The Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) held its first official post-AGM2025 meeting on Sunday May 19th, 2025. 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: Mona Ghasemi
Vice-President: Mona Borghei
Treasurer: Manizheh Babaei
Secretary: Mahdi Ghamari

Co-Chairs of the Administration and Finance Department: Mona Ghasemi, Mona Borghei

Co-Chairs of the Communication and Public Relations Department: Mona Ghasemi, Mona Borghei

Co-Chairs of the Policy Department: Mahdi Ghamari, Asoudeh Novin

Co-Chairs of the Culture Department: Asoudeh Novin, Manizheh Babaei

Co-Chairs of the Public Relations Department: Mona Ghasemi, Mona Borghei

Chair of the Service Committee: Daniel Bagheri

Co-Chairs of the Mental Health Committee: Dr. Raheleh Tarani, Mona Borghei

Chair of the Research & Education Committee: Daniel Bagheri

Co-Chairs of the Communication policy Committee: Mona Borghei, Asoudeh Novin

Co-Chairs of the Organization of Communications & Content Development Committee: Manizheh Babaei, Dr. Arghavan Emami

Chair of the Public Relation Activities & Cyberspace Committee: Mahdi Ghamari

Chair of the Women's Committee: Shila Doaee

Iranian Canadian Congress Calls for Independent Foreign Policy; Receives Response from Prime Minister’s Office

The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) has urged the federal government to adopt a more independent and balanced foreign policy, outlining its position in a formal letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney. The letter, dated March 24, 2025, was sent shortly after Carney assumed office, and included three key recommendations aimed at enhancing Canada’s diplomatic stance and global credibility.

In the letter, ICC President Dr. Saideh Khadir congratulated Mark Carney on his election and emphasized the importance of a foreign policy that reflects justice, inclusivity, and peace. The Congress made the following recommendations:

 1. Reassessment of Policies Affecting Individuals with Mandatory IRGC Service: ICC urged the federal government to re-evaluate policies that may unfairly penalize Iranian Canadians who were compelled to serve in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) due to mandatory conscription in Iran, emphasizing that such service is often unavoidable and not reflective of individual ideology.

 2. Reestablishment of Consular Services with Iran: The ICC called for restoring diplomatic channels between Canada and Iran, noting that the lack of consular services since 2012 hampers engagement and support for Canadian citizens abroad.

 3. Unbiased Position on the Israel-Palestine Conflict: The organization advocated for Canada to adopt a principled, neutral stance to promote lasting peace in the Middle East and strengthen Canada’s role as an impartial global mediator.

The Office of the Prime Minister responded on April 2, 2025, with Executive Correspondence Officer A. Opalick acknowledging receipt of the letter. Opalick confirmed that Prime Minister Carney appreciated the ICC’s congratulations and the thoughtful input offered. Furthermore, the correspondence was forwarded to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, for further review and consideration.

The ICC welcomes the acknowledgment, stating that engagement with the government on these matters is a positive step toward ensuring that Canada’s foreign policy reflects both Canadian values and the diverse perspectives of its citizens.

The exchange highlights growing calls within diaspora communities for Canada to re-examine its international approach and underscores the role civic organizations play in shaping national policy discourse.

کنگره ایرانیان کانادا خواستار سیاست خارجی مستقل شد؛ پاسخ نخست‌وزیر دریافت شد.

کنگره ایرانیان کانادا (ICC) در نامه‌ای رسمی خطاب به نخست‌وزیر مارک کارنی، از دولت فدرال خواست تا سیاست خارجی مستقل‌تر و متعادل‌تری را در پیش گیرد. این نامه که در تاریخ ۲۴ مارس ۲۰۲۵ ارسال شده، تنها چند روز پس از آغاز به کار نخست‌وزیر جدید نگاشته شده و شامل سه پیشنهاد کلیدی برای تقویت جایگاه دیپلماتیک کانادا در سطح جهانی است.

