any way deemed
appropriate and desired by the families,
including through restitution.
We also ask that the Canadian government works
with allies to mediate conflicts in an effort to
de-escalate tensions in the region to prevent
further loss of life. Canada must stand for
peace.
ICC VP Asks PM Trudeau, Ministers, to Stand Up for
Iranian-Canadians at Canada-US Border
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
January 07, 2020
Find below a letter sent by ICC VP Pouyan
Tabasinejad to Prime Minister Trudeau, Foreign
Minister Champagne, and Immigration Minister
Mendicino, as well as their Conservative and NDP
counterparts Andrew Scheer, Erin O'Toole, Peter
Kent, Jagmeet Singh, Jack Harris, and Jenny Kwan
with regard to discrimination against
Iranian-Canadians at the Canada-US border:
Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau,
Minister Champagne, and Minister
Mendicino,
I am writing this letter to you on
behalf of the Iranian Canadian Congress,
a non-profit and non-partisan advocacy
organization dedicated to defending the
interests of the Iranian Canadian
community, a population estimated at
300,000 across the country.
Iranian-Canadian Congress has been
hearing reports of Canadians of Iranian
heritage are being detained and held for
questioning at the Canada-USA border due
to their ethnicity. Aside from facing
undue delays, these individuals have
been asked to answer questions about
their political beliefs and their views
on the recent crisis in the Middle
East. This means that Canadians
residents as well as citizens are being
racially profiled at the US border.
In some cases, Iranian-Canadians have
reported being held for over 30 hours
without explanation and
being asked racially charged questions.
Some have reported being finger printed
before being sent back to Canada and are
worried about what the United States
plans on doing with these finger prints.
There have been reports from Canadian
outlets about the United States
government collecting DNA samples from
those who are detained at the border,
which can be very dangerous for
all Canadians who wish to enter
the United States, whether it be for
business or personal reasons.
We at the Iranian Canadian Congress are
requesting that the Canadian government
defend the rights of Canadians at the
Canada-USA border and condemn the
discriminatory actions of the United
States government against Canadian
citizens and residents.
Further, we request that an
investigation be performed by
the Federal government of Canada on
the situation at the border, and if need
be for the Canadian government to issue
a travel advisory for Canadians entering
the United States of America.
As Canadian citizens and residents,
the Iranian-Canadian community expects
the Canadian government defend the
dignity and safety provided to us by the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Iranian Canadian Congress's Statement on
Recent Events in the Middle East
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
January 03, 2020
The Trump Administration's
assassination of Iran’s second most powerful man
has been extremely concerning for many analysts
and advocates for peace and security in the
Middle East. As many analysts have noted, it is
very possible that the tense situation in Iraq
will be spread to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and
even Afghanistan where Iran is capable of
responding.
For the Iranian-Canadian
community particularly, this has made many
in our community quite concerned as there is
a real chance that the tensions further
escalate and that the safety and well-being
of their relatives and friends living in
Iran are at risk.
This action by the
Trump administration could be seen
as part of US maximum pressure
campaign against Iran that has not
only failed to reach a “better deal”
with Iran but it is constantly
drifting the countries closer toward
a direct military confrontations
that will ultimately result in heavy
costs for the region and the global
community.
Additionally, this is
an action that nearly all
influential figures in Iraq
condemned; indeed, the UN Special
Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, also called
it illegal and a violation of
international human rights law.
At this moment,
Canada must take a definitive stance
against war and further escalation
in the region. Furthermore, it is
important to remember that Canada
itself has real and important stakes
in this volatile situation; it has
approximately 850 soldiers in the
Middle East and 500 in Iraq, and
that any slide towards war puts the
lives of Canadian soldiers in
danger. The Iranian Canadian
Congress believes Foreign Minister
Champagne needs to take a stronger
stance than that taken in his
statement earlier today and squarely
condemn acts of war by the Trump
administration and work with our
regional and European allies to
prevent another disastrous war in
the Middle East.
November 17,
2020
ICCweb ICCFacebook
The ICC's Statement on Iran Protests
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
November 17, 2019
January 11,
2020
ICCweb ICCFacebook
January 11,
2020
ICCweb ICCFacebook
January 11,
2020
ICCweb ICCFacebook
Tell PM Justin Trudeau: Thank You for Standing
Up for Justice & Peace
کنگره ایرانیان کانادا، طوماری را خطاب به
نخست وزیر کانادا، جاستین ترودو، تهیه کرده
است تا از ایشان بخاطر همراهی و حمایت از
جامعه بزرگ ایرانیان کانادا در این روزهای تلخ،
تشکر کند. خواهشمند است از طریق این صفحه، این
نامه را به دفتر ایشان ارسال کنید
Please use this tool to thank our Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau for his leadership
and work in supporting the Iranian-Canadian
community in the ...
Please sign this petition and join us in thanking
our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his leadership
and sympathy in supporting the Iranian-Canadian our
community in the aftermath of Flight 752.
Specifically, thank him for standing up for justice
and accountability for the victims of the tragedy,
but also for standing up for peace so that such a
tragedy will never happen again.
Farsi Translation of Letter:
آقای جاستین ترودو
نخست وزیر محترم کانادا
از طرف جامعه ایرانیان کانادا٬ از شما بخاطر همدردی و
هم صدایی با ایرانیان کانادا و کانادایی ها، پس از
فاجعه سقوط پرواز ۷۵۲ اوکراینی تشکر میکنیم.
ایرانیان کانادا از دولت خود انتظار دارند در برآوردن
تقاضای قربانیان و خانواده های آنها مبنی بر پاسخگویی،
شفافیت و عدالت مشایعت کند. مقامات ایران نه تنها باید
نسبت به کشته شدن انسانهای بیگناه پاسخگو باشند بلکه
باید نسبت به اظهارات گمراه کننده ای که در پی این
اتفاق تلخ منتشر کردند نیز توضیح دهند. ما از اینکه
شما و دولت کانادا موضع مناسب را در این خصوص اتخاذ
کرده اید، قدردان هستیم.
ما همچنین سپاسگزاریم از اینکه شما خواستار کاهش تنش
ها در منطقه شده اید و به درستی عنوان کردید که "اگر
این تنش ها [ بین ایران و آمریکا] وجود نداشتند٬ اگر
اختلافات در منطقه [خاورمیانه] تشدید نشده بودند٬ آن
کانادایی ها امروز در کانادا کنار خانواده هایشان
بودند".
اگرچه نباید مقامات مسئول در ایران به هیچ وجه تبرئه
شوند، اما چنانچه آگاه هستید، اولین قربانیان جنگ و
درگیری٬ مردم بی گناه هستند. علاوه بر این، همانطور که
این واقعه غم انگیز نشان داد، هر تهدیدی که متوجه جان
مردم بیگناه در ایران باشد، جان کانادایی ها را نیز در
معرض خطر قرار می دهد.
امروز پیوند عمیق میان کانادا و ایران ایجاب می کند که
کانادا نقش موثر و مثبتی را برای پیشبرد و تقویت صلح و
ثبات در منطقه ایفا کند: نقشی که متاثر از سنت دیرینه
کانادا در میانجیگری و دیپلماسی باشد
یکبار دیگر از شما بخاطر حمایت از جامعه ایرانی
کانادایی؛ برآوردن تقاضای خانواده های قربانیان مبنی
بر پاسخگویی، شفافیت و عدالت؛ و همچنین تلاش برای
دستیابی به صلح که مانع تکرار چنین فجایعی شود، تشکر و
قدردانی می کنیم
با احترام
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2020,
11:00:15 a.m. EST
Subject: Tell Justin Trudeau: Thank You
For Standing For Justice and Peace
medi --
The days since the
tragic events of Flight
752 have been dark for
the Iranian-Canadian
community. However, the
conduct of Prime
Minister Trudeau at this
time in standing for
justice and
accountability, as well
as in standing for peace
in the region, have
helped many in our
community cope during
this difficult time.
As such, please use this
link and join us in
thanking Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau for his
leadership and work in
supporting our community
in the aftermath of
Flight 752. By using
this tool, you will
send the following
email to Prime Minister
Trudeau:
To The Prime Minister
of Canada, The Right
Honourable Justin
Trudeau
As an
Iranian-Canadian and on
behalf of the
Iranian-Canadian
community, we would like
to thank you for the
leadership, sensitivity,
and compassion that
you've shown to the
Iranian Canadian
community and Canadians
at large as we cope with
the tragic events of
Flight 752.
Iranian Canadians are
looking to our Canadian
government to help
provide accountability,
transparency, and
justice to the victims
and their families.
Specifically, the
Iranian authorities need
to be held accountable
for not only the lives
lost but also for the
misleading statements
released from Iran
following the incident.
We appreciate that you
and the Canadian
Government have
committed yourselves to
these very principles.
We also commend you,
Prime Minister Trudeau,
for calling for
de-escalation in the
region, rightfully
noting that “If there
were no tensions, if
there was no escalation
recently in the region,
those Canadians would be
right now home with
their families."
Although the
responsible Iranian
authorities should in no
way be exonerated, it is
important to recognize,
as you have, that the
first victims of war and
conflict are innocent
civilians. Furthermore,
as this tragic incident
has shown, the 300,000
strong Iranian Canadian
community means that any
threat to innocent lives
in Iran is also a threat
to Canadian lives.
The ties that bond
Canada and Iran are deep
and they require that
Canada take a positive
and active role in the
region to help foster
peace and stability in
the region, a role that
can draw on the
long-standing Canadian
tradition of mediation
and diplomacy.
Once again, we thank
you for the support you
have shown the Iranian
Canadian community in
committing to bring
accountability,
transparency, and
justice for families of
the victims as well as
working towards a peace
that helps ensure that
such a tragedy will
never happen again.
Find below a letter addressed to Justin
Trudeau supporting his calls for justice and
accountability for the victims of Flight 752, as
well as for standing for de-escalation and peace in
the Middle East to prevent this tragedy from
happening again. As your constituent, I ask you to
support Prime Minister Trudeau to achieve these
goals of justice and peace, which are so important
to the Iranian Canadian community.
To the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right
Honourable Justin Trudeau
As an Iranian-Canadian and on behalf of the
Iranian-Canadian community, I would like to thank
you for the leadership, sensitivity, and compassion
that you've shown to the Iranian-Canadian community
and Canadians at large as we cope with the tragic
events of Flight 752.
Iranian Canadians are looking to our Canadian
government to help provide accountability,
transparency, and justice to the victims and their
families. Specifically, the Iranian authorities need
to be held accountable for not only the lives lost
but also for the misleading statements released by
Iran following the incident. We appreciate that you
and the Canadian Government have committed
yourselves to these very principles.
We also commend you, Prime Minister Trudeau,
for calling for de-escalation in the region,
rightfully noting that “If there were no tensions,
if there was no escalation recently in the region,
those Canadians would be right now home with their
families."
Although the responsible Iranian authorities
should in no way be exonerated, it is important to
recognize, as you have, that the first victims of
war and conflict are innocent civilians.
Furthermore, as this tragic incident has shown, the
300,000 strong Iranian Canadian community means that
any threat to innocent lives in Iran is also a
threat to Canadian lives.
