President of Iranian Canadian Congress, Dr. Saïdeh Khadir, has sent a letter to Premier of BC David Eby to call for urgent Support for Justice and Accountability in the Case of Amir Sedghi's Tragic Death:

Dear Premier Eby, 

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I am writing to you today regarding a grieving family and to seek your compassionate support in pursuing justice and accountability for a profound injustice that has befallen them. https://intheirname.ca/our-stories/amir/ 

Amir Sedghi, a talented and promising young man with a bright future, tragically lost his life in a plane crash while at work. As a dedicated data analyst, he was capturing crucial aerial images of ongoing underground wildfires using a unique technological approach. Regrettably, the plane he was operating encountered technical difficulties that could have been prevented, leading to the fatal accident. 

Amidst the sorrow and grief that the Sedghi family has endured, they have discovered that their pursuit of justice and compensation is hindered by an archaic death legislation that has remained unaltered since its inception in 1846. This outdated law fails to acknowledge the immeasurable value of a young life lost, denying the family the right to seek restitution or to hold the parties responsible for their negligence. 

The Sedghi family's profound sense of injustice is shared by many within our community who believe that the law should adapt to the evolving needs of our society. Considering this tragic incident and the ongoing impact it continues to have on the family, I implore you to support their plea for justice by championing the reform of British Columbia's death law. 

We must ensure that no other family suffers the same indignity and disregard for their loved ones' lives. By modernizing the legislation surrounding death compensation, we can provide a path for accountability, and support this grieving family in their pursuit of justice. The Sedghi family's case is a poignant reminder that our laws must reflect the values of fairness, compassion, and empathy that define our great nation. 

I kindly request that you use your esteemed position and influence to address this pressing matter promptly. Your support in advocating for the reform of BC's death law will not only provide solace to the Sedghi family but also demonstrate your commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of all British Columbians. 

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I remain hopeful that you will take the necessary steps to address the injustice faced by the Sedghi family and work towards creating a more just and equitable society. 

Yours sincerely, 

Dr. Saïdeh Khadir, M.D. 

President, 

Iranian Canadian Congress  

CC:

Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources Canada

Honourable Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness of British Columbia 

The Iranian Canadian Congress strongly condemns the harassment of women in the workplace and call on the relevant authorities to take immediate action to prevent such reprehensible acts. Harassment is a violation of women's fundamental rights, affecting both their mental and physical health, and it is our duty to stand together to end it. 

In the current context, we are dismayed to learn of reported dismissal of a police officer of Iranian origin who claims to have been the victim of harassment on several occasions in the course of her work. This case and the case of other officers who had similar complaints in 2020, highlight the urgent need to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for all women, regardless of background or profession. 

It is imperative that the authorities take preventive measures to educate and sensitize employees, employers and colleagues on the devastating consequences of harassment. Strict policies must be put in place, accompanied by regular and mandatory training in respecting fundamental rights and the fight against harassment. 

 In addition, we urge the authorities to pay special attention to the situation of women who have been victims of harassment in their professional environment. It is essential to provide them with adequate support, both legal and emotional, in order to help them obtain justice. This requires the establishment of secure and confidential reporting mechanisms, independent rigorous and impartial investigations, as well as appropriate sanctions against harassers. 

The recovery of the mental and physical health of the victims is an essential step in this process. We therefore encourage the authorities to put in place specialized support programs, including access to mental health professionals, legal advice and assistance with professional reintegration. 

Together we must work to eliminate harassment of women in the workplace. Only by creating respectful, egalitarian and safe environments can we ensure the development and full participation of women in all aspects of society. 

We therefore call upon the authorities, employers, workers and all citizens to mobilize against harassment in the workplace. By acting collectively, we can create lasting change and build a future where every woman is free to work without fear or discrimination. 

Iranian Canadian Congress 

The Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) held its first official post-AGM2023 meeting on Tuesday April 18th, 2023. The board discussed administrative matters related to the transition of documents and records from the former directors and also appointed new executive officers and department chairs. The following appointments were unanimously approved by the Board:

President: Dr. Arezou Khadir
Vice-President: Mona Ghasemi
Treasurer: Mohammad Vahidi Rad
Secretary: Dr. Amirhassan Ghassemi Tafreshi

Co-Chairs of the Administration and Finance Department: Dr. Arezou Khadir, Mona Ghasemi

