Here is the final election report from the 2018 ICC Elections Committee:

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress,

The ICC Election Committee (the “Committee”) is pleased to announce the following:

A successful and transparent Election was completed on Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 7:00 pm.

According to ICC Bylaws and similar to the 2017 Election, the 2018 ICC Election was administered in two parts:

Online Voting

Online voting was administered for the second time through an online software, ELECTIONBUDDY, from Sunday April 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm to Saturday April 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm

ELCTIONBUDDY is a popular and secured software used by many non-profit organizations for their elections. The software is designed in a way that it involves a secured Sockets Layer (SSL) connection encryption feature, which provides high integrity and allows for no access by anyone else prior to the commitment of the online vote. The software is also designed so that no change can be made to the voting process once the vote has been initiated.  

Ballot #1 - Election of the six (6) ICC Board Members + Bylaw Exemptions for 4 Candidates’ Nomination Eligibility (Membership and Citizenship Exemptions)

Online Voting for Ballot #1 opened on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm and was closed on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm.

Ballot # 2 - Bylaws Amendments and Approval of the Code of Conduct

Online Voting for Ballot #2 opened on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 2:00 pm and was closed on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm.

A total of 629 members were eligible to vote online for Ballot #1 and a total of 698 members were eligible to vote online for Ballot #2. Both Ballots (#1 and #2) along with instructions were provided to members via email. Of those 629 members eligible for Ballot #1, 337 voted and of those 698 members eligible for Ballot #2, 260 voted.

The result of the online vote was only known to the one (1) Committee member in charge of administering the online vote until the completion of the vote count on the day of the AGM.

In-Person Voting

In-Person voting was held on Sunday, April 29, 2018 with polls opening from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm and extended for two (2) more hours from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in a nearby location due to unforeseen circumstances (the Toronto Strong Vigil for the victims of the recent van attack). Accordingly, the initial three hour In-Person Voting window was increased to seven (7) hours in total.

The In- Person election also involved 2 Ballots:

Ballot #1 (Blue Ballot) - Election of the six (6) ICC Board Members + Bylaw Exemptions for 4 Candidates’ Nomination Eligibility (Membership and Citizenship Exemptions)  

Ballot # 2 (Pink Ballot) – Bylaws Amendments and Approval of the Code of Conduct

By the start of the voting on the day of the AGM, we were advised by the Board that the ICC had 957 members as of the cut off date of eligibility on April 23, 2018.

No memberships were renewed on the day of the AGM.

As those who voted online were not eligible to vote again in person, of the 957 members eligible to vote in the 2018 election, only 620 were eligible to vote In-Person.

A total of 188 people voted in person or by proxy on the day of the AGM.

Outcome of the Election

The ICC had 957 members eligible to vote in this year’s, 2018 AGM. Of the 957, a total of 525 voted. 337 online; and 188 In-Person or by Proxy on the day of the AGM.

The result of the voting process was as follows:

Ballot #1: Bylaw Exemption for 4 candidates (“Exemption Motion”) – 427 Members Voted “Yes” (297 online + 130 in person) and 31 Members Voted “No”. Therefore the Bylaw Exemption Motion was passed by affirmative vote (427 votes), which is more than 2/3 of the members voting for this election. (2/3 of 525 = 350)

Once the Exemption Motion was passed and all 10 Candidates were declared eligible, the Committee started to count the votes for the 10 Candidates and the following results were established according to the First – Past –The – Post Voting Method adopted by the ICC Bylaws:

Ballot #2 Bylaw Amendments and Approval of the Code of Conduct passed as per following table:

Attention: For more information regarding the Bylaw Amendments and the Code of Conduct, please refer to the ICC website.

Election Turnout

Total number of ICC members in Ontario as of April 23, 2018: 957

Total number of voters in the 2018 ICC Election: 525

2018 Election Turnout (Percentage of Ontario members voted in the 2018 Election): 54.9% 
 

Past Election Turnouts:
2014 and before: Data not available.

