Click here to watch a video for more information regarding Erin O'Toole's comments.

Mr. O’Toole,

I am writing you this email as the President of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC). 

Last week on June 20th, you stood in the House and attacked the Iranian Canadian Congress and the panel that we hosted on Iran-Canada relations. Specifically, you called us “a regime-friendly Iranian lobbying group.” 

The Iranian Canadian Congress is a grassroots, non-partisan, and non-religious Canadian organization which is supported by thousands of Iranian-Canadians across the country as their only voice in Canadian politics. Your characterization of the ICC as a foreign lobbying group is not only disingenuous, but also constitutes discrimination against Iranian-Canadians. Furthermore, to use your platform as a shadow Minister during Question Period to attack a community organization in this manner makes this incident doubly unacceptable. 

Despite your views, Iranian-Canadians are Canadians and deserve to have their voices heard in Parliament and elsewhere, including through parliamentary meetings. We therefore ask you to publicly retract your comments and apologize not only to the ICC, but also to the Iranian-Canadian community at large, in the form of a public letter posted on your social media channels. 

If you have any questions about our organization's activities and positions in the future, we ask you to approach us directly rather than directing accusations against us in our country's House of Commons. 

Sincerely,