The ties that bond Canada and Iran are deep
and they require that Canada take a positive and
active role in the region to help foster peace and
stability in the region, a role that can draw on the
long-standing Canadian tradition of mediation and
diplomacy.
Once again, we thank you for the support you
have shown the Iranian Canadian community in
committing to bring accountability, transparency,
and justice for families of the victims as well as
working towards a peace that helps ensure that such
a tragedy will never happen again.
Dec 28, 2019, 12:00 PM
From:
ICC President
<president@iccongress.ca>
Date: Sat, Dec 28, 2019 at 12:00 PM
Subject: Re your defamatory comments
against ICC and ICC board members
To: Medi Shams <medishams@rogers.com>,
Medi Shams <infognandprint.ca>
Cc: ICC VP <vp@iccongress.ca>
Re your defamatory comments against ICC
and ICC board members
Mr.
Shams,
In a recent social
media post you mentioned the name of the
Iranian Canadian Congress and suggested
that the ICC is a supporter of the
Islamic Republic or ally of the Islamic
Republic. This is a false accusation and
you are fully aware that it is
incorrect. You are fully aware that the
Iranian Canadian Congress is a Canadian
non-profit and non-partisan organization
that advances the interests of the
Iranian community in Canada. ICC has a
democratic decision making process and
priorities of the organization are
decided by the membership through the
election of the board members in the
Annual General Meetings. Also in several
surveys from ICC members and supporters
vast majority of them have confirmed
their support for the current priorities
of the organization.
The ICC advocates for
peace and against sanctions and war on
Iran. We have explained our position
clearly in media, in panel discussions
and in the Canadian Parliament and we
have been very clear that sanctions and
isolation of Iran only hurt the Iranian
people. We have said on many occasions
that the damage sanctions cause to
Iranian people and to our Iranian
community in Canada is the main reason
we actively speak against these
policies. We have always emphasized that
the human rights situation in Iran is a
very important concern and that the
Iranian government must respect the
rights of its citizens in accordance
with the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
Your
false and defamatory accusations
severely impact the reputation of the
ICC as a Canadian non-profit
organization and severely impact all
volunteers working with the ICC
including its board members. I ask you
to remove all your false accusations,
retract your comments and stop making
these false and defamatory accusations
in future. These false accusations have
also put the safety and security of ICC
volunteers at risk as individuals who
have been misled and believed false
accusations such as yours have made
threats against volunteers and board
members of the ICC
Cc: Soudeh Ghasemi <vp@iccongress.ca>;
Icc4all Info <info@icc4all.com>; Iranian
Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>; Iccma
Info <info@iccma.ca>
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2019, 04:44:26
p.m. EST
Subject: Re: Re your defamatory comments
against ICC and ICC board members
سوده قاسمی عزیز،
ریاست کنگره ایرانیان
خوشنودی من از دریافت ایمیل شما قابل وصف نیست. تا به
حال ده ها ایمیل برای شما و کنگره ایرانیان فرستاده ام
و بیاد ندارم که جوابی از شما دریافت کرده باشم. اینرا
به فال نیک گرفته و امیدوارم در سال آینده روابط و
همکاری جدیدی را در صفا و صمیمیت آغاز کنیم. از فرصت
استفاده کرده به تقاضای شما پاسخ و موارد دیگری را نیز
مطرح میکنم. با این امید که من هم از طرف شما جوابی
داشته باشم.
1- این اولین تذکر شما در رابطه با موضوع مطرحه در
زمان چهارساله صدارت و نیابت شما در کنگره است. من
آنرا به اینگونه تعبیر میکنم که تا به حال خلاف
احتمالی در زمینه ای که شما آنرا مطرح کرده اید از طرف
من سر نزده است. از آنجائیکه من در نحوه تفکر و نوشتار
خود از فعالیت های هییت مدیره کنگره تغییری نداده ام،
خواهشمندم اطلاعات دقیقتری از موردی که در نظر دارید
در اختیار من بگذارید تا بتوانم آنها را تصحیح نمایم.
از آنجائیکه میدانید من یکی از فعال ترین اعضای کنگره
میباشم و در رابطه با این نهاد موضوعات بسیاری را در
سوشیال مدیا و نشریات منتشر میکنم، نمیدانم که کدام یک
از آنها باعث رنجش خاطر شما شده است.
2- واقف هستید که چند سالی میباشد که اینجانب با
استناد به این که زبان رسمی یک نهاد زبانی میباشد که
در مجمع عمومی از آن استفاده میشود، سعی دارم که زبان
فارسی، زبان رسمی کنگره اعلام گردد. از آنجائیکه
انگلیسی زبان دوم اکثر ایرانیان کانادا میباشد، مطمئنن
اگر هدف، اطلاع رسانی، بوجود آوردن آگاهی، و افزایش
مشارکت جمعی باشد، زبان فارسی برای ما ایرانیان موثر و
کارا تر خواهد بود.
در ثانی مطلع هستید که اینجانب ایمیل های کنگره و پاسخ
های خود را جهت آگاهی اعضای دیگر کنگره منتشر میکنم.
از این رو مکاتبه های ما اگر به زبان فارسی صورت
بگیرند مطمئنن مورد استقبال و توجه بیشتر اعضاء قرار
خواهند گرفت.
به این نکته هم اشاره کرده باشم که بی مورد نبوده که
بنا به دستور قاضی، نسخه فارسی "نامه مشترک" و مکاتبات
میبایست دراختیار اعضاء قرار بگیرند.
از اینرو اگر شما هم مکاتبات خود را به زبان فارسی هم
همراه کنید مناسب تر خواهد بود.
3- از آنجائیکه تمام راه های تماس با هییت مدیره از
میان برداشته شده اند:
- صفحه آی سی فوروم که برای در میان گذاشتن مشکلات و
گفتگو در باره آنها بوجود آمده بود در انحصار هییت
مدیره قرار گرفته و عملن تعطیل شده است.
- از ماه آگوست 2019 هیچ صورتجلسه ای منتشر نشده است.
- از حضور ناظرین در جلسات هییت مدیره ممانعت به عمل
میاید.
- به ایمیل اعضاء پاسخ داده نمیشود.
- جنابعالی تماس گرفتن با شما را ممنوع ساخته اید
- کامنت های اعضاء در صفحه فیسبوکی کنگره حذف میگردند.
- بعضی از اعضای هییت مدیره از جمله جناب پویان
طبسی نژاد، نایب رئیس، اعضاء را در سوشیال مدیا
بلاک میکنند.
دیگر امکانی برای تماس و در جریان قرار گرفتن از
فعالیت های هییت مدیره، اگر فعالیتی وجود داشته باشد،
نیست. از فرصت استفاده نموده تقاضا دارم با حضور
اینجانب در جلسه آتی هییت مدیره به عنوان ناظر موافقت
کرده، زمان و مکان آنرا به اطلاع اینجانب برسانید.
4- نکته دیگر در رابطه با مقاله ای توهین آمیز به
کامیونیتی میباشد که کنگره در صفحه فیسبوکی خود در
تاریخ 28 دسامبر به اشتراک گذاشته است. این مقاله
که ابتدا به علت مشخص نبودن نویسنده آن مجبور به
تماس با سردبیر آن شدم، مشخص است که توسط کسی
نوشته شده که اولن اطلاعات دست دوم و نا صحیح در
اختیار داشته، در ثانی با پیشداوری و اهداف سیاسی
با گرایشات خاص، و در مخالفت با بخشی از کامیونیتی
که از مخالفین رژیم میباشند نوشته شده است. همراه
بودن این مقاله با عکسی با نام پویان طبسی نژاد
یکبار دیگر سوء تفاهماتی را در اذهان عمومی بوجود
آورده است. تنش های بوجود آمده که در سوشیال مدیا
شاهد آن هستیم این امکان را محتمل میدارد که هییت
مدیره با اهداف بخصوصی در تهیه این مقاله همکاری
داشته و آنرا به اشتراک گذاشته است. از شما تقاضا
دارم که این مقاله را که اهانت آشکاری به
کامیونیتی بوده و تفرقه آمیز و تنش زا میباشد را
از صفحه فیسبوکی کنگره حذف و بنا به وظیفه خود به
نگارنده و نشریه ای که آنرا منتشر کرده معترض
شوید.
در ضمن خواهشمندم من را مطلع سازید که آیا به اشتراک
گذاری این مقاله در هییت مدیره مطرح، و در باره آن
تصمیم گیری شده است و یا اینکه آدمین صفحه به تشخیص
خود این عمل را انجام داده است. در اینصورت خواهشمندم
نام آدمین را اعلام نمائید.
بیصبرانه منتظر پاسخ شما میباشم. در ضمن اگر جهت راه
اندازی مجدد صفحه دیالوگ آی سی سی فوروم و یا برگزاری
جلسات گفتگو نیازمند به داوطلب هستید، اینجانب و
بسیاری از افراد دیگر که با آنها آشنایی دارم آمادگی
خود را اعلام میداریم.
با تشکر - مهدی شمس یکی از علاقمندان و اعضای عادی
کنگره ایرانیان
Please find below the Iranian Canadian
Congress's statement on the protests
currently occurring in Iran:
Sanctions and economic mismanagement
have put tremendous financial pressure
on people and the sudden increase in
fuel prices has further deepen the
economic troubles for Iranian people. We
urge the international community to lift
these harmful sanctions.
The ICC strongly believes in the
rights enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
including the right to peaceful
assembly and condemns all forms of
violence. The Iranian government
should listen to people’s legitimate
demands and respect their rights to
peaceful protest as well as their
access to the internet.
The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) has received
multiple reports over the past few days about a
smear campaign linked to Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK)
against Iranian-Canadian MP and Richmond Hill
candidate Majid Jowhari.
MEK is an extremist Iranian opposition group that
was listed in Canada as a terrorist entity as late
as 2012. According to multiple reports the
organization has dubious sources of funding and links
to Saudi Arabia.
On social media, fake
accounts associated with MEK have distributed
false information about Mr. Jowhari. Seemingly, the
only reason behind the targeting of Mr. Jowhari by
the MEK is that, aligned with PM Trudeau's promise
in 2015 to re-engage with Iran and reopen the
embassies, Mr. Jowhari supported this promise as
well and presented the views of his constituents to
the Canadian government. Time and again we have also
witnessed that the majority of Canadian-Iranians
also support diplomacy and peace with Iran and are
against policies of sanctions and war.
The ICC is extremely concerned about the MEK-linked
smear campaign against a Canadian citizen running
for public office. We are monitoring the situation
carefully and will communicate our concerns with
Canadian officials.
We once again encourage all members of the
Iranian-Canadian community to participate
in the federal elections on October 21st and
vote for the party or candidates who represent their
views.
WHERE DO CANADA'S POLITICAL PARTIES STAND ON IRAN?
As part
of the ICC's Federal Election Initiative,
the ICC has reached out to Canada's
political parties and their candidates to
discover their policies on the following ICC
priority policies: Canada’s Iran Policy,
Accreditation of Foreign Trained
Professionals, Combatting Racism and
Discrimination. The first of this series is
Canada's Iran Policy. Below, we describe the
policies of each party, either from their
own communications with the ICC or through
their actions and most recent public
statements, focusing on diplomatic relations
and the Iran Nuclear Deal or JCPOA.
The Liberal Party: Justin Trudeau
Summary: The Liberal Party and
Justin Trudeau promised to reopen the
embassies in 2015, but have not fulfilled
the promise after 4 years of being elected.
Despite the fact that the Prime Minister and
most of the Liberal caucus voted for the
Conservative Motion condemning Iran and
freezing any efforts to re-establish
relations with Iran, Liberal MP Rob Oliphant
recently said that the Liberal government is
still committed to reestablishing relations
with Iran on condition that Iran respects
“international standards”. Richmond Hill
Liberal MP Majid Jowhari sponsored a
parliamentary petition instigated by the ICC
calling for the government to reestablish
relations with Iran in 2016.
Prime
Minister Trudeau promised during the 2015
election campaign that he would reopen the
embassy if elected. However, he did not
deliver on this promise during the first 4
years of his mandate. In a recent interview
with the Iranian
Canadian Journal former
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Rob Oliphant said: the
Liberals are still committed to diplomacy
with Iran however, they expect the Iranian
government to respect “international
standards”.
In
September 2016, Liberal MP Majid Jowhari
(Richmond Hill) sponsored a parliamentary
petition initiated by the ICC calling for
re-engagement with Iran and re-opening of
the embassies. The petition gathered nearly
16,000 signatures in few months from across
Canada.
June 2018 Conservative Motion Against Iran:
Nearly all Liberal MPs, including the Prime
Minister, voted for a Conservative
motion condemning Iran and
calling on the Government of Canada to halt
all negotiations for re-establishing
diplomatic relations with Iran.
Iranian-Canadian Liberal MPs Majid Jowhari
and Ali Ehsassi were among the Liberals who
were not present during this vote. Richmond
Hill MP Majid Jowhari also released this
statement supporting the
re-establishment of relations with Iran.
Iran Nuclear Deal and Sanctions:
The Liberal government of Prime Minister
Trudeau supported the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA)
and lifted most of Canada’s sanctions
against Iran upon signing of the agreement
and pursuant to the UN Security Council
resolution 2231. The Liberal government has
also provided $11.5 million in voluntary
contributions to the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) specifically to support
the Agency’s work with respect to its
mandate in monitoring and verifying Iran’s
implementation of its JCPOA commitments. In
a response to the ICC, Minister Freeland’s
office said: “our government believes that
the JCPOA, which was agreed to with Iran in
2015 and endorsed by the UN Security
Council, is essential for ensuring regional
and global security.”
The NDP: Jagmeet Singh
Summary: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh,
NDP foreign affairs critic Helene Laverdiere,
and her successor Guy Caron have
consistently supported reestablishing of
relations with Iran. They have also
supported the Iran Deal and along with the
Greens party's Elizabeth May, were the only
national party to vote against the
Conservative motion calling on the
government to abandon relations with Iran.
NDP MP Helene Laverdiere presented a
petition signed by 15,000 Canadians and
instigated by the ICC calling on the
government to reestablish relations with
Iran.
Iran-Canada Relations: Since the
NDP leadership race when the ICC reached out
to him, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh supported
the reopening of the Iranian and Canadian
embassies in Ottawa and Tehran. Further, at
the ICC's 2016 Simorgh Gala, Leader Singh reasserted
this position, asserting that the
government of PM Trudeau needed to follow
through on his promise to the Iranian
Canadian community.
In 2019, NDP MP Helene Laverdiere presented
a petition signed by 15,000 Canadians and
instigated by the ICC calling on the
government to reestablish relations with
Iran.
Iran Nuclear Deal and Sanctions:
NDP has expressed its support for the Iran
nuclear agreement. NDP critic to Minister of
Foreign Affairs Helene Laverdiere called
on the Government of Prime Minister
Trudeau in the House of Commons to do more
along with EU allies to protect the nuclear
agreement after Trump’s withdrawal.
June 2018 Conservative Motion Against Iran:
When the Conservatives' motion on Iran came
to the floor in June 2018, all the NDP
members voted against it.
In a response to the ICC about their policy
on Iran the NDP said:
New
Democrats believe that Canadian interests
are best served by a strong and principled
foreign policy based on human rights,
multilateralism, and the best interests of
global peace and security. We are also very
concerned about the current state of
international affairs, and, in particular,
about relations between neighbouring states
in the Middle East and their various allies.
At the same time, we also recognize the
sovereignty of Iran over their own
political, cultural, economic, and social
affairs.
We
believe that Canada can, and must, be a
force for good in this dangerous world. As
such, New Democrats believe that the first
step in improving relations between our
countries is the resumption of normal
diplomatic relations, including the
re-opening of embassies in both countries,
so that both countries can resume
constructive dialogue and engagement and so
that citizens of both countries can receive
timely and effective consular support from
their respective governments.
The Conservative Party: Andrew Scheer
Summary: The Conservative Party has
consistently opposed relations with Iran.
Apart from introducing the 2018 motion
condemning Iran and asking the Canadian
government to commit to keeping relations
severed, the Conservative Party have also
opposed the Iran Nuclear Deal or JCPOA.
Iran-Canada Relations: Though we
have not received any communications from
the Conservative Party (despite numerous
requests), their position seems to remain
the same as in 2012 when they closed the
embassy. Over the past 4 years the
Conservatives on numerous occasions
criticized the Trudeau government for
promising re-engagement with Iran.
Conservative MP Peter Kent launched a
petition against re-opening of embassies,
which only gathered 607 signatures.
Former
Conservative MP Tony Clement also launched a
petition against Iran calling on the Trudeau
government to continue listing Iran as a
state sponsor of terror.
Aside
from introducing the June 2018 motion
condemning Iran and asking the government to
halt diplomatic negotiations with Iran, the
party's leader Andrew Scheer has recently
announced that if elected their party will
follow the Trump administration’s steps
against Iran, including designating the IRGC
as a terrorist entity.
Iran Nuclear Deal and Sanctions:
The Conservatives did not endorse the Iran
nuclear agreement and criticized the Trudeau
government for adhering to the agreement and
lifting Canada’s sanctions on Iran after the
JCPOA was signed.
Letter From 6 Canadian Organizations on the Push for War
with Iran
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
October 10, 2019
Find below a letter from 6 Canadian civil
society and pro-peace organizations to Canada's
major parties regarding worrying push towards
war with Iran on the international stage:
Attention:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Chrystia
Freeland
Leader of the Official Opposition, Hon. Andrew
Scheer
Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Erin
O'Toole
Leader of the New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh
Foreign Affairs Critic of the New Democratic
Party Guy Caron
Leader of the Bloc Quebecois Yves-François
Blanchet
Leader of the Green Party of Canada Elizabeth
May
Dear Party Leaders
We are a group of Canadian non-profit
organizations who are concerned by the growing
momentum toward war against Iran by the United
States President Donald Trump and who are
calling on the Canadian government to take a
stand against war on Iran.
After leaving the Iran Deal (or JCPOA), the
Trump administration has systematically inflamed
tensions in a push for war. We even learned that
Trump called for a military strike on Iran on
June 20th, only to cancel it at the last
minute.
We have seen this story before. The same
individuals who led the world to war against
Iraq are now trying to do the same against Iran.
Canada needs to stand up for peace and work with
our allies to support the Iran Deal.
As such, we ask that Canada:
Speak publicly against the Trump
administration's push towards war against
Iran;
Support the Iran Deal by joining our
European allies in allowing Iran to
circumvent unilateral US sanctions which
have harmed the Iranian people by depriving
them of medicine and other vital goods;
Act as an intermediary between Iran and the
United States in order to prevent war and
broker a peace plan
We hope that you agree that this matter is
extremely urgent and important. We therefore ask
you to respond to these issues as soon as
possible.
Sincerely,
The undersigned organizations:
The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)
Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)
Canadian Peace Congress (CPCon)
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the
Middle East (CJPME)
Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV)
Association of Progressive Palestinian
Canadians (APPC)
As part of
the ICC's effort to increase Iranian-Canadians'
political awareness and involvement in advance
of the Federal Election, we are happy to provide
this page for the Iranian-Canadian community to
use as a resource to learn how to vote and get
involved.
How Do I Vote (in Person)?
If you want
to vote on Election Day or on Advance Polling
days, you should make sure to check if you are
registered to vote by clicking
here
If you want
to vote before October 15th, you may click on this
link to find one of 500 voting locations
near you.
Can I Vote by Mail?
As a Canadian
citizen, you may vote by mail, but you must
register to do so before October 15th at 6PM. Click
here for more information.
Can I Vote in Person at My Local Elections
Canada Office?
If you are
not able to vote on Election Day or on any of
the advance polling days, you have the right to
vote in person before October 15th at your local
Elections Canada Office. The regular hours are
9:00AM to 9:00PM Monday to Friday and Noon to
4PM on Sundays. Click
here to find your local office.
How Do I Vote in Advance Polls?
If you are
registered with Elections Canada at your current
address, you should have received your voter
registration card in the mail. Click
here to find more information on
registration and click
here to find more information on advance
polling.
I'm a Post-Secondary Student. How Do I Vote on
Campus? Where Does My Vote Get Counted?
As a student,
you have access to over 115 Elections Canada
campus locations. Click
here to find these locations.
Also as a
student, your vote gets counted at "your primary
place of residence". Usually, this is where your
ID lists as your address. Find more information
here.
How Do I Find Out More About Canadian Federal
Politics?
The ICC is
preparing a series of events and resources to
help the Iranian-Canadian community inform
itself in advance of the Federal Election. The
first is our Community Roundtable on the Federal
Election on October 13th at 3 PM at the North
York Civic Centre's Committee Room #3. Find our Facebook
event here!
The ICC also
has a series of priority policies developed
after a series of consultations that it is
communicating to politicians and candidates.
Find them
here and stay posted for more information
about them.
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 5, 2019, 04:21:39 p.m.
EDT
Subject: Join Us In Toronto October 13th:
Community Federal Elections Roundtable
medi --
In advance of the Federal
Election, the Iranian
Canadian Congress is hosting
a Community Roundtable at
3-5PM on Sunday, October 13,
2019 at Committee Room #3 of
the North York Civic Center,
5100 Yonge Street, Toronto.
Topic: Canadian Federal
Elections 2019 -- Who should
we vote for?
This session will be a
discussion among community
members. We invite
Iranian-Canadian supporters
of all Canadian political
parties to participate and
tell us why we should vote
for their party. If you are
still undecided, come to
this event and share with us
your priorities and issues
you care about in this
federal election.
To speak at this roundtable,
you do not need to register
beforehand. Just prepare
your comments and come to
the event on October 13th to
participate in this open
discussion about the federal
elections.
What: Community
Roundtable: Federal
Elections 2019
When: Sunday, October 13,
2019, 3-5PM
Where: North York Civic
Center, 5100 Yonge Street,
Toronto - Committee Room #3
It’s a joy to
have finally a
fair election in
the
Iranian-Canadian
Congress (ICC)
under your
scrutiny. At the
same time, it is
sad to realize
that a
successful and
well-educated
community needs
an outsider to
enforce the
basic rules.
My name is Medi
Shams, an ICC
member since
2012. I would
like to bring
your attention
to the following
past and present
issues and ask
for your
clarification.