در این نامه، دکتر آرزو خدیر، رئیس کنگره ایرانیان کانادا، ضمن تبریک به نخست‌وزیر کارنی بابت انتخابش، بر اهمیت اتخاذ سیاست خارجی مبتنی بر عدالت، شمول‌گرایی و صلح تأکید کرده است. سه پیشنهاد اصلی مطرح‌شده عبارتند از:

۱. بازنگری در سیاست‌های مربوط به افراد دارای خدمت اجباری در سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی (IRGC): کنگره خواستار بازبینی سیاست‌هایی شد که ممکن است به ناحق ایرانیانی را که به‌صورت اجباری در سپاه خدمت کرده‌اند، متضرر کند. این نامه تأکید دارد که خدمت در ایران اجباری است و بسیاری از افراد در انتخاب محل خدمت خود اختیاری ندارند.

۲. بازگشایی خدمات کنسولی با ایران: کنگره ایرانیان کانادا خواهان ازسرگیری روابط دیپلماتیک و خدمات کنسولی میان کانادا و ایران شد. از سال ۲۰۱۲ تاکنون، این روابط قطع شده‌اند و نبود آن موجب اختلال در حمایت از شهروندان کانادایی در ایران و کاهش توان دیپلماتیک کانادا در منطقه شده است.

۳. اتخاذ موضع بی‌طرفانه در قبال مناقشه اسرائیل و فلسطین: کنگره از دولت خواست تا موضعی بی‌طرف و اصول‌محور در قبال درگیری اسرائیل و فلسطین اتخاذ کند.

ICC President interview with Canadian Foreign Policy Institute regarding Canadian officials encourage violence on Iran: 

https://youtu.be/y8Il6ddgN7w?si=BF5trw1Zw84uUBdA

Canadian officials are calling on Israel to attack Iran. President of the Iranian Canadian Congress Saideh Khadir joined Talking Foreign Policy to discuss Canada's aggressive position towards the West Asian country and Ottawa's role in supporting the 1953 US/UK overthrow of elected Prime Minister Mossadegh Mossadegh and support for the Shah throughout the 1970s.

ICC President has sent the following letter for the President of The Conservative Party of Canada regarding Mr. Polievre statement in favor of more war and violence in West Asia: 

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

Dr. Arsalan Kahnemuyipour was born in Abadan but spent most of his youth in Tehran until he moved to Canada with his wife, Kamnoosh Shahabi, in 1998. He completed a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Sharif University and a Master’s degree in TEFL at Allameh Tabatabaei University. Mr. Kahnemuyipour started his graduate studies in Linguistics at the University of Toronto in 1998 and received his PhD degree in 2004. He then accepted a position at Syracuse University and worked there for six years. In 2010, he returned to Canada and resumed a faculty position at the University of Toronto, where he have worked since. 

Mr. Kahnemuyipour has always been engaged in social and cultural activities. During his  years at Sharif University, he was a founding member of a very active Film Club. In 1999, together with several friends, he founded the Iranian Association at the University of Toronto (IAUT), still a successful cultural organization some fifteen years after establishment. Dr. Kahnemuyipour became a member of the Iranian Canadian Congress shortly after his return to Canada in 2010. In the past two years, he has been very active trying to establish some basic democratic principles such as transparency, accountability and the rule of law in ICC. HE was an active member of ICC’s Policy Development Committee, where he spent tens of hours on revisions to the organization’s bylaws. Most recently, he played a central role in the member-initiated campaign “I am an Iranian-Canadian too”, where, with the help of many volunteers, he managed to sign up hundreds of new members for ICC. The opportunity to speak to scores of community members has given me the energy and dedication to pursue the principles he stands for as an ICC board member. 

Arsalan Kahnemuyipour spoke with Radio Canada on behalf of the Iranian Canadian Congress about the views of ICC members on the Iran nuclear deal and the reaction from the Canadian government to this deal.