2015: 58.2%

2016: 54.5%

2017: 71.4%

Irregularities or Complaints Noted and Reviewed 

• At the very start of the Online Voting Process and once the Committee sent Ballot #1 to all eligible voters, the Committee received a notice for 26 undeliverable ballots from ELECTIONBUDDY. The Committee immediately raised this issue with the Board. Upon the Board’s investigation, it was discovered that the issue was caused because of expired/invalid emails originally provided by the members.
• On the day of the AGM, April 29, 2018 at 1:55 am, the Committee received an unexpected email from one of the candidates, regarding the intention of four of the candidates to withdraw from the election. In receiving this email, the Committee immediately informed the ICC Board.
• The ICC Board received individual confirmations from each of the 4 later around 10:30AM on April 29, 2018.   
• Given the circumstances on the day of the AGM, receiving the Board’s approval at 10:30 am, while online voting was completed and in-person voting was underway, the Committee had no choice but to carry on with the election as planned, and with minimal modifications. The ballots remained in the same format and the names of all candidates including the 4 candidates remained in display. Only a note was placed on the list of names, informing the voters of the initial email received by the Committee regarding the intention of the Group of Four (4) candidates’ withdrawal.
• Since the Group of Four (4) candidates’ formal withdrawal was confirmed while the in-person voting was in process and the ballots remained in the same format, the Committee decided to read all votes casted. 
• As there was a modification in the voting hours due to the Toronto Strong Vigil held at Mel Lastman Square and voting hours were extended from 3 to 7 hours in two locations (10:00 am to 3:30 pm at North York Civic Centre and 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at 7 Lorraine Drive), the Committee assigned volunteers to remain at North York Civic Centre until 5:00 pm to direct potential voters to 7 Lorraine drive for voting.
• In the beginning of the In-Person Voting process, some voters were refused as they provided their Ontario Health Card as their IDs. This issue was brought to the attention of the Committee and it was immediately resolved as the issue was in the implementation of the Committee’s policy on IDs and the refused voters were allowed to cast their ballot. Prior to the In-Person Voting the Committee decided to accept Ontario Health Card as a form of Identification and proof of residency in Ontario.
• Finally, please note that the Committee will destroy the personal information of all members who voted by way of a proxy.

The Committee appreciates all members for trusting the Committee with their personal information in our efforts to prevent irregularities and safeguard the integrity of the election.

We thank all members for their participations, the Board and our wonderful Volunteers for helping make this election a success.

Yours truly,

2018 ICC Election Committee (Mashoud Nasseri, Ramin Faraji, Sadie R. Etemad)

May 2, 2018

Here you can find the reports that will be presented at the AGM 2018:

• Click here to download President's report 2018.

• Click here to download the Financial Statements 2017.

Here is an announcement from the Election Committee: 

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC),

This is a final reminder to all members in Ontario regarding the 2018 ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Board Elections scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday April 29, 2018.

-       In-Person voting: from 10 am to 3 pm

Location: North York Civic Centre, Council Chambers, 5100 Yonge Street, North York

-       General Meeting starts at 1:00 pm

Location North York Civic Centre, Council Chambers, 5100 Yonge Street, North York

On Sunday, in order to cast your vote in person, you need to present us with your government issued Photo Identification (ID), otherwise we are unable to assist you.

If you are also intending to be a proxy for another member, please ensure that

• the individual is a current ICC member  

• the member completed and signed the Proxy Form available online: https://www.iccongress.ca/proxy2018

• The member provided you with a copy of his/her photo ID (digital copy or printed copy)

It is crucial to remember that only ICC members can act as proxies and vote on behalf of other ICC members. Furthermore, each ICC member can only act as a proxy of maximum three (3) other ICC members.

Please note that for any member who cannot participate earlier during the day we are providing Additional voting hours from 5-7pm at a close by venue (the Party Room at 7 Lorraine Drive, North York, major intersection: Yonge and Finch).  

We appreciate your diligent attention to the above timelines and procedural rules; and we look forward to your active participation in this election and AGM. 

Yours truly,

2018 Election Committee

April 28, 2018

FAQ about online voting prepared by Election Committee 2018:

Q1. Who has received the ballots through online voting?  

Only individuals with valid and renewed membership by April 15, 2018 @11:59 pm have received the ballots online.

Valid Membership = Individuals who have signed up as members and their information has been verified by the Secretary of the Board. 