I participated
in 2013, 2014,
and 2016 ICC
elections as a
candidate. In
2014 the ICC
board of
directors
introduced the
requirement of a
Police
Certificate for
candidates. As I
believed this
was a wrong
interpretation
of the ICC’s
by-laws, I
didn’t provide
the requested
certificate and
I could
participate in
the election.
The same
scenario
repeated in the
2016 election.
Last year I was
eliminated from
the election as
for the third
time I didn’t
provide a police
certificate as I
believe it
shouldn’t be
required.
The second issue
that I would
like to bring
your attention
is the
requirement of a
short biography
from the
candidate that
the board of
directors made
mandatory to be
in English last
year. This was
also a new
arbitrary change
that I opposed
and I don’t
think should be
applied.
I believe these
arbitrary
rulings found
their ways in a
democratic
organization
such as ICC by
those who have
in mind their
political agenda
related to Iran
and to
discourage
public
participation.
Your attention
to this
sensitive point
is crucial for
the community
engagement in
our only
democratic
organization
ICC.
The third issue
is related to
this year's
election. As you
may know,
recently two
board members,
Bijan Ahmadi and
Hooman Shirazi
resigned on the
15th and 23rd of
August.
Curiously, only
the resignation
of Bijan Ahmadi
is announced by
the board on the
ICC website and
social media.
Despite that
Bijan Ahmadi
resigned before
Hooman Shirazi,
Shirazi was
replaced by an
appointed member
Amir Moazzami
and this
contrary to what
is recommended
by the ICC
by-laws. The
by-law
recommends that
the appointed
member should be
a runner-up in
the last
election. You
may notice on
the 2018 final
election report there
were four
non-elected
candidates
recognized by
the election
committee as
runners. I
believe the
appointment of
two of these
individuals as a
replacement for
the two resigned
board members
could affect the
election.
The fourth and
the last point
is regarding the
text of an
e-mail that you
recently sent to
the current and
past members of
the ICC that is
not shared on
the website.
There are
important points
in this email
that I believe
should be on the
website not just
for the records,
but also for
people who
currently visit
the site and may
participate in
elections.
I would
appreciate it if
you could bring
some
clarification on
these matters.
Regards,
Medi Shams who
has the
intention to run
in this year's
election.
USE THIS ONLINE FORM TO REGISTER FOR MEMBERSHIP OR RENEW
YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
ICC members are the
backbone of the organization. The most important step
for anyone who is interested to get involved in the ICC
is to sign up for the annual membership. Using this
simple online form you can sign up for ICC membership.
The annual fee for regular members (18 and older) is
$10. Once you fill out the form and pay the membership
due you will receive a confirmation email including
receipt of your payment. After
submitting the membership form to verify your identity
you might be asked by the Board Secretary for your valid
government issued photo ID. Your annual
membership has to be renewed in 12 months from the date
of registration.
If you encounter any
difficulty with the online form or if you'd like to
register in person with the board secretary, please
email us at iccelectionscommittee2019@gmail.com
Important Notes:
- According to the
Ontario Corporations Act, any person can ask for the
membership registry, which includes members' addresses,
email addresses, and telephone numbers, as long as they
provide a signed affidavit as required by the section
307 of the Act.
- Every person must
register and pay her/his membership fee. Do not fill out
this online membership registration form for someone
else.
- Pre-paid
credit cards cannot be used for membership payment.
- There are only two
valid methods for ICC membership registration: signing
up through this online form or registering in person
with the secretary of the ICC board. For in person
registration please send an email to: iccelectionscommittee2019@gmail.com
. The ICC does not
accept membership registration through any other method.
YOUTH MEMBERSHIP
ICC youth membership
is available for those between ages of 14-18. There is
no annual membership fee for youth members. Youth
members are encouraged to join the Youth Engagement
Committee where they can work with their peers on
related projects and volunteer for different
organizations. If
you are at least 14 years old and below 18, click here
to join as a youth member.
UPDATE FROM THE CANADIAN RED CROSS ON IRAN FLOOD RELIEF
posted by ICC
SECRETARY | 5sc
September 22, 2019
Earlier this year from mid-March to April Iran
was hit by unprecedented rainfall and floods
that impacted approximately 10 million people in
all of the country’s 31 provinces.
In response, the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)
immediately contacted the Canadian Red Cross and
the Canadian Minister of International
Development requesting assistance for the flood
victims in Iran.
Shortly thereafter, the Canadian Red Cross
launched a campaign to raise donations for the
flood victims in Iran and provided a dedicated
platform for the Iranian Canadian Congress to
raise donations as well. Based on the final
report from the Canadian Red Cross, $150,000 was
raised for providing emergency assistance to
flood victims in Iran.
According to the latest report published by the
Canadian Red Cross the funds were used towards
the following items:
296,000 people were provided with emergency
shelter.
29,000 people received health interventions,
including psychosocial support.
216,000 food parcels were delivered to
people impacted by the floods.
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2019, 10:40:19 p.m.
EDT
Subject: Important Information -
2019 AGM and Election
Important Message Regarding the ICC
2019 AGM and Election
My
name
is
Marvin
J.
Huberman.
I am
a
lawyer
and
a
commercial
arbitrator.
On
September
9,
2019,
I
was
appointed
by
the
Superior
Court
of
Justice
to
be
the
independent
monitor
overseeing
the
2019
Annual
General
Meeting
of
the
ICC
and
the
election
of
the
Board
of
Directors.
I
would
ask
you
all
to visit
this
website set
up
by
the
ICC
and
to
review
the
joint
letter
(in
both
English
and
Persian).
It
has very
important
information
on a
number
of
topics,
including:
1)
the
court
application
initiated
by
Mr.
Payami,
Ms.
Hadi,
Ms.
Shahabi
and
Mr.
Moin
in
March
2019
and
the
settlement
reached
in
September
2019;
2)
my
role
as
independent
monitor;
and,
3)
the
upcoming
Annual
General
Meeting
and
board
of
directors
election
to
be
held
Sunday
November
3,
2019.
Please
note
that
anyone
who
wishes
to
review
the
documents
filed
in
court
by
the
parties
in
this
lawsuit
are
also
available
at
the same website.
For
those
that
are
not
currently
members
of
the
ICC
who
wish
to
join
I
will
be
sending
out
an
email
early
next
week
showing
you
how
to
join
the
ICC
through
its
website.
Please
click
the
following
link
if
you
wish
to unsubscribe
from
this
list and
you
will
no
longer
receive
emails
regarding
the
ICC.
In the last
month, there has been a new change in the ICC
board of directors. Hooman Shirazi, who was
elected onto the ICC board in 2017, announced
his intention to resign from the board.
ICC President
Ms. Soudeh Ghasemi, upon learning of Mr.
Shirazi’s resignation and the difficulties this
this empty seat posed to the organization and
the reaching of quorum, received recommendations
to fill the vacancy (those who ran in the
previous election withdrew their candidacy and
were not technically runners-up, as confirmed by
legal counsel), as per Section 12 of the ICC
bylaws:
For the
vacancy of a director who is not also an
officer, all vacancies shall initially be filled
by appointing the runner-up in the immediately
preceding election and if such runner-up is not
willing or available to accept the appointment,
by appointing the next willing and available
individual among the unsuccessful candidates in
the preceding election with the highest number
of votes. Should no such candidate be available
or willing to accept the appointment, then
within 21 days of the vacancy the members of the
board of directors, except the president, may
submit names of candidates to fill the vacancy,
provided each candidate meets the qualifications
for serving on the board. The board president
shall, within 30 days of the vacancy, and after
consultation with the other officers, appoint
one of the submitted candidates to fill the
vacancy.
Ms. Ghasemi
received the name of Amir Moazzami, a volunteer
with the ICC, through a recommendation by the
board. She accepted this recommendation and Amir
Moozzami was appointed to fill Mr. Shirazi’s
position on the board until the upcoming AGM.
We welcome
Mr. Moazzami to the board and thank him for
filling the position.
IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS (ICC) DISAPPOINTED AT
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITION SIGNED BY NEARLY 16K
IRANIAN-CANADIANS
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2465.40sc
September 04, 2019
On August 21st, 2019, Foreign Minister Freeland responded to
the ICC's Parliamentary petition e553. This
petition was signed by over 15,000 Canadians
and asked for Prime Minister Trudeau to fulfill
his promise to Iranian Canadians and reestablish
diplomatic relations with Iran.
The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is deeply
disappointed with the Canadian government’s
answer to the ICC’s petition and strongly
believes that the current policy of the
government does not protect the safety of
Canadians abroad as the “top priority for
Government of Canada” as indicated in the
response letter.
Canadian officials have said that they are
concerned about consular cases in Iran,
including Iranian-Canadian Maryam Mombeini who
is banned by Iranian authorities from leaving
the country. However, many Iranian-Canadians and
experts -- including Dr. Homa Hoodfar, who was
imprisoned in Iran -- have repeatedly explained
that having an embassy in Iran will help
Canadian citizens who need consular support at
times of emergency.
In July 2017, Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland
herself pointed out to the importance of
establishing relations with Iran in order to be
able to advocate for consular cases of its
citizens or permanent residents in Iran. She
said: “It's important for us to have lines of
communication for many reasons. One of them
being, we have some difficult consular cases in
Iran and to have any hope of solving them we
need to be able to talk to the government of
Iran... It's essential to have relations,
diplomatic relationship, to have a conversation
not only with countries who are your friends and
who share your values but also with the
countries with whom you disagree. So we are
definitely on the path to re-engage with
Iran...”
Despite the Liberal government’s policy shift on
this important issue for our community, the
ICC’s position remains the same as we still
strongly believe that the best way to advance
the interests of the 400,000 Iranian-Canadians
and to protect Iranian-Canadians in Iran
including Maryam Mombeini is to have diplomatic
relations with Iran. Therefore, we continue to
advocate for re-engagement with Iran and look
forward to working with the new government to
resolve this long-standing issue for our
community.
ICC Wishes Bijan Ahmadi The Best In His Future
Endeavours
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2465.40sc
August 20, 2019
Members and
Supporters of the Iranian Canadian Congress,
We'd like to
inform you that Bijan Ahmadi has decided to
leave the ICC Board of Directors on Aug 15,
2019. Bijan has served the ICC as a volunteer in
different positions since 2015. After he was
elected to the board by members of the ICC in
2015, he served as the PR director. In 2016, he
was appointed by the board as the President of
the ICC and served for two years in this
position, afterwards serving as a board member and
adviser. Bijan was steadfast in his dedication
to the mission and the mandate of the ICC and he
dedicated countless hours as a volunteer to
further the goals of the ICC and the
Iranian-Canadian community.
Under his
leadership, the organization grew its reach
and audience network from approximately 2000
people to currently over 20,000 people
nationwide. He led the transformation of the
ICC into a strong advocacy organization
that's known by many Canadian politicians
and political parties as an organization
that stoutly defends the rights of
Iranian-Canadians.
