Introduction of AGM candidate Reza Namdari
Reza Namdari is an entrepreneur and leads a construction management firm in Montreal. Born in 1984 in Tehran, he completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Science and Technology. During his studies, he has led various students’ union initiatives and was involved in student-led publications.
Reza Namdari immigrated to Canada in 2008 and completed his Master’s degree in Construction Management at Concordia University. He has been a member of the Iranian Canadian Congress since 2018 and has helped the ICC as a volunteer in Montreal. Reza was of the first members of the ICC volunteer team in Montreal. The aim of this local team is to expand the organization’s presence in Quebec in general and in Montreal in particular.
Working for peace and opposing any sanctions and discrimination against the Iranian people will be some of his priorities if elected as a board member of the Iranian Canadian Congress.
رضا نامداری در زمینه حرفه ای یک کارآفرین است و در رشته مدیریت پروژه های ساختمانی در مونترال کانادا کار میکند.
رضا متولد سال 1984 میلادی در تهران است. تحصیلات کارشناسی خود را در رشته مهندسی عمران در دانشگاه علم و صنعت گذرانده و در حین تحصیل، فعالیت های مختلف صنفی، دانشجویی و مطبوعاتی را در این دانشگاه انجام داده است. رضا نامداری از سال 2008 به کانادا مهاجرت کرد و تحصیلات کارشناسی ارشد خود را در سال 2010 در دانشگاه کنکوردیا در رشته مدیریت پروژه های ساختمانی به پایان برد.
وی از سال 2018 به عضویت کنگره ایرانیان کانادا درآمده و یکی از پایه گذاران اولین گروه داوطلبان کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در شهر مونترال بوده است.
فعالیت برای صلح و مخالفت با هرگونه تحریم و تبعیض علیه ایرانیان، از اولویت های فعالیت های او در صورت انتخاب به عنوان یکی از اعضای هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا خواهد بود. رضا تبعیض علیه ایرانیان را یکی از مشکلات اساسی جامعه ما میداند که به اشکال مختلف شهروندان ایرانی-کانادایی با آن روبرو هستند. وی اعتقاد دارد کنگره ایرانیان کانادا باید نقش کلیدی در جهت آگاهی رسانی درباره تبعیض علیه ایرانیان و مبارزه با آن ایفا کند.
ICC AGM nominations
The nomination window for the upcoming ICC election was closed on December 6, 2021 at 11:59 pm ET. The ICC has received emails from the following individuals (ordered alphabetically):
- Mr. Daniel (Mohammad) Bagheri Sarvestani: Mr. Sarvestani has provided all documents requested in the nomination announcement. While he is currently an ICC member, upon reviewing his membership history, it was realized that he does not meet the nomination criterion of being a regular member with “good standing for at least one year prior to the election” as outlined in the by-laws.
- Mr. Reza (AbdolReza) Namdari: Mr. Namdari has provided all documents requested in the nomination announcement and has been a member in good standing for the past year.
- Mr. Medi (Mehdi) Shams: Upon reviewing Mr. Shams membership history, it was realized that his membership was expired in June 2021, and he has not renewed his membership since then. Thus, he is currently not a member of the ICC and does not meet the nomination criteria as outlined in the ICC by-laws. Also, Mr. Shams did not provide a picture of a government-issued ID, as requested in the nomination announcement and did not respond to a follow-up email asking him to submit this document.
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Mr. Mohammad VahidiRad: Mr. Vahidirad has provided all documents requested in the nomination announcement. While he is currently an ICC member, upon reviewing his membership history, it was realized that he does not meet the nomination criterion of being a regular member with “good standing for at least one year prior to the election” as outlined in the by-laws.
According to the ICC by-laws, candidates, who do not meet the criterion of being a regular member with good standing for at least one year prior to the election, can request for an exemption from the members. To facilitate such a request, members will be asked if they are in favour of granting such an exemption in this election on the election ballot. If approved by the members, candidates who are an ICC member but do not meet the 1-year requirement, i.e. Mr. Sarvestani and Mr. VahidiRad, will be exempted, and if elected, can serve as an ICC director.
Having said the above, the following three candidates will run for the upcoming ICC election (ordered alphabetically):
- Mr. Daniel Bagheri Sarvestani
- Mr. Reza Namdari
- Mr. Mohammad VahidiRad
The ICC election committee
Motion to modify article 1 of ICC's bylaws
Motion proposed by Organizational Structure Committee to modify article 1 of the By-laws of The Iranian Canadian Congress .
These changes are proposed after several meetings and discussions and are approved by Board of Directors to be presented at the AGM.
This version of article 1 will be presented as a motion to ICC members at AGM on 22nd of December 2021 for their approval.