Chair of the Policy Department: Dr. Amirhassan Ghassemi Tafreshi

Chair of the Culture Department: Asoudeh Novin

Co-Chairs of the Public Relations Department: Dr. Arezou Khadir, Mona Ghasemi

Chair of the Culture Department: Asoudeh Novin

Chair of the Service Committee: Daniel Sarvestani

Chair of the Mental Health Committee: Dr. Raheleh Tarani

Chair of the Research & Education Committee: Mona Borghei

Chair of the Organizational Structure Committee: Reza Namdari

Chair of the Communication policy Committee: Dr. Amirhassan Ghassemi Tafreshi

Chair of the Content Development Committee: Mohammad Vahidi Rad

Chair of the Cyberspace Committee: Reza Namdari

ICC Annual General Meeting AGM 2023 Recording

ویدیوی کامل جلسه مجمع عمومی سال 2023 کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

https://youtu.be/z5dUxx46By0

The election committee announced the following new Board of directors have been elected for a period of two years: 

1. Ms. Mona Borghei
2. Mr. Amirhassan Ghasseminejad-Tafreshi
3. Ms.Mona Ghassemi
4. Ms.Arezou Khadir
5. Ms. Asoudeh Novin
6. Ms. Raheleh Tarani
7. Mr. Mohammad VahidiRad

The upcoming Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) annual general meeting (AGM 2023) will be held online on April 9, 2023, at 1:00 pm ET. A video call link to attend the meeting will be shared with the members through email in future communication. The agenda of the meeting is as follows:  

• Call to order  
• President’s report  
• Treasurer’s report and review of the 2022 financial statement
• Q&A   
• Announcement of the board election results    
• Adjournment  

Please note that an election is also held for the seven available seats on the board of directors of the ICC. The election will be held by online voting which has started on Sunday April 2nd, 2023 and will end on April 9th, 2023, at 2:00 pm. The election will be conducted through a platform called Electionbuddy and you have received an email from Electionbuddy with instructions for voting.   

The nomination window for the upcoming election was closed on March 23rd, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET and the following candidates (ordered alphabetically) will run for the upcoming election:  

• 1. Ms. Mona Borghei
  2. Mr. Amirhassan Ghasseminejad-Tafreshi
  3. Ms.Mona Ghassemi
  4. Ms.Arezou Khadir
  5. Ms. Asoudeh Novin
  6. Ms. Raheleh Tarani
  7. Mr. Mohammad VahidiRad

You can find information about the candidates by visiting the above links as well as watching this introduction video.  

Thank you for being a valued member of the ICC.  

Iranian Canadian Congress
http://www.iccongress.ca/

ویدیوی کامل جلسه معرفی نامزدهای هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا برای مجمع عمومی سال 2023 در تاریخ یکشنبه 2 آوریل

https://youtu.be/p453fpY9-HE

اکثریت اعضای هیات مدیره کنونی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در انتخاباتی که آزادترین، دموکراتیک ترین و گران‌ترین انتخابات یک نهاد اجتماعی در جامعه ایرانی کانادایی بود و تحت نظارت قاضی بی طرف کانادایی برگزار میشد، انتخاب شده اند. 

اما در طی دوسال گذشته،‌ گروهی با انگیزه های سیاسی از طریق انتشار انواع اتهامات و اخبار بی اساس در حال گمراه کردن اعضای جامعه نسبت به این نهاد بوده اند. اکنون این گروه با زیر پا گذاشتن اصول دموکراتیک، خواهان تعیین تکلیف دستوری برای کنگره ایرانیان کانادا شده اند. غافل از این که عضویت در این نهاد برای عموم باز و غیرگزینشی بوده و تک تک اعضا با داشتن حق رای مساوی در انتخاب اعضای هیات مدیره و تعیین سرنوشت و جهت‌گیری کنگره نقش بازی می‌کنند. 

هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا ضمن رد تمامی موارد مطرح شده به اطلاع میرساند که کنگره ایرانیان کانادا یک نهاد کاملا عضو محور با شیوه ای کاملا دموکراتیک بوده و در چهارچوب اساسنامه خود فعالیت می کند. عملکرد کنگره در راستای خدمت به جامعه ایرانی  کانادایی در سال های اخیر، از جمله فعالیت هایش در حمایت از دادخواهی خانواده های قربانیان پرواز اوکراینی، بیش ازهر چیزی گویای رویکرد هیات مدیره کنگره است،‌ نه فرضیات و ادعاهای بی پایه.   

اکنون نیز جمعی از اعضای کنگره ایرانیان کانادا برای عضویت در هیات مدیره این نهاد داوطلب شده اند و روند انتخابات این سازمان مطابق اساسنامه و قوانین، به دموکراتیک ترین روش و بر طبق روند سالیان گذشته برگزار خواهد شد.   