On
leaving the organization, Bijan said:
"I am
leaving the ICC board due to personal and
professional reasons and because of projects
I am getting involved with in other
non-profit organizations. Some of these
projects are related to the upcoming federal
elections. These projects are not
necessarily aligned with the work of the ICC
and therefore I believe it's best that I
leave the board. I am confident that the
present board will continue to lead the ICC
to greater heights. Without a doubt I will
remain dedicated to the organization as an
active member"
We thank
Bijan Ahmadi for his leadership and work for
the ICC and wish him best of luck in his
future endeavours.
August 09 ICC WEB
ICC Facebook
From: Medi
Shams <medishams@rogers.com>
To: khaniki.mo@gmail.com
<khaniki.mo@gmail.com>; Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>;
Bijan Ahmadi <ahmadibi@gmail.com>; ICC President <president@iccongress.ca>
Cc: Iccma
Info <info@iccma.ca>; Icc4all Info <info@icc4all.com>;
Shahram Tabe <shahramtabe@yahoo.ca>
Sent: Friday,
August 9, 2019, 06:42:45 p.m. EDT
Subject: Iranian
Canadian Congress admin identity request
Dear Soudeh Ghassemi, ICC President
You may be aware that ICJ commenced against me a legal
proceeding on July 22, 2019. On different locations on
social media Iranian Canadian Congress/Admin commented
and/or replied to people. Two of ICC current board of
directors, Bijan Ahmadi and Mohsen Khaniki, are among the
plaintiffs. It is primordial for my case to know the
identity of the Iranian
Canadian Congress (admin).
As I have to file my statement of defence in a very short
time I would appreciate your fast reply. Failure to disclose
the requested information constitutes cooperation with the
plaintiffs and will have legal consequences.
Mehdi Shams - ICC member
August 01, 2019
ICC WEB ICC Facebook
From: Iranian Canadian Congress
<info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 1, 2019,
12:05:27 p.m. EDT
Subject: Update from the ICC Board
Dear Members of the
Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC),
We understand that there are many questions that ICC
members are having about the organization,
particularly the annual general meeting (AGM) and
when it will be held. We want to inform you that we
will provide more information about the ongoing
legal application with which the ICC is involved and
the upcoming AGM very soon.
The ICC board is committed to holding AGM 2019 at
the earliest possible date. We also assure our
members that the board is doing all it can and to
the best of its ability to preserve the interests of
the organization and its members.
Sincerely,
The Board of
Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress
To: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>;
ICC Secretary <secretary@iccongress.ca>; ICC President
<president@iccongress.ca>; ICC Treasurer <treasurer@iccongress.ca>;
Bijan Ahmadi <ahmadibi@gmail.com>; Sholeh Khalili <sholeh.khalili@gmail.com>;
Hooman Shirazi <shirazi.hooman@gmail.com>
Cc: Iccma Info <info@iccma.ca>; Icc4all Info
<info@icc4all.com>; Shahrvand News <news@shahrvand.com>;
Iranstar Info <info@iranstar.com>; info@shahrema.org
<info@shahrema.org>; Salamtoronto Info <info@salamtoronto.ca>;
Mohammad Tajdolati <tajdolati@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2019, 05:03:04 a.m. EDT
Subject: Re: Petition: Canadian Leaders Must
Condemn the MEK
هییت مدیره (سابق) کنگره ایرانیان
دیگر واقعن بس است.
متاسفانه باید اعلام دارم که هر
چه بیشتر میگذرد از رفتار افرادی
که این نهاد را بصورت غیر قانونی
در انحصار خود قرار داده اند، و
هر روز لطمات بیشتری بر آن وارد
میسازند، بیشتر و بیشتر شرمسار
میگردم.
1-تقاضا
دارم اعلام کنید که آیا این ایمیل
را فقط به 91 عضو کنگره فرستاده
اید و یا اینکه با تمام کسانی که
ایمیل آنها را در اختیار دارید
تماس گرفته اید؟
2-آیا
شما به نمایندگی 91 عضو این کنگره
این پتیشن را تهیه و ارسال نموده
اید و یا اینکه ادعای سخنگویی از
طرف کامیونیتی را دارید؟
3-از
آنجهت که در مراجع قضایی کانادا
عدم قانونمندی شما به اثبات
رسیده، و در برگزاری مجمع عمومی
در محدود زمانی تعیین شده کوتاهی
کرده اید، شما، هییت مدیره سابق
این نهاد مشروعیت خود را از دست
داده اید. در نتیجه استفاده از
نام و امکانات این نهاد غیر
قانونی بوده و پیگرد قانونی خواهد
داشت.
4-اینجانب
مهدی شمس یکی از اعضای این نهاد
از طریق این ایمیل به شما اخطار
قانونی میدهم که هر فعالیتی که با
نام این نهاد صورت بگیرد تعرض به
حقوق اینجانب بوده و حق اقدامات
قانونی علیه شما را برای خود
محفوظ میدارم.
5-در
ضمن وظیفه خود میدانم که با
دولتمردانی که شما در این پتیشن
مخاطب قرار داده اید تماس گرفته و
آنها را از وخامت وضعیت این نهاد،
غیر قانونی بودن شما، و شرایط نا
امنی را که برای همه ما مهاجرین
ایرانی در کانادا بوجود آورده اید
مطلع سازم.
ICC VP TO MINISTERS: STOP FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN
CANADIAN ELECTIONS BY PRO-WAR GROUPS INCLUDING MEK
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2465.40sc
June 28, 2019
The following
letter was sent to the Minister of Democratic
Institutions Hon. Karina Gould and the Minister
of Public Safety Hon. Ralph Goodale from the ICC
VP Pouyan Tabasinejad on behalf of the Iranian
Canadian Congress (ICC), warning them about
foreign interference by pro-war groups including
the cult group MEK:
Honourable Ministers Karina Gould and Ralph
Goodale,
I am writing this letter to you on behalf of
the Iranian Canadian Congress, a non-profit
and non-partisan advocacy organization
dedicated to defending the interests of the
Iranian Canadian community, a population
estimated at 300,000 across the country.
This letter is to inform you of a
coordinated effort by foreign governments
and foreign funded organizations to disrupt
and influence Canadian politics and
political discourse. We have come to these
conclusions after a series of events came to
light after they were uncovered by
journalists. It is our position that these
efforts constitute election interference in
advance of the federal election in October,
and that this effort must be immediately
investigated and addressed by the Ministries
for Democratic Institutions as well as that
for Public Safety.
Firstly, as the ICC wrote earlier
this month, activists connected to a
formerly designated foreign terrorist
organization Mujahedin-e-Khalq
(MEK) engaged in a coordinated effort to
prevent award-winning pro-peace Iran analyst
and former Georgetown professor Trita Parsi
from testifying before the Canadian
Parliament. This not only included emails
and other communications to members of the
committee from noted MEK affiliates and
figures such as Shahram Golestaneh (head of
Iran Democratic Association, a noted MEK
front in Canada), but also a massive Twitter
campaign targeting Canadian politicians.
It should be noted that numerous outlets
have uncovered the MEK's ability to engage
in coordinated campaigns using thousands of fake
accounts to manipulate social media
platforms, and the effort to disinvite Dr.
Parsi seems to follow these patterns. We
also note that the MEK is noted as being
funded extensively by foreign governments, especially
Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately, the committee and the chair
Anita Vandenbeld decided to succumb to this
pressure and disinvited Dr. Parsi less than
24 hours before his testimony. Our efforts
to gain an understanding of the thinking of
the committee on this have not been answered
to date. Since then, it has become clear
that foreign-funded organizations and fake
social media accounts were an integral part
of the campaign to push Dr. Parsi out, as
shown below.
Secondly, it has come to
light recently
that the Trump administration has provided
millions of dollars in funding to an
organization which has attacked pro-peace
American activists, journalists, independent
analysts and human rights advocates critical
of Trump’s policy in the Middle East. This
foreign funded project was also involved in
the campaign to influence the witness list
in the Canadian Parliamentary Committee on
International Human Rights and, most
recently, the disinvitation of Mr. Parsi
from the committee. Also concerning for us
is that this organization, Iran
Disinformation Project, may have also
amplified attacks on Canadian activists and
civil society organizations.
Lastly, over the past week, The
Intercept uncovered
the fact that a Twitter account with more
than 30,000 followers and whose works were
published in mainstream outlets, including
61 times in Forbes alone, was in reality a
fake identity run by MEK operatives in
Albania. Further, this account was followed,
amplified, and was amplified by Canadian
politicians and influential commentators on
foreign policy, including sitting Senator
Linda Frum and influential commentator Terry
Glavin. This fake account was also leading
the smear campaign against Trita Parsi and
was an important part of getting Dr. Parsi
disinvited from the House of Commons
subcommittee.
What we are therefore seeing is the
uncovering of a network of operatives, many
of whom are connected to the violent cult
MEK, funded by and located in foreign
countries, including Saudi Arabia, engaging
in sophisticated and coordinated
disinformation campaigns to shape Canadian
politics in advance of the coming federal
election by attacking Canadian civil
society. Most concerningly, not only are
these campaigns extremely adept at
manipulating social media; they are actually
influencing the real life agenda in Canada's
Parliament.
We therefore ask you to immediately
investigate the above facts as well as any
related issues and campaigns conducted by
such individuals. The integrity of Canada's
democratic institutions must be vigorously
defended against such brazen attacks by
foreign governments and terrorist
organizations.
We are eagerly awaiting your reply to these
urgent and serious concerns.
Sincerely,
Pouyan Tabasinejad
Vice President
Iranian Canadian Congress
June 24, 2019 ICC WEB
ICC Facebook
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2019, 12:23:45 p.m. EDT
Subject: Tell Your MP: No War With Iran!
medi
As we all
know, last
week, after
months of
ripping up
the Iran
Deal and
imposing
crippling
sanctions on
Iran, the
Trump
administration
came within 10
minutes of
a military
strike
against
Iran. As a
result, the threat
of war with
Iran is
higher than
ever.
In response,
the Canadian
government
has stayed
silent --
while our
allies in
the EU and
around the
world are
standing up
for
peace. In
fact, Prime
Minister Justin
Trudeau
even statedthe
other day
that he
is
“concerned
with the
escalation
by Iran”,
repeating
Trump's
pro-war
line!
Furthermore,
at a time
when our
focus should
be on
preventing
war, some
MPs,
including
Liberal MPs,
have sided
with Trump
and called
for more sanctions
on Iran!
Obviously,
we are all
concerned
about this. Canada
should stand
up for peace
and
diplomacy –
not fall in
line with
Trump and
his
warmongering.
That is
why we're
asking you
to use this
tool to
call your
MPs and
tell them
that you
oppose war
with Iran.
Many of
you have
participated
in our email
campaigns
before. This
time, we
need to make
sure
Canadian
parliamentarians
hear our
voice. That
is why we
are asking
you to call
their
offices.
Canada
must not
only condemn
the Trump
administration's
push for war
and try to
de-escalate
tensions in
the region
through
diplomacy –
we must also
work with
our European
allies to
support the
Iran deal
and ensure
that Iranian
civilians
are
protected
from Trump's
crippling
sanctions.
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2019, 03:12:13 p.m. EDT
Subject: Join us: Rally for Peace. No War With
Iran
JOIN US: RALLY FOR
PEACE. NO WAR WITH IRAN
Over recent weeks many
Iranian-Canadians have been
concerned as the drums of war
are sounding more and more
loudly. With Donald Trump’s
reckless policies and the
warmongers in the White House,
more than ever before we need to
stand together despite all our
differences and call for peace.
