Eight years and couple months ago, on Friday, September 7, 2012, the conservative government of Canada in a sudden and unilateral move, terminated the entire relations with Iran, and decided to close the Iranian Embassy in Canada, while closing its Embassy in Tehran. According to Canadian ex-foreign Minister John Byrd, the decision was made because Canadian Government recognizes Iran Government to be “the main threat” to global peace and security. It was claimed in various official statements, as well as in the official website of Canadian Government “the continuation of Iran’s nuclear activities, the hostile behavior of the Iranian Government towards its nation, in addition to neighboring countries, have been reasons for this decision.”
Meanwhile, the first statement suggested that Iran has demonstrated its disregard for the security issues of foreign diplomats inside the country, and stipulating: “Under these circumstances, Canada may not keep its diplomats in Tehran anymore, and diplomatic relations between Iran and Canada have been suspended.”
The statement of Canadian Government was issued on Sptember7, 2012, in this regard and the Government removed the infamous MEK sect from the Canadian terrorist list in the same month, on September 28, 2012 which many social activists believe this could not be randomly!
However, some Iranian-Canadians sent acknowledgment letter to the Harper administration in the same year, which today some of them stand in the direct line of opposition to the congressional board and some are actively present, intermediary.
The conservative Government was scandalously ousted in 2015, and Harper resigned by his own. Stephen Harper, published a full-page advertisement in the New York Times and officially acknowledged Donald Trump for his decision for withdrawing the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), on May, 11, 2018.
Harper attended in a meeting of MEK on July, 3, 2018, in Paris, and Donald Trump former adviser gave a speech in that meeting.
Although, for counterparts of the ex-foreign Minister in the conservative Government, Mr. John Byrd, maybe it wasn’t bad to remind him that adhering to prudence and taking moderate political decisions would make the Governments’ workbook more internationally acceptable and reasonable.
The question that arises in the audience’s mind is whether reducing ad limiting the level of diplomatic relations from Ambassador to Charge d’affaires, or even (at the discretion of conservative Government) to the lowest level, could not be a more appropriate and acceptable alternative to comprehensive, sudden and unilateral termination of diplomatic relations by the conservative Government of Canada?
Anyway, the unexpected political decision of conservative Government caused several problems and chaos for tens of thousands of Iranians who were deprived of consular services of the Iranian embassy.
Iranians who were forced to correspond or even refer to Iran’s political representatives in other countries to meet their own immediate consular needs, including matters related to Iranian passports, registration and issuance of infant identity cards, reissuance of identity cards and fulfillment of military service card, registration of marriage, divorce, death… and endorsement of power of attorney and educational licenses and assignment of conscripts which their jurisdiction outside of the country is assigned to state consular representatives.
The abuse of speculators and swindlers from this political chaos and people who consider their political beliefs above this need, can be added to this pain.
However, from a legal and international perspective, this is the function of Canadian lawyers to answer this question: can the decision which has exerted pernicious consequences for Iranian-Canadian citizens be consistent with Canadian charter of constitutional law?
In the world of politics, “illusion” is regarded as one of the diseases of politicians. In the other word, in political pathology distancing oneself from facts and making decisions behind closed doors and the limited intellectual horizons of politicians will lead to irreparable damages to the people.
In this regard, the next question that comes to mind is what has benefited the Iranian and Canadian people from this political action?
If the so-called “Canadian values at risk” was the cause of this unwise decision (the hasty termination of political relations with Iran) altogether, then why did Mr. Justin Trudeau -the leader of liberal party of Canada- in one of his election interviews state that if his related party gets into power, he will renew political relations between Ottawa and Tehran? On the other hand, why the new democratic influential party (NDP) did not agreed the hasty decision of conservative Government?
More straightly, have the other two major Canadian political parties really been indifferent to endangerment of “Canadian values” in this issue?
In the critics of politicians, little is said about the absurdity of political stubbornness. Even, during the last months of conservative Government, the Canadian Prime Minister announced that if E3/EU+3 achieve an agreement with Iran, Canada will not return through the sanctions imposed on Iran.
At that time, Mr. Dominic LeBlanc a member of Mr. Trudeau’s liberal party, challenged Mr. Harper’s “Hyper-Partisan” point of view on June 25, 2015, calling it “ridiculous and childish”.
In addition to unfamiliar diplomatic activities of Canadian Government in recent years, some sections of Canadian sanctions against Iran have been adjusted unilaterally and with no elaboration.
For instance, in sanction regulations against Iran, it was stipulated that if an Iranian needs legal services in Canada, he or she can transfer the fee, the contrary is not allowed. In the other word, if an Iranian tend to transfer cash for his/her lawyer in Canada, it is out of the scope of Canadian sanctions (allowed), but if a Canadian or a resident Iranian in Canada tend to transfer cash to his/her lawyer in Iran in order to resolve legal problems, it is not allowed and they should stay in the long-line of taking “special license”.
This is the unfamiliar clause of sanctions that actually makes the Canada the haven for embezzlers; and the lack of embassy on one hand, as well as the one-way economy road to transfer money into the Canada, has created a new kind of sanctions in the world, which is valid until today date, February, 27, 2021.
Justin Trudeau, told a news conference in Toronto Star on December, 2, 2016, about the Canadian-Iranian relation that his Government is working on Canadian embassy reopening in Tehran.
Although, just after a while, on January, 2017, news was heard indicating the pressure of Trump administration on Trudeau, and Iran-Canada relation was one of the agendas of the first official meeting between Trump and Trudeau, on February, 13, 2017. The NAFTA convention was appeared to be a significant focus of tension which deviated Canada from independence in decision-making!
But now, in February, 2021, good news is heard. For example, the meeting of Canadian Consul General on February, 23, 2021, related to the renewal of diplomatic relations with Iran, Iranian-Canadian and Iranian-American guests were invited to this webinar. There were also questions and responses proposed.
On the other hand, the Iranian council of Canada with registered name of Iranian-Canadian congress held its election on December, 2020, as well, and the group that promised to work together to reestablish the relations, was elected by a majority of votes. However, this group needs to stay away from the margins and do not hard trying to get the consent of its dissenting votes! Rather remember that they won the majority of votes due to collaboration in promises they made on the platform.
In the end
It is not clear for the author that when the Canadian Government Hibernation on these issues will end up, but it is believed that the relatively young country of Canada and its nation have always been known for their friendship and respect to the other nations and cultures, and other nations of the world do not attribute unwise political decisions of an Canadian party to the entire Canadian nation.
By: Mohammad Raad