The first ballot (Ballot #1) was sent on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm

The second ballot  (Ballot #2) was sent on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 2:00 pm  

If your membership was expired and have not been renewed by April 15, 2018 @ 11:59 pm you would not have received the ballots online. If the Board Secretary was unable to verify your membership, you would not have received the ballots online.

Q2. Can a person who is not a member of ICC receive an online ballot and vote online?

Absolutely Not!  

The online ballot is ONLY sent to ICC members whose memberships were valid and renewed by April 15, 2018 @ 11:59 pm

Q3. What should I do, if I am a member, but I have not received my online ballot?

Please contact the ICC through info@iccongress.com and attend the in person voting on April 29^th, 2018 or vote by assigning a proxy.

Q4. When I vote, does anyone can see the content of my vote?

Absolutely Not!

The Election Committee, who is in charge of the administration of the online voting, can see that you have voted, but NO ONE can see the content of your vote even after the vote count. The system will tally the votes and provide the Election Committee with the results ONLY. 

Q5. When I receive my ballot how much time do I have to cast my vote online? 

You can cast your vote online until April 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm.

Q6. Can I change my vote online after casting my ballet electronically? 

Absolutely Not!

The system does not allow a return to the ballots.

Q7. How does the Election Committee ensure that people would not vote twice, once online and another time in person?

Once Online Voting ends, the Election Committee reconciles (crosses off) the names of the members who have voted online and produces a new list for the In-Person voting at the AGM.

Q8. I have received my online ballot, but can I vote in person?

Absolutely! As long as you haven’t casted your ballot online.

Q9. In light of the changes to the in-person voting schedule, can the Election Committee change the closing time of the online voting, and end it sooner than initially planned?

No!

Although it would have been convenient to close the online voting to be more inline with the new timelines, the robust security structure of election software being used (Election Buddy) does not allow the election administrator to change the election parameters and interfere with the process, once the election has started.

Q10. What is the level of voters’ anonymity settings within Election Buddy?

This is a secret ballot – the voters cannot be linked to their choices.  This option is commonly required by organization bylaws or governing legislature.

Q11. How does Election Buddy tally the votes?

 Ballot #1 (Board election)

Election Buddy uses a simple counting algorithm, which is compatible with a Plurality Voting System (First-Past-The-Post System). Election Buddy counts all ballots and the candidate or candidates with the highest percentage of votes win.

According to the ICC bylaws, the Board election is based on Plurality Voting (Also known as, First-Past-The-Post System: whoever receives the most votes wins), where voters select 1 to 6 options.  This system is commonly used throughout North America for civic, state, provincial and federal elections.

In a Plurality Voting System (First-Past-the-Post) with more than 2 candidates, candidates do not require to obtain the majority of the votes (50 +1%) to win the election. As a result, in this case (this election), running a multi-seat election (6 directors are elected from 10 candidates) the candidate with the highest percentage will win the first seat, the second-highest percentage wins the second seat, and so on until all seats are filled.

The above calculation is based on the assumption that the bylaw exemption motion is passed by affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of members voting.  

Ballot #2 (Bylaw Amendments)

The bylaw Amendments ballot is set on a referendum basis, where voters select one of the listed options (Yes/No/Abstain).  Based on the ICC bylaws amendments are passed by affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of members voting. The code of conduct is passed by 50%+1 affirmative vote of members voting.

Here is an important announcement from the ICC Board of Directors:

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress, 

Earlier this afternoon we have been informed by the Facility Management at North York Civic Centre that because of the Vigil that's organized at Mel Lastman Square this Sunday night for victims of the Toronto van attack they are closing the building at 4PM. Due to this unforeseen change after careful consideration and consultation with the Election Committee we are changing the voting time and the time for the General Meeting on Sunday as following:

Early voting from 10AM-3PM

General Meeting starts at 1PM

Date and location remain the same: Sunday April 29, 2018. North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber, 5100 Yonge Street, Toronto.

Here is a statement from the Iranian Canadian Congress about the Toronto Van Attack:

The Iranian Canadian Congress was extremely saddened to hear that the death toll from Monday's attack has risen to 10 individuals. We once again send our condolences to the victims' families.

