On Nov 29, 2018 Shahrvand weekly paper published a defamatory report by Shahram Tabe Mohammadi. This report includes defamatory and baseless accusations against the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) and other hardworking volunteers and activists who support peace and diplomacy with Iran and advocate against Trump's sanctions on Iran. Since the author was reporting these accusations as a result of his meeting with the NDP Foreign Affairs Critic MP Hélène Laverdière in Montreal, the ICC Vice President Pouyan Tabasinejad and MP Laverdière's office discussed the matter on Friday and MP Laverdière personally sent an email to Pouyan Tabasinejad later during the day on Friday Nov 30, 2018.

Unfortunately Shahrvand Publications has a reputation of publishing defamatory reports and articles about hard working members of the Iranian-Canadian community and against the ICC. In previous occasions, Shahrvand even refused to publish responses to the accusations against us. We have sent the original response from MP Hélène Laverdière to Shahrvand and asked them to follow basic standards of ethics and publish it immediately. 

Here is the complete email from the NDP Foreign Affairs Critic MP Hélène Laverdière to the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC):

هلن لوردیر: من به هیات مدیره و اعضای کنگره ایرانیان کانادا اطمینان میدهم که نظرات مطرح شده در مقاله (نوشته شهرام تابع محمدی در شهروند) به هیچ عنوان بیانگر نظر من یا حزب نیو دموکرات نیست

من و همکارانم خواهان ادامه همکاری با کنگره ایرانیان کانادا هستیم

ما به تلاش خود و فشار به دولت کانادا برای تجدید رابطه دیپلماتیک با ایران ادامه میدهیم تا راهی برای تشویق اصلاحات و یافتن راه حل های سیاسی برای اختلافات دو کشور ایجاد شود 

Dear Pouyan,

I am writing to you to address the concerns regarding the online article published in Shahrvand, written by Shahram Tabe.

I was asked to take a meeting by a constituent in Montreal, and so I met with Mr. Tabe in Montreal on November 17. I accepted the meeting under the auspice of learning more about the Iranian Canadian community. It was never my understanding that this meeting would result in the publication of an article about our meeting.

I want to strongly reassure the board and members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) that the opinions expressed in this article in no way reflect my views, or the views of the NDP.

My colleagues and I absolutely wish to continue our work with the ICC. New Democrats stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Iran in their aspirations for freedom, peace, democracy and the rule of a just law. We will continue to stand with them and speak out when their voices are unfairly silenced. We will continue to push the Canadian government to restore diplomatic relations with Iran, in order to provide a foundation for encouraging reforms and the finding of political solutions to address disagreements between our countries. Condemnations of the Iranian regime cannot replace a strong diplomacy.

I understand that the article also makes accusations against members of the ICC who have run as NDP candidates federally and provincially. Again, I cannot express strongly enough that this article does not represent the views of the NDP. The views expressed in the article about NDP candidates are the author’s views and his views alone.

You are all welcomed members of the New Democratic Party of Canada. I am honoured to stand with you and work with you for democracy, peace and justice.

Sincerely,

Hélène Laverdière

MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie