Ottawa, Ontario
As the people of Iran continue to stand up and demand their rights, Canada stands with them. The Iranian regime's brutal repression of these demonstrations - killing, beating, and arresting protesters - once again makes clear its blatant disregard for human rights. As the Iranian people continue to press their government and hold it accountable, the Government of Canada is taking action to prevent senior members of the Iranian regime from finding safe haven in Canada.
The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, today announced that Canada has designated the Islamic Republic of Iran as a regime that has engaged in terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations. This means that tens of thousands of senior members of the Iranian regime, including many members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are now inadmissible to Canada.
The designation of the Iranian regime is pursuant to subparagraph 35(1)(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and applies to those who were senior officials at anytime from November 15, 2019, onwards. The list of senior officials encompass a wide array of individuals in a regime that has perpetrated crimes against the people of Iran and other nations. It includes: heads of state, members of the Cabinet, ambassadors, senior diplomats, members of the judiciary, senior military and intelligence officials and senior public servants. In addition to being banned from entering Canada, current and former senior officials present here may be investigated and removed from the country.
This designation is one element of the Government of Canada's broader efforts to hold the Iranian regime and the IRGC accountable for their crimes. The government has also announced sanctions against Iranian nationals under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA). Iranian nationals sanctioned on grounds of gross human rights violations are inadmissible to Canada. Finally, a legislative change currently before Parliament (Bill S-8) would render all individuals sanctioned under such measures automatically inadmissible to Canada.
Canada will continue to work in lockstep with our partners, including the US, UK and Europe and use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to respond to the Iranian regime's aggressions, whether in Iran or abroad.