We also thank law enforcement and first responders for their professional and effective response to this tragedy in an area that is home to many members of our community.

To support the victims and their families we encourage you to support the #TorontoStrong Fund established by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Foundation. For more info visit: https://torontofoundation.ca/torontostrong/

Here is an announcement from the Election Committee 2018:

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC),

The Election Committee is pleased to announce the following information with regards to ONLINE VOTING of the 2018 ICC Elections.

As you know, starting 2017, ICC members have the option to cast their votes online. Facilitating online elections is mandated by the ICC bylaws (Article 5.1). 

Similar to 2017, this year, you have the option to cast your votes online prior to the April 29, 2018 AGM according to the following procedure:

• Voting for the election of the six (6) ICC Board Members and the approval of the bylaw exemption for nomination eligibility of some of the nominees will start on Sunday April 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm. ICC members in Ontario can vote for ICC Board Elections. 
• Voting for the Bylaw Amendments and the approval of the Code of Conduct proposed by the Board will start on Tuesday April 24, 2018 at 2PM. All ICC members can vote for the bylaw amendments and the Code of Conduct. 
• You will receive two (2) separate emails from Election Buddy for the above ballots; and
• Online Voting for both ballots close on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm.
• Please note that only members who joined the ICC by the deadline of April 15, 2018 @ 11:59 pm and whose identity and residency have been confirmed by the ICC Board Secretary are eligible to participate in the Online Voting process and will receive the ballots. 

Members who have joined the ICC between April 16, 2018 and April 23, 2018 @ 11:59 pm shall be able to cast their votes at the AGM (April 29, 2018) in person or by proxy.

Unfortunately, members who have joined the ICC on and after April 24, 2018, will not be able to participate in the 2018 ICC elections.

For further information, you may refer to the document here (Online Voting and Privacy setup) containing security features adopted by the administration team to ensure fair and secure online voting.

Yours truly, 

2018 Election Committee

Here is the first public announcement from the Election Committee 2018:

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC),

The Election Committee would like to welcome you to participate in the 2018 ICC Elections.

The election will be held at the ICC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday, April 29, 2018. You can vote anytime from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm at North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber (5100 Yonge Street, Toronto). The General Meeting is scheduled to start at 3PM.

Please take a note of the following important details:

Eligibility to Vote

For the Election of the Board of Directors and Bylaw Exemptions for Nominee Eligibilities:

• ICC membership by the deadline of:
  • April 15, 2018 for online voting. 
  • April 23, 2018 for in person voting (This is the final renewal or registration deadline).
• Member Residents of Ontario only.

For the Bylaw Amendments and Code of Conduct proposed by the Board:

• ICC membership by the deadline of:
  • April 15, 2018 for online voting  
  • April 23, 2018 for in person voting (Final renewal or registration deadline)
• All Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress. 
• Note: Members of the ICC outside of Ontario may only vote for the bylaw amendments through online voting. 

Voting Timelines

• Online Voting: April 22-April 28, 2018
• In-Person Voting: April 29, 2018 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Absentee/Proxy Voting

If you have to cast your vote, but are unable to vote in person on the day of the AGM, you may authorize a proxy to appear in person and vote on your behalf. Assign a trusted person to appear and vote on your behalf.

In order for your proxy to vote on your behalf, you will have to provide your proxy with the following:

• A copy of your Valid Government Issued ID; and
• A Proxy Form dully executed by you.

You can find the Proxy Form that you need to dully execute through the below link: https://www.iccongress.ca/proxy2018

What is being voted on:

The following matters are placed on the agenda and require your vote:

• Bylaw exemption for nomination eligibility of some of the nominees;
• Election of 6 new Board members, which each Board member will be elected for a 2-year term;
• Amendments to the ICC Bylaws proposed by the Board;
• Code of Conduct proposed by the Board;

Attention: For more details on the candidates and what is being voted on, please visit ICC AGM webpage:

https://www.iccongress.ca/agm2018

Noting Irregularity

In circumstances of noticing any irregularities with regards to the voting process and ballot counts on the day of the AGM April 29, 2018, the ICC Election Committee appreciates your formal complaints according to the following procedure:

• An official Complaint Form shall be filled out. An official Complaint Form will be available on site at the AGM and the counting stations thereafter.
• Proof of complaint shall be attached to the Complaint Form;
• The complaint shall be supported and filed on behalf of one (1) of the candidates running for positions; and
• The complaint shall be filed with a member of the Election Committee. The complaint can also be emailed to the Election Committee: icc.agm2018@gmail.com.

Once complaints are submitted in accordance with the above procedure, all complaints shall be effectively processed and addressed by the Election Committee in due course.

We hope that the above guidelines would provide you with the information that you need to actively participate in the 2018 ICC Elections.

In conclusion, we would like to highly encourage all ICC members to actively participate in the 2018 ICC Election.

برای دریافت ترجمه فارسی اینجا را کلیک کنید

Yours truly,

Election Committee 2018

Email: icc.agm2018@gmail.com

Here is a report about the joint meeting ICC had with the officials from Ministry of Immigration and Ministry of Public Safety:

On Thursday April 12, 2018 representatives of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) together with Mr. Vincent Valaï, representing a group of impacted applicants, met with officials from Ministry of Immigration and the Ministry of Public Safety to discuss significant delays Iranian applicants face in their immigration process. Bijan Ahmadi (President), Mohsen Khaniki (PR Director) and Younes Zangiabadi (Policy Associate) were present in the meeting on behalf of the ICC. The Vice President of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Director of International Network for Europe, Middle East, and Africa were in attendance as well.

The ICC communicated the following points with the officials at the meeting:

• Around 300 Iranian in-land applicants (mostly students and recent graduates) have approached the ICC in recent months as they are facing long and extended delays in their PR application process.
• Across different immigration streams Iranian applicants are waiting for significantly longer period of time in compare to the average wait time stated by the IRCC.
• While IRCC representatives have said in recent media interviews that 80% of overall applicants receive the results of their applications within the average processing time, based on public data and self report data Iranian applications represent a disproportionate volume of the 20% of the delayed applications. Self reported data shows that over 50% of Iranian PR applicants experience significant delays.
• The problem is not limited to Iranian in-land applicants and Iranian students here in Canada. Iranian outland applicants, visa applicants, citizenship applicants are also facing significant delays.
• There have been frequent complaints regarding the delay in processing Iranian applications at Canadian visa offices including the Paris visa office.
• Public data and self reported data point out to a possible and concerning trend of Iranian applications being targeted and singled out for extra security screening causing significant delays in the processing of these applications.
• Looking at the number of approved Iranian PR applications it’s also clear that the number of approved PRs for Iranians have dropped significant since 2014. While there has been no drop in the number of applications from Iran, the number of PR admissions from Iran in 2017 is the lowest number for the period of time we looked at since 1996.

Vincent Valaï informed the Ministers’ staff and officials that he is representing more than 200 Iranian citizens (collective inland and collective outland) and that he just sent two demand letters on behalf of the 2 groups in reference to the excessive delays that his clients are experiencing. He explained the profile of the members of the two collectives and mentioned the serious prejudice his clients are experiencing, urging the officials to take urgent measures to end the excessive delays.  

The following comments were made by officials from the Ministry of Immigration and the Ministry of Public Safety present in the meeting:

• Officials from both ministries emphasized and repeated multiple times during the meeting that there has been absolutely no policy change with respect to reviewing Iranian applications.
• Officials from the CBSA mentioned that they are responsible for the security screening component of the immigration applications. They mentioned that there are delays across the system because of resource allocation, prioritization and inefficiencies in their internal processes.
• The CBSA VP stated that he has instructed his team to review to security screening process and to urgently come up with a solution to resolve the problem. The ICC representatives and Vincent Valaï insisted the CBSA to commit to a specific timeline. They refused to provide a timeline but committed to resolving the problem and the delays.
• One of the Policy Directors attending from the Ministry of Immigration mentioned that there is a need to further look into the drop in the number of PR admissions from Iran. He said that the self reported data or the public data we have provided must be broken down into different streams and the impact of special programs for asylum seekers must be taken into account. He agreed to look into this matter and provide us with clarification and accurate data.
• The officials repeatedly mentioned that they cannot treat one group of applicants differently. The ICC representatives and Vincent Valaï clarified for them that Iranian applicants are not looking for any special treatment but rather a fair and consistent process that would not target them and delay their applications for much longer than the average it takes for processing applications from other nationalities.
• The Director for National operations mentioned that they have been dealing with lack of resources and increasing volume of applications in visa offices including the Paris visa office. He mentioned that they are allocating more staff to the visa offices this summer to deal with the increased volume of applications.
• In response to the ICC request for the Ministry of Immigration to open a Visa Application Centre in Iran the Director of International Network said that they do not have any plan to open a Visa Centre in Iran at the moment and it is a matter that requires coordination with Global Affairs Canada.