لذا افراد امضا کننده بیانیه منتشر شده را دعوت به احترام به اصول دموکراتیک و آرامش کرده و برای تمامی اعضای جامعه ایرانی کانادایی آرزوی سربلندی و موفقیت داریم. 

هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا 

Mona Borghei is a Montessori teacher in Victoria British Colombia. 

Mona graduated from Allmeh Tabatabai University with a Major in Persian Literature, which was her passion. She worked as an editor at Amir Kabir publishing institute for a few years and worked at different schools as a teacher.

Mona immigrated to Canada in 2008. She decided to follow her dream of working with young children and obtained a certificate in Early Childhood Education in Montessori.

Mona loves children and believes that children and young people can make big changes not just in their communities but also globally. Children are the only hope for humanity to secure a better future.

As an Iranian-Canadian who has dedicated her professional life to educating children and building a better future, Mona strives to help Iranian Canadian children stay connected to their cultural roots and work toward a better and brighter future.  

منا برقعی معلم  مونتسوری در ویکتوریا کانادا است.

همیشه عاشق فرهنگ و ادبیات فارسی بود و تصمیم گرفت این علاقه را در دانشگاه دنبال کند. بعد از فارغ التحصیلی از دانشگاه علامه طباطبایی، در انتشارات امیرکبیربه عنوان ویراستارمشغول به کار شد.  همزمان تدریس در مقاطع مختلف آموزشی را دنبال کرد.

در سال 2008 به کانادا مهاجرت کرد و از آن زمان، با اشتیاق کار با کودکان را انتخاب کرد.

 کودکان را تنها سرمایه و راه نجات بشریت در آینده  می داند و معتقد است که با آموزش ارزش های انسانی و تمرین آن ها در دوران خردسالی، شاهد آینده ای زیبا ترخواهیم بود.

کودکان مهاجر ایرانی پلی میان فرهنگ ایران و کانادا هستند.منا به عنوان یک ایرانی کانادایی که زندگی حرفه ای خود را به آموزش کودکان اختصاص داده است امیدوار است که بتواند در زمینه رفع مشکلات خانواده های ایرانی و دشواری هایی که تفاوت های فرهنگی ایجاد می کنند، گام های سازنده ای بردارد تا کودکان ایرانی با حفظ ریشه های فرهنگی بتوانند آینده روشنی در پیش رو داشته باشند.

I, Amir-hassan Ghaseminejad-Tafreshi, am a faculty member at School of Business at Capilano University. I have taught News Media, the Public, and Democracy, Political Communication, as well as research methods courses at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and computer science, machine learning, and business courses at other universities. 

As a researcher at SFU, I have developed statistical and process models of criminal justice system, have participated in healthcare modeling; and have researched the impact of broadband Internet on rural and remote communities in BC. My publications are about society and technology interrelationships, voting systems, citizen engagement in democracy, media effects, modeling social systems, science and technology studies, and high dimensional data analysis. I received my PhD from the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology at SFU in 2019. I have a Master’s in Computer Hardware, and a Bachelor’s in Electronics, both from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology. 

My civic engagement includes public lectures on the theories and practices of democracy for Canadian and Iranian communities in Vancouver, and I have advocated for proportional representation as the voting system in BC.  

I believe in seeking win-win solutions in international rivalries among regional powers and superpowers, and the formation of closer economic relations while respecting and understanding social realities through establishment of closer economic and cultural interchange. Use of diplomacy (instead of coercion) encourages solidarity, peace, fairness, and integration. I advocate this strategy as the moral path to solve the injustices within societies and worldwide. I believe that expansionism of military blocs and use force in the multipolar world that is being formed can have undesirable consequences of separation of inhabitants of this tiny planet, reduction in peaceful production, and a decline in cooperation among the humanity to solve fundamental challenges we face. 

While creating an environment of intimidation and threat has been used by various political players to silence the diversity of opinion, freedom of expression is one of the fundamental requirements of democratic discourse in a healthy public sphere. I believe that observations during the past year have shown that one of the most urgent roles ICC should play for Iranian-Canadian community is to provide the missing platform for practicing peaceful, respectful, realistic, and rational dialog among the community members with diverse ideological goals.  

I believe, as a Canadian, I should not invite other countries to interfere with Canada's political affairs; and as an Iranian, I should not invite other countries to interfere in Iran’s political affairs. The Iranian Canadian Congress, which is a Canadian institution, must protect the interests of Canadian Iranians and try to facilitate their performance, and solve their problems, in Canada. Given that the names of the members of the congress are public and that ICC is not registered as a political organization, it should remain non-partisan regarding political issues within Iran or Canada; and let the political institutions pursue those endeavors.