Read moreICC Election Committee, Correction of the nomination date, and other AGM updates
As communicated previously with you, the next ICC annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on December 22 from 8 pm to 10 pm ET (5 pm to 7 pm PT) through a videoconferencing platform. Please note that only ICC members who have joined/renewed their membership by December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET will be entitled to attend the upcoming AGM and vote in the election.
Here, we like to provide the following updates on the upcoming ICC election and AGM:
- First, we like to correct the nomination deadline from December 1, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET to December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET.
- In the upcoming election, members will choose two new board members. The election will be held online, starting and ending prior to the AGM. Members will receive a link through email to participate in the election after December 6. Election results will be announced in the AGM.
- The ICC board of directors has selected an election committee, consisting of three ICC members, to oversee the election process. These individuals are: Ms. Afsaneh Kefayati, Mr. Habib Ghaffari, and Mr. Reza Sohrabi.
- Instructions to register for the AGM will be shared with the members after December 6. Registered members will receive a link to participate in the AGM.
- The organizational structure committee has proposed changes to the by-laws. These changes have been approved by the board of directors and will be put for the members vote. In addition, the board of directors are currently working on finding a practical and effective way for submitting motions by the members. Further updates on how members can submit their motions as well as voting on them and the proposed by-laws changes will be provided in future communications.
Stay tuned for further updates on the upcoming ICC election and AGM!
Iranian Canadian Congress
بایدها و نبایدهای مهاجرتی
Upcoming ICC AGM and Invitations to Nominations
The ICC board of directors is pleased to announce that the next ICC annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on December 22 from 8 pm to 10 pm ET (5 pm to 7 pm PT). The meeting will be held on a videoconferencing platform.
An online election will also be held for the available seats in the ICC board of directors. We encourage all interested members to consult with Section 2 of Article 5 of the ICC by-laws for nomination eligibility, and if eligible, declare their nomination by sending an email to [email protected]. The deadline for sending nomination emails is December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET. The email must include and attach the following:
- A confirmation by the nominee that he or she has nominated himself or herself, or that he or she has been nominated by others and has accepted such nomination, for election to the ICC board of directors;
- A confirmation by the nominee that he/she meets the eligibility criteria, as set out in Section 2 of Article 5 of the ICC by-laws;
- A government-issued ID; and
- A synopsis of the nominee’s background/biographical sketch and the reasons they wish to serve as a director on the ICC board of directors (maximum 300 words in English. Farsi is optional. This information is to be provided in a MS Word or pdf file format). A passport size photo of the nominee in digital format is also optional. Information and the photograph provided by the nominees will be posted on the ICC website.
Please note that only ICC members who have joined/renewed their membership by December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET will be entitled to attend the upcoming AGM and vote in the election. For any membership questions, you may contact [email protected].
Further details such as instructions to register for attending the AGM, and the link for online voting as well as the AGM videoconferencing will be shared with the members in future communications.
Call for the third Stage of Art Project 1400: Roots, Culture, and Communal healing/Resilience Building
The Announcement of Launching the Third Stage of Art Project 1400: Roots, Culture, and Communal healing/Resilience Building
The Iranian Canadian Congress is proud to announce the launch of the third stage of its Art Project 1400 on December 21, synchronous with the Persian celebration of winter solstice, a long-lasting Persian tradition, Shab-e-Yalda. Our project is about communal healing and Shab-e-Yalda which is the darkest and longest night of the year can symbolically be considered as an occasion in which the Persian families come together for support, healing, and building community resilience to face the longest and darkest night. It is the time for gathering in unity and solidarity and looking forward to a new beginning when the darkness fades out and the brightness of light fades in.
Read morePositioning Principles at Iranian Canadian Congress
Positioning Principles at Iranian Canadian Congress
The mission of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is to advance the interests and well-being of Iranian-Canadians. Some have tried in the past to use ICC to pursue aggressive political goals that are inconsistent with this supportive role. Such past efforts were possibly the cause of hesitancy to join ICC for many Iranian-Canadians who do not intend to participate in aggressive political efforts.
Read more
Increase of membership fee as of November 20th, 2021
ICC Concerned of Iranian Canadians Denied Entrance to the US
The Iranian Canadian Congress has received reports of dual Iranian Canadian citizens being denied entrance to the United States. We have obtained a report written by the American Immigration Lawyers Association on the heightened scrutiny of individuals of Iranian descent at the US border. According to this document, completing mandatory military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) can result in inadmissibility to the US under INA 212(a)(3)(B) for having been involved in terrorist activities. Further, the document states that in some cases, the inadmissibility to the US was even extended to the family members (e.g. a spouse) or those who served in other branches of the Iranian military. The document adds that non-US immigrants with IRGC military service should be advised of the high likelihood of being denied admission by the US Customs and Border Protection and returned to their port of origin.
The ICC is concerned by the findings of this report as many Iranian Canadian males can be potentially affected by the described actions of the US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security.
If you are a dual Iranian Canadian citizen and have been denied entry to the United States in recent months, please fill this form.