Our message is clear: No
War With Iran.
We have been asked by our
members to mobilize a rally for
peace in Toronto (and possibly
Montreal and Vancouver).
We need your help to be
able to organize this:
If you agree with holding this
rally and will participate,
please follow the link below and
fill out the form:
From: Iranian
Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca> Sent: Friday, June 7, 2019 10:08 AM To: Arsalan Kahnemuyipour <a.kahnemuyipour@utoronto.ca> Subject: Defending Your Rights in the
Canadian Parliament
Dear Friends,
The mission of the Iranian Canadian
Congress is to advance the interests of
the Iranian-Canadian community. As part
of this mission we monitor the
discussions and activities in the
Canadian parliament and get involved to
defend our community's interests when
there is a study or a piece of
legislation that can affect our
community. In the past 2 years our
executives have testified at the Senate
Foreign Affairs Committee, Committee on
Citizenship and Immigration and
Committee on Canadian Heritage. In 2018,
with your help we successful campaigned
and defeated the Iran sanctions bill
S219 (Non-nuclear Sanctions Against Iran
Act) in the Canadian Senate.
During this past month (May 2019) the
ICC team submitted two written
testimonies to the Canadian parliament:
Trump’s sanctions against Iran violate
the rights of Iranian people: On
May 9, 2019 Bijan Ahmadi, ICC board
member, submitted a written testimony to
the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
Canadian Parliament about the impact of
US sanctions on Iranian people. You can
read the full
text here.
Online Hate and Discrimination: Iranian-Canadian
peace advocates have been victim of
online hate, smear campaigns and
Islamophobic tropes. Aligned with our
priority to combat discrimination in all
forms we have submitted a brief to the
House of Commons on Justice and Human
Rights outlining examples of online hate
in the Iranian-Canadian community and
explaining the impact on our people.
Especially in this brief our team put
together examples from the experience of
one of our board members Saman
Tabasinejad who faced an Islamophobic
smear campaign when she was running as a
candidate in the last Ontario provincial
election. Read the full
text here.
To continue our work and expand our
focus we need your financial support.
Please visit our website and donate
generously to your organization.
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2019, 08:00:30 a.m. EDT
Subject: ICC Legal Committee
Dear Friends,
We are pleased to announce
the founding of a new
initiative, the Iranian
Canadian Congress Legal
Committee.
The
policy team at the ICC has
decided to launch this
initiative to fulfill a need
in the community for legal
services that would
otherwise be too costly. The
ICC Legal Committee will
undertake a variety of
activities, including: giving
policy advice for the ICC’s
policy advocacy, staffing
legal clinics, and giving
pro bono legal services for
Iranian-Canadian individuals
and non-profits.
In return for their
service, lawyers (and legal
professionals) will receive
the satisfaction of
contributing to the
community’s well-being and
an opportunity to gain legal
experience in interesting
and rewarding cases and
situations.
So if you or someone you
know is a lawyer (or a legal
professional) certified to
practice in Canada or a law
student in Canada, join the
ICC Legal Committee by
emailing info@iccongress.ca with
a short bio and a brief
description of your legal
expertise.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2463.40sc
May 30, 2019
Here is a letter from ICC VP Pouyan Tabasinejad
to members of the Canadian Parliamentary
Subcommittee on International Human Rights:
Honourable members of the Subcommittee on
International Human Rights,
This month starting on May 13th, a series of
events occurred that amounted to nothing less
than the politicization of the House of Commons
Subcommittee on International Human Rights.
Firstly, even before this week, the committee
showed a bias in their witness selection,
heavily favoring pro-sanctions and pro-war
advocates on a study which was made to analyze
the human right situation in Iran, which is
rapidly deteriorating due to unilateral
sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States.
The already precarious integrity of this study
was further damaged when one of the few
pro-peace voices -- Trita Parsi, a noted expert
on Iran and pro-peace advocate -- had his
invitation rescinded by the committee less than
24 hours before he was scheduled to testify
after a coordinated action to bring pressure to
bear on committee members. Furthermore, we were
extremely concerned to learn that this
rescinding was instigated at least in part by
individuals associated with the MEK organization
and its front in Canada, the “Iran Democratic
Association,” as media outlets suggested that
Shahram Golestaneh, a noted MEK affiliate, sent
a letter to the chair of the committee asking
for Dr. Trita Parsi to be removed.
Secondly, we are extremely disappointed to see
that committee members are allowing the
committee to act as a platform to attack
Canadian civil society organizations with
transparent falsehoods. At the committee and at
the instigation of MP Michael Levitt, Shaparak
Shajarizadeh stated yesterday that the "Iranian
Canadian Council" had attacked her on social
media. Based on her social media posts after the
testimony, Ms. Shajarizadeh meant the "Iranian
Canadian Congress". This assertion is absolutely
false; at no time has the ICC ever written
anything about Ms. Shajarizadeh (in relation to
her committee testimony or at any other time).
Whether Ms. Shajarizadeh has been misled,
misquoted, or knowingly engaging in such
falsehood, we believe that this is the direct
result of the politicization of the Subcommittee
on International Human Rights.
Testimony at the committee should not be a
political issue; all legitimate points of view
should be heard and allowed to speak. We note
that at no point has the ICC attempted to remove
witnesses who presented before the committee,
even when they are as divisive and illegitimate
as the FDD's Mark Dubowitz, noted advocate of
war and sanctions against Iran, who has
repeatedly been invited to present before the
committee, nor Maryam Rajavi the head of the MEK
cult, an organization that was listed as a
terrorist group in Canada till 2012. We ask that
all sides of the issues at hand act with similar
restraint and respect for a diversity of
opinions and views in order to prevent the
further politicization and erosion of legitimacy
of the committee's work. Specifically, we look
to the committee members and the chair, Anita
Vandenbeld, for leadership on this issue.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2463.40sc
May 30, 2019
Here is an
announcement from the Iranian Canadian Congress:
We are pleased to announce the founding of a new
initiative, the Iranian
Canadian Congress Legal Committee.
The policy team at the ICC has decided to launch
this initiative to fulfill a need in the
community for legal services that would
otherwise be too costly. The ICC Legal Committee
will undertake a variety of activities,
including: giving policy advice for the ICC’s
policy advocacy, staffing legal clinics, and
giving pro bono legal services for
Iranian-Canadian individuals and non-profits.
In return for their service, lawyers will
receive the satisfaction of contributing to the
community’s well-being and an opportunity to
gain legal experience in interesting and
rewarding cases and situations.
So if you
or someone you know is a lawyer (or a legal
professional) certified to practice in Canada or
a law student in Canada, join the ICC Legal
Committee by emailing info@iccongress.ca with a
short bio and a brief description of your legal
expertise.
May 16 ICC WEB
ICC Facebook
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2019, 10:01:07 p.m. EDT
Subject: Action Alert: No War With Iran
Dear Members and Supporters
of the Iranian Canadian
Congress,
Over the past few weeks many
Iranian-Canadians have been
concerned as the drums of
war are sounding more and
more loudly. Donald Trump’s
reckless policy against Iran
is moving US closer to
another disastrous war in
the Middle East. This time
with Iran!
It is crucial
for our leadership in Canada
to stand up for peace and
dialogue. Unfortunately,
Canada has thus far been
missing in action on this
important issue. Please
contact your
parliamentarians and ask
them to support peace and
diplomacy with Iran. Our
message is simple: "No
Sanctions, No War!"
همراه هم و یک صدا
بگوییم: نه به تحریم، نه به
جنگ! گروه های حامی تحریم و
جنگ تلاش میکنند با فشار و
لابی سیاسی در اتاوا، دولت
کانادا را نیز با سیاست های
دولت ترامپ علیه ایران همراه
کنند. همراه هم ما ایرانیان
مخالف تحریم و جنگ میتوانیم
صدای خود را به گوش مجلس و
دولت کانادا برسانیم. اینجا
را کلیک کنید و متن
پیشنهادی را برای نمایندگان
خود ارسال کنید و از آنها
بخواهید از صلح و دیپلماسی با
ایران حمایت کنند
- Iranian Canadian Congress
(ICC)
May 13 ICC WEB
ICC Facebook
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2019, 02:35:12 p.m. EDT
Subject: Action Alert: No Sanctions, No War
ACTION ALERT: NO
SANCTIONS, NO WAR!
Over the past few weeks
many Iranian-Canadians have
been concerned as the drums
of war are sounding more and
more loudly. Donald Trump’s
reckless policy against Iran
is moving US closer to
another disastrous war in
the Middle East. This time
with Iran!
It is crucial for our
leadership in Canada to
stand up for peace and
dialogue. Unfortunately,
Canada has thus far been
missing in action on this
important issue.
Furthermore,
pro-sanctions and pro-war
lobby groups have been
active in Ottawa, pushing
for Canada to follow Trump’s
policy against Iran.
We need to stand
together and advocate for
peace.
Please contact your
parliamentarians and ask
them to support peace and
diplomacy with Iran. Our
message is simple: "No
Sanctions, No War!"
Use this simple tool to
contact your Member of
Parliament and Senators and
tell them that you expect
them to stand up against war
and sanctions. Let's stand
together and do our part
today.
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2019, 09:56:14 p.m. EDT
Subject: Trump’s misguided policy on Iran
threatens the JCPOA
Statement from the
Iranian Canadian Congress:
Trump’s misguided policy
against Iran threatens the
future of the Iran nuclear
agreement (JCPOA)
Last week, the Trump
administration imposed further
pressure on Iran by removing two
civil nuclear cooperation waivers related
to purchase of enriched uranium
and heavy water from Iran. By
removing these two waivers the
Trump administration essentially
made it impossible for Tehran to
continue its full compliance
with the JCPOA. As a result and
after a year since US withdrawal
from the nuclear agreement and
imposition of several rounds of
maximum pressure sanctions that
have caused tremendous damage to
the Iranian economy, Iran has
decided to reduce its
commitments under the JCPOA and
provide a 60-day period to EU,
Russia and China to help Iran
against US unilateral sanctions
that are in violation of UNSC
2231.
Trump’s misguided policy on
Iran over the past year has
undermined this landmark
non-proliferation agreement; he
has made unprecedented and
dangerous decisions such as
designating a formal military
branch of Iran’s armed forces,
the IRGC, as a terrorist
organization. These decisions of
the US administration have
escalated tensions in the region
and have put us on the path to
another catastrophic war in the
Middle East region.
Now more than ever, it’s
important for responsible
nations around the world
including Canada to work
together to prevent a regional
military conflict that will have
disastrous consequences for the
world.
Unfortunately, Canada has
thus far been missing in action
on this important issue, even
while the region would benefit
considerably from Canadian
advocacy for peace and
multilateralism. We therefore
call on the Canadian government
to start working with our EU
partners to help Iranian people
in facing US unjust sanctions
and to ensure the survival of
the JCPOA.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2462.40sc
May 10, 2019
Here is a
letter to ICC members and supporters from the
ICC VP Pouyan Tabasinejad:
Dear
Friends,
My name is
Pouyan Tabasinejad and I am the Vice President
of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC).
Over the past
three years, I have been proud to be part of the
astonishing growth of the ICC into a staunch and
powerful defender of the Iranian-Canadian
community. Because of the ICC’s efforts,
politicians and officials are learning that the
Iranian-Canadian community can no longer be
ignored.
However,
there are far too many regressive forces inside
and outside the community, from the far-right to
pro-sanctions lobby groups like the MEK, who do
not want the Iranian-Canadian community to be
strong and independent. They would like to keep
us silent, especially in advance of the federal
election in October.
That is why I
am asking you to donate to the ICC. Now more
than ever, your donation is needed to help
protect our community from those who would like
to hold us back, who want to prevent us from
advocating for peace and diplomacy with Iran and
for ending anti-Iranian discrimination.
Trump’s misguided policy against Iran threatens the
future of the JCPOA
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2462.40sc
May 10, 2019
Here is a
statement from the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC):
Trump’s misguided policy against Iran threatens
the future of the JCPOA
Last week, the Trump administration imposed
further pressure on Iran by removing two civil
nuclear cooperation waivers related
to purchase of enriched uranium and heavy water
from Iran. By removing these two waivers the
Trump administration essentially made it
impossible for Tehran to continue its full
compliance with the JCPOA. As a result and after
a year since US withdrawal from the nuclear
agreement and imposition of several rounds of
maximum pressure sanctions that have caused
tremendous damage to the Iranian economy, Iran
has decided to reduce its commitments under the
JCPOA and provide a 60-day period to EU, Russia
and China to help Iran against US unilateral
sanctions that are in violation of UNSC 2231.
Trump’s misguided policy on Iran over the past
year has undermined this landmark
non-proliferation agreement; he has made
unprecedented and dangerous decisions such as
designating a formal military branch of Iran’s
armed forces, the IRGC, as a terrorist
organization. These decisions of the US
administration have escalated tensions in the
region and have put us on the path to another
catastrophic war in the Middle East region.
Now more than ever, it’s important for
responsible nations around the world including
Canada to work together to prevent a regional
military conflict that will have disastrous
consequences for the world.
Unfortunately, Canada has thus far been missing
in action on this important issue, even while
the region would benefit considerably from
Canadian advocacy for peace and multilateralism.
We therefore call on the Canadian government to
start working with our EU partners to help
Iranian people in facing US unjust sanctions and
to ensure the survival of the JCPOA.
My name is Pouyan Tabasinejad
and I am the Vice President of
the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC).
Over the past three years, I
have been proud to be part of
the astonishing growth of the
ICC into a staunch and powerful
defender of the Iranian-Canadian
community. Because of the ICC’s
efforts, politicians and
officials are learning that the
Iranian-Canadian community can
no longer be ignored.
However, there are far too
many regressive forces inside
and outside the community, from
the far-right to pro-sanctions
lobby groups like the MEK, who
do not want the Iranian-Canadian
community to be strong and
independent. They would like to
keep us silent, especially in
advance of the federal election
in October.
That is why I am asking you
to donate to the ICC. Now more
than ever, your donation is
needed to help protect our
community from those who would
like to hold us back, who want
to prevent us from advocating
for peace and diplomacy with
Iran and for ending anti-Iranian
discrimination.
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2019, 01:46:04 p.m. EDT
Subject: Report from the Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross has
raised over $320,000 so far for
the Iran Floods Appeal.
Dear Members and
Supporters of the Iranian
Canadian Congress,
At the request of the Iranian
Canadian Congress (ICC) and
based on the emergency appeal
from the International
Federation of Red Cross, the
Canadian Red Cross launched an
emergency appeal to raise
donations for flood victims in
Iran in early April. Based on
latest information from the
Canadian Red Cross so far they
have collected a total of
$320,000 for the Iran floods
appeal.
Around $70,000 of this amount
is from individual donations and
$250,000 from the Government of
Canada. We would like to thank
the Government of Canada for
providing this support to the
Canadian Red Cross for flood
victims in Iran. You
can read the request we sent to
Minister Monsef on April 10,
2019 here.
Based on info from the
Canadian Red Cross the funds
will be sent to the
International Federal of Red
Cross for transfer to
Iran. These donations will help
the Red Cross teams to
provide shelter, basic needs and
livelihood support in response
to this disaster.
You still have time to donate
to the Canadian Red Cross Iran
Floods Appeal through the
following link: http://www.redcross.ca/Iran/ICC
همانطور که در ایمیل های قبلی ام
اعلام کرده ام، من هنوز منتظر هستم که
ترتیب ملاقات اینجانب با یکی از اعضای
هییت مدیره برای پرداخت ده دلار حق
عضویت داده شود.
با تشکر - مهدی شمس
April 13
ICC WEB ICC Facebook
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2019, 10:42:39 a.m. EDT
Subject: Reminder: Canadian Red Cross Iran Floods
Appeal
You can now donate to
the Canadian Red Cross to help
the flood victims in Iran!
The Canadian Red Cross has
accepted our request to launch
an emergency appeal to raise
donations for flood victims in
Iran. These donations will help
the Red Cross teams to
provide shelter, basic needs and
livelihood support in response
to this disaster in Iran.
Simply use the form available
here on the website of the
Canadian Red Cross to donate to
the dedicated fund created for
helping the flood victims in
Iran. All your donations go
directly to the Canadian Red
Cross.
Please share the
following link with your friends
and family and ask them to
donate as well:
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2019, 04:02:19 p.m. EDT
Subject: Help Flood Victims in Iran Through the
Canadian Red Cross
Dear Members and Supporters of
the Iranian Canadian Congress,
The Canadian Red Cross has
accepted our request to launch
an emergency appeal to raise
donations for flood victims in
Iran. These donations will help
the Red Cross teams to
provide shelter, basic needs and
livelihood support in response
to this disaster in Iran.
Please follow these two
simple steps to help the flood
victims in Iran through the
Canadian Red Cross:
Simply use the form available
here on the website of the
Canadian Red Cross to donate to
the dedicated fund created for
helping the flood victims in
Iran. All your donations go
directly to the Canadian Red
Cross.
A group of members and
volunteers of the ICC have
created an independent,
non-profit and non-political
committee to help in reaching
out to the community and raising
donations for the Canadian
Red Cross Iran Floods Appeal.
Their aim is to help raise
$200,000 for the Canadian Red
Cross for the flood victims in
Iran. The long term goal of the
Iranian Canadian Aid Committee
(IC AID) is to establish a
network across Canada that can
mobilize our community to help
Iranians at times of need and
emergency such as natural
disasters. If you are interested
to join their team and help them
raise donations for the flood
victims, please visit their
website at ICAID.CA and
register through their sign up
page.
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2462.40sc
April 11, 2019
Here is the
official response we received from the Canadian
Red Cross to the request the ICC sent them for
opening an appeal to help the flood victims in
Iran.
At the request of the Iranian Canadian Congress
(ICC) and based on the international call for
assistance the Canadian Red Cross has launched
an appeal to assist the flood victims in Iran.
Please use the following page on the Red Cross
website to donate to them directly: www.redcross.ca/Iran/ICC
Here is the official response the ICC received
to its initial letter:
Dear Soudeh Ghasemi
On behalf of the Canadian Red Cross we thank you
for your time in contacting us regarding the
response to the flash floods in Iran. At this
time the Canadian Red Cross has opened a funding
appeal in response to the floods to assist the
individuals affected across Iran.
Currently the Iranian Red Crescent has been on
the forefront of relief efforts, with
approximately 17,000 responders assisting over
332,000 individuals and providing temporary
shelter to a further 160,000 people.
When an emergency is too severe for local
support systems to adequately respond, the
global Red Cross response can be quickly
activated. There are local volunteers being
mobilized across the areas affected by the
floods to support the needs of vulnerable
communities. The Red Cross and Red Crescent
movement is working to coordinate international
emergency relief efforts and get help to people
in affected areas as quickly as possible.
Canadians wishing to support those affected can
make a financial donation to the Iran Floods
appeal by visiting our website atwww.redcross.ca,
by calling 1-800-418-1111, or by contacting
their local Canadian Red Cross office. Funds
raised through this appeal will enabled the Red
Cross and Red Crescent to provide shelter, basic
needs and livelihood support in response to this
disaster.
In the event that any members of your
organization are searching for channels through
which to contact family members in Iran we have
provided the contact information for the
international committee of the Red Cross
restoring family links here below:
What
do I do if I’m looking for family members in the
affected area?
If the person you are trying to contact is a
Canadian citizen, please contact Foreign Affairs
Canada by calling 1-800-605-5499.
People who are looking for family members (who
are not Canadian citizens) who have been
displaced because of the flooding are encouraged
to visit the ICRC Family Links website at
We sincerely thank you and your organization
the Iranian Canadian Congress for their support
to the Canadian Red Cross. Should you have
further questions regarding this funding appeal
please do not hesitate to reach out directly
From: Iranian Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2019, 07:00:27 a.m. EDT
Subject: Reminder: Join the Iranian Canadian Aid
Committee
Dear Friends,
A group of members and
volunteers of the Iranian
Canadian Congress (ICC) have
established an independent,
non-profit and non-political
committee to help in reaching
out to the community and raising
donations for the Canadian Red
Cross Iran Floods Appeal. Their
aim is to help raise $200,000
for the Canadian Red Cross for
the flood victims in Iran. The
long term goal of the Iranian
Canadian Aid Committee (IC AID)
is to establish a network across
Canada that can mobilize our
community to help Iranians at
times of need and emergency such
as natural disasters. If you are
interested to join their team
and help them raise donations
for the flood victims, please
visit their website at ICAID.CA and
register through their sign up
page.
در صورتی که علاقمند به همراهی
برای جمع آوری کمک های بیشتر برای
سیل زدگان از طریق صلیب سرخ
کانادا هستید، از طریق لینک زیر
به کمیته مستقلی که برای این
منظور آغاز به کار کرده بپیوندید
http://www.icaid.ca
ICC: We Request the Government of Canada to Help Flood
Victims in Iran Through Canadian Red Cross
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2462.40sc
April 10, 2019
Here is a
letter from the ICC President Soudeh Ghasemi to
the Minister of International Development Maryam
Monsef:
The Canadian
Red Cross has accepted ICC's request and has
launched an appeal for flood victims in Iran.
The ICC has also requested the federal
government to help. Here is a letter from the
ICC President Soudeh Ghasemi to the Minister of
International Development Maryam Monsef
requesting the Government of Canada to help the
flood victims in Iran through the Canadian Red
Cross.
Request for Disaster Relief Fund to Help Flood
Victims in Iran
Dear
Honourable MaryamMonsef,
I am
contacting you on behalf of the Iranian
Canadian Congress (ICC) regarding the
ongoing floods in Iran.
Since
March 16 the flash rains have begun in Iran
initially in northern provinces and
continued the following days in other
provinces. At least 23 out of 31 provinces
across Iran are affected by heavy rainfall
and flooding, and about 1905 cities and
villages have been struggling with floods in
recent weeks. The disaster, which has so far
killed 70 people and injured at least 790
persons, has left aid agencies struggling to
cope; and forced 98,000 people to move to
emergency shelters. It is reported that
the flooding has caused landslides and swept
away bridges. Nearly 12,000 kilometers of
roads, which is more than a third of the
country's network have been damaged; leaving
some villages entirely cut off.
