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ICC Communications
· October 15, 2024 11:30 AM
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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:
To: Stephen Barber
President of The Conservative Party of Canada
Mr. Poilievre has recently stated that Israel has the right of "proactively striking Iranian nuclear sites and oil installations."
[1] The Conservative Leader has since doubled down on his call, saying such an act would be “a gift by the Jewish state to humanity.”
[2]
Mr. Poilievre appears to have conveniently forgotten that Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and remains committed to using its nuclear program for peaceful purposes, while Israel has never joined the NPT. Mr. Poilievre seems to ignore that he is advocating for a non-NPT nation to attack nuclear facilities of an NPT nation whose facilities are considered as civilian sites, an act which goes against international law
[3].
Even more concerning is the fact that Mr. Poilievre is encouraging a country currently under investigation by the International Court of Justice for the crime of genocide, and whose leaders are accused of committing war crimes by the International Criminal Court
[4], to take military action against a sovereign nation. This kind of inflammatory rhetoric is not only reckless but is deeply irresponsible and stands in stark opposition to the values that Canadians hold dear as a peace-seeking nation. Furthermore, it increases the risk of dangerous escalation in an already fragile region.
His statements are out of step with Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who said last week that an escalation of the hostilities between Israel and Iran could plunge Western Asia into “all-out war”
[5], the specter of which is very worrisome for hundreds of thousands of Iranian Canadians who have families in Iran.
Canada has historically been a force for peace and diplomacy and has discouraged violations of international law. Mr. Poilievre's statements, which deviate from the norm, are even contrary to U.S. President Joe Biden’s discouragement of such actions by Israel and his suggestions that Israel should consider alternative ways to retaliate against Iran
[6]. Such remarks also contradict Prime Minister Trudeau's strategic approach, which suggests that Israel should avoid a wider war
[7].
Whereas UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, "The sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff" has to stop, such statements by the Conservative Party Leader, which contradict the consensus of the international community on de-escalation, is very concerning.
The Iranian Canadian Congress remains dedicated to supporting diplomatic solutions and ensuring the protection of Iranian-Canadian interests. We call on Canadian leaders to reject military adventurism and instead work towards peaceful and constructive dialogue that can lead to lasting stability. We condemn Mr. Poilievre’s inflammatory statements in the strongest terms.
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ICC Communications
· October 15, 2024 11:24 AM
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ICC President, Dr. Arezou Khadir has sent the following letter to ask for clarification on Honorable Federal Defence Minister Bill Blair statement:
Subject: Seeking Clarification on Honorable Federal Defence Minister Bill Blair Statement
There have been media reports that Honorable Federal Defence Minister Bill Blair recently stated that Canada would consider an Israeli attack against Iran's energy infrastructure as an "appropriate" action
[1]. This has been interpreted to be out of step with Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who said last week that an escalation of the hostilities between Israel and Iran could plunge the Middle East into “all-out war.”
[2]
Canada has historically been a force for peace and diplomacy and has discouraged violations of international law. Mr. Blair’s new statement, which deviates from the norm, is even contrary to U.S. President Joe Biden’s discouragement of such actions by Israel and his suggestions that Israel should consider alternative ways to retaliate against Iran
[3]. Such remarks also contradict Prime Minister Trudeau's strategic approach, which suggests that Israel should avoid a wider war
[4].
Whereas UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, "The sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff" has to stop, such a statement by Minister Blair, which contradicts the consensus of the international community on de-escalation, is very concerning.
Iranian Canadians expect a clarification regarding Minister Bill Blair’s new statement, which he has made despite previously stating to the media that Canada would not support attacks against oil refineries and energy facilities
[5]. Considering that energy infrastructure is civilian, is it the new Canadian position that attacking Civilian infrastructure is appropriate or is a proportional response?
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· April 19, 2023 11:51 AM
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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
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- بررسی اجمالی فعالیتهای یکسال گذشته هیات مدیره
- پاسخ به انتقاد درباره شیوه اطلاعرسانی فعالیتهای کنگره
- پاسخگویی راجع به میزان مشارکت اعضای هیات مدیره در طول سال
- معرفی کلی برنامههای هیات مدیره کنگره در سال
نگاهی به کارنامه فعالیتهای هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا
در آستانه برگزاری مجمععمومی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا که 30 ژانویه 2022 برگزار شد، ژورنال ایرانیان کانادا در گفتوگویی با دکتر "مسلم نوری" رییس هیات مدیره کنگره به بررسی اجمالی کارنامه یکساله این هیات مدیره پرداخته است.
در این گفتوگو ارزیابی کلی عملکرد هیات مدیره از نظر کمی و کیفی، نحوه اطلاعرسانی فعالیتهای کنگره، ارزیابی میزان مشارکت اعضای هیات مدیره و معرفی کلی برنامههای کنگره در سال 2022 انجام شد.
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.
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