On
April 7th the International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
have started an emergency appeal seeking
support to help the Iranian Red Crescent
Society (IRCS) to provide shelter, basic
needs and protection to the victims of this
natural disaster, requesting 5.1 million
Swiss Francs funding to assist 30,000
households (150,000 people). Please find
attached a Copy
of The Emergency Appeal.
As
indicated in this report, “The first needs
assessment was conducted immediately after
the onset of the disaster, assisted by IRCS
helicopters and boats. IRCS evaluated
at-risk communities, which are sheltered in
public evacuation centers such as stadiums,
halls, and mosques.” Also, it is indicated
that “with technical support from the IFRC,
the IRCS will select affected people based
on the key principles of impartiality,
neutrality, and humanity. In addition, the
selection process will follow the Code of
Conduct guideline for the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Movement and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in
disaster relief”.
The
international community has responded to
this humanitarian crisis by sending
equipment and basic needs. So far German
Red Cross, and Turkish Red Crescent sent
special rescue equipment, tents, and basic
needs. Red Cross organizations in
neighboring countries such as Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan, as well as the United Kingdom
and the European Union have offered help.
Also, countries like Switzerland, France,
Kuwait, and Russia are joining the cause by
sending humanitarian aids and necessary
equipment.
We
sent aletter
to the Canadian Red Crossrequesting their
support to help the victims of this natural
disaster, by sending aid to provide basic
needs, shelter, and protection; and they are
currently exploring different options to
raise funds to help the victims. Considering
the fact that Canada is one of the leaders
in the international community for standing
up for human rights and offering
humanitarian aid, we request the Government
of Canada to provide immediate funds to help
disaster relief efforts and the flood
victims in Iran through the Canadian Red
Cross and the International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Iranian-Canadians have strong family ties in
Iran, and they have been anxiously following
the news about the floods on a daily basis
since the mark of the Persian New Year.
We at
the Iranian Canadian Congress have been
reached by many community members, who are
looking for ways to help their loved ones.
We appreciate the statement released by
Global Affairs Canada expressing solidarity
with Iranian people in these difficult
times. Iranian-Canadians hope their
government not only to sympathize with them
in their words but also in action. Such
action would be greatly welcomed and
appreciated by the people of Iran and by
over 300,000 Iranians across Canada.
You may find a comprehensive report by the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies attached. Meanwhile, should you
require additional information, we at the
Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) would be
more than happy to assist.
Please
do not hesitate to contact us if we can be
any help, and we truly appreciate your time
and consideration in advance.
Kind
regards,
Soudeh Ghasemi
President
Iranian Canadian
Congress
Tuesday April 9,
2019
April 08
ICC WEB
ICC Facebook
From: Iranian
Canadian Congress <info@iccongress.ca>
To: medi shams <medishams@rogers.com>
Sent: Monday, April 8, 2019, 02:24:23 p.m. EDT
Subject: ICC: Letter to the Canadian Red Cross
Dear Friends,
Here is a letter from the
ICC President Soudeh Ghasemi
to the Canadian Red Cross
requesting that they support
the flood victims in Iran:
متن درخواست کنگره
ایرانیان کانادا از صلیب سرخ
کانادا برای کمک به سیل زدگان در
ایران
Kind
Attention: Conrad Sauvé,
President of the
Canadian Red Cross
I am contacting you
on behalf of the
Iranian Canadian
Congress regarding
the ongoing floods
in Iran.
The flash rains
began on March 16 in
northern provinces
of Iran and
continued the
following days in
other provinces. At
least 23 out of 31
provinces across
Iran are affected by
heavy rainfall and
flooding, and about
1905 cities and
villages have been
struggling with
floods in recent
weeks. The disaster,
which has so far
killed 70 people and
injured at least 790
persons, has left
aid agencies
struggling to cope
and forced 98,000
people to move to
emergency shelters.
On April 7th the
International
Federation of Red
Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC)
have started an
Emergency Appeal
seeking support to
help the Iranian Red
Crescent Society (IRCS)
to provide shelter;
livelihoods and
basic needs to the
victims of this
natural disaster (Copy
of Emergency Appeal).
So far German Red
Cross, and Turkish
Red Crescent have
responded by sending
equipment and basic
needs. Other
countries like
Switzerland, France,
Kuwait are also
joining the cause by
sending humanitarian
aids, and necessary
equipment.
We would like to
ask the Canadian
Red Cross to
join the
International
Federation of
Red Cross and
Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC)
to help victims
of this natural
disaster. Based
on reports there
is a high
shortage of
emergency relief
facilities and
equipment in the
country, we
request that the
Canadian Red
Cross help the
victims, by
sending aid to
provide basic
needs, shelter,
and protection.
Also, there are
thousands of
Iranian-Canadians
who are looking
for ways to help
and at the
Iranian Canadian
Congress, we are
ready to help in
any way
possible. We are
ready to help in
promoting any
fundraising
appeal in our
community for
this cause. Such
action would be
greatly welcomed
and appreciated
not only by the
people of Iran
but also by over
300,000 Iranians
across Canada.
We appreciate
your time and
consideration in
advance.
ICC: We Request the Canadian Red Cross to Help Flood
Victims in Iran
posted by IRANIAN
CANADIAN CONGRESS | 2462.40sc
April 08, 2019
Here is a
letter from ICC President Soudeh Ghasemi to the
Canadian Red Cross:
Kind Attention:
Conrad Sauvé, President of the Canadian Red
Cross,
I
am contacting you on behalf of the
Iranian Canadian Congress regarding the
ongoing floods in Iran.
The flash rains began on March 16 in
northern provinces of Iran and continued
the following days in other provinces.
At least 23 out of 31 provinces across
Iran are affected by heavy rainfall and
flooding, and about 1905 cities and
villages have been struggling with
floods in recent weeks. The disaster,
which has so far killed 70 people and
injured at least 790 persons, has left
aid agencies struggling to cope and
forced 98,000 people to move to
emergency shelters. On April 7th the
International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have
started an Emergency Appeal seeking
support to help the Iranian Red Crescent
Society (IRCS) to provide shelter;
livelihoods and basic needs to the
victims of this natural disaster (Copy
of Emergency Appeal).
So far German Red Cross, and Turkish Red
Crescent have responded by sending
equipment and basic needs. Other
countries like Switzerland, France,
Kuwait are also joining the cause by
sending humanitarian aids, and necessary
equipment.
We would like to ask the Canadian
Red Cross to join the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help
victims of this natural disaster.
Based on reports there is a high
shortage of emergency relief
facilities and equipment in the
country, we request that the
Canadian Red Cross help the victims,
by sending aid to provide basic
needs, shelter, and protection.
Also, there are thousands of
Iranian-Canadians who are looking
for ways to help and at the Iranian
Canadian Congress, we are ready to
help in any way possible. We are
ready to help in promoting any
fundraising appeal in our community
for this cause. Such action would be
greatly welcomed and appreciated not
only by the people of Iran but also
by over 300,000 Iranians across
Canada.
We appreciate your time and
consideration in advance.
خواهشمندم به
مراتب زیر توجه
نموده و سریعن
اقدامات لازم را
به عمل آورید:
1- کناره
گیری فوری دو نفر
از کاندیداهای
انتخاباتی از
هییت مدیره.
- مطمئن شما هم
با من عقیده
هستید که حضور دو
تن از کاندیدا ها
در هییت مدیره
باعث بوجود آمدن
تضاد منافع و
نابرابری میان
کاندیدا ها خواهد
بود.
2- انتشار فوری
بیوگرافی های به
زبان فارسی
کاندیدا ها
- مطمئنن آگاه
میباشید که الزام
ارائه بیوگرافی
به زبان انگلیسی
جدیدن متداول شده
و غیر قانونی
میباشد. شاید
لازم به اثبات
نباشد که زبان
مورد استفاده در
مجمع عمومی زبان
رسمی یک نهاد
تلقی میشود، حتی
اگر این نهاد در
کانادا مشغول به
فعالیت است. در
ضمن آگاهی داریم
که در تمام
گردهمائی های
کنگره و جلسات
هییت مدیره زبان
مورد استفاده
فارسی میباشد. دو
مورد را نیز از
یاد نبریم که
بخشی از اعضای
کامیونیتی و
کنگره را
سالمندان و
افرادی که به
زبان انگلیسی
تسلط کافی ندارند
تشکیل میدهند.
حتمن شما هم به
خاطر دارید که در
مجمع عمومی های
سال های گذشته و
در جلسات مناظره
کاندیدا به عدم
سخنگوئی به زبان
فارسی اعتراض
هائی شده است.
عدم انتشار
بیوگرافی اینجانب
که به زبان فارسی
تنظیم شده است به
گونه ائی تعرض به
حقوق یکی از
کاندیدا بوده و
غیر قانونی
میباشد.
3- درخواست ارائه
مدارک بعد از
انتخابات و فقط
از کاندیداهای
موفق
متاسفانه با گذشت
زمان عدم اعتماد
در کنگره
ایرانیان که
بیشتر حاصل رفتار
های غیر قانونی و
تفرقه انگیز هییت
مدیره ها میباشند
در حال گسترش
است. شاهد هستیم
که اخیرن با
افزایش رفتار های
غیر قانونی، هییت
مدیره ها سعی
دارند با مته به
خشخاش گذاشتن و
به اصطلاح رعایت
مفاد اساسنامه به
گونه ائی تصویری
از قانونمندی خود
در اذهان عمومی
بوجود آورند.
اخیرن شاهد هستیم
که از کاندیدا ها
گواهی شهروندی و
گواهی عدم سوء
پیشینه درخواست
میشود. حتی اگر
اساسنامه را به
گونه ائی تلقی
کنیم که ارائه
این مدارک الزامی
میباشد، درخواست
آنها فقط از
کاندیدا هائی که
در انتخابات موفق
میگردند معقول تر
به نظر میاید.
خواهشمندم به این
نکته نیز توجه
شده و اقدامات
لازم به عمل آید.
4-
ممنوعیت شرکت در
انتخابات
کاندیدائی که قصد
دارد در انتخابات
پارلمانی شرکت
کند
از آنجائیکه هییت
مدیره بر خلاف
اساسنامه
انتخابات امسال
را یکماه زودتر
برگزار کرده و
قبل از تشکیل
هییت مدیره جدید
تصمیم گرفته است
که در انتخابات
استانی فعال
باشد، پذیرش
نامزدی یکی از
کاندیدا ها اگر
قصد داشته باشد
در انتخابات
استانی شرکت کند،
برخلاف اساسنامه
است. بخصوص که
یکی از اعضای
خانواده این فرد
در هییت مدیره
کنونی عضویت
داشته و کاندیدای
انتخاباتی سال
آینده کنگره نیز
میباشد. به نظر
میاید که این
افراد با کمک
هییت مدیره قصد
دارند که این
نهاد را به دفتر
کمپین انتخاباتی
مبدل سازند.
5- مجاز
بودن حضور افراد
غیر عضو در مجمع
عمومی به عنوان
ناظر