Here is the list of demands that the ICC communicated with the officials during the meeting:

• Complete the review of the current delayed in-land visa, study, work permits, PR and citizenship applications of Iranians in 30 days.
• Revise security screening policy for Iranian applications and resolve any systematic problems leading to the current delays.
• Investigate the reason of the significant drop in the approval rate of Iranian PR applications and resolve any systematic problem causing the drop.
• Restore the PR admission rates of Iranians to the 2014 numbers consistent with approval rate for applicants from other countries.
• Any extra security screening singling out Iranians shall be removed immediately.
• The government shall come up with a better plan to accommodate outland Iranian visa and PR applications. Opening a Visa Application Centre in Iran will facilitate the application process for Iranian applicants living in Iran.

The ICC representatives and Vincent Valaï both clearly communicated with the officials that legal options are also available to address this issue impacting Iranians.

Click here to review the information package including data and graphs presented to the officials.

Here you can find the proxy form for the ICC AGM and Elections 2018:

If you have to cast your vote, but are unable to vote in person on the day of the AGM, you may authorize a proxy to appear in person and vote on your behalf. (Assign a trusted person to appear and vote on your behalf.)

In order for your proxy to vote on your behalf, you will have to provide your proxy with the following:

• A copy of your Valid Government Issued ID; and
• A Proxy Form dully executed by you.

Click here for the the Proxy Form. 

Attention: Your Proxy must be a member of the ICC. Each member may only vote as a proxy holder for maximum of 3 (three) other ICC members*.

* Please note that the ICC bylaws and the applicable corporate laws do not put any limit for the number of proxies a person is allowed to hold. However, the ICC Elections Committee has decided to limit the number to 3 in an effort to limit the use of proxy to only necessary cases. After careful consideration and in order to avoid irregularities, the Election Committee has decided to limit the proxy eligibility to ICC Members ONLY.

Here is a report from the ICC Policy Committee: 

Though Canada has a skill-based immigration system, employment outcomes for skilled professionals who come to Canadian provinces like Ontario are recognized by analysts and stakeholders alike as poor, creating detrimental economic and social effects. In 2010, only 32% of new immigrants to Ontario were able to have their credentials recognized. Lack of credential recognition combined with discriminatory labour practices are thought to contribute to larger trends; for example, that newcomers make approximately 60% of the salary of a Canadian-born worker. Furthermore, these inferior employment outcomes for foreign trained professionals are estimated to lose Ontario’s economy as a whole over $15.2 billion annually, equivalent to 2% of our province’s GDP. [1]

This report, completed by the Policy Committee of the Iranian Canadian Congress, makes a series of recommendations for the Ontario government to address the issue of the inferior employment outcomes of immigrants. Many of these recommendations are taken from provinces outside of Ontario and other immigrant receiving countries. Specifically, we make recommendations that seek to address labour market discrimination, financial difficulties of immigrant professionals, the lack of transparency of accrediting institutions, and social difficulties of labour market integration. These recommendations include:

• Establishing incentive and auditing regimes to combat discriminatory hiring and labour practices;
• Increasing the financial assistance and loans available to immigrant professionals;
• Increasing provincial government oversight of the various accreditation bodies in Ontario, including:
  • The establishment of an independent ombudsman who has the power to issue binding resolutions;
  • Increased legislative involvement in the accreditation process;
• Providing immigrant professionals with social supports including childcare and counselling.

Click here to review the full report from the ICC Policy Committee.

A quick reminder about acceptable methods of membership registration:

There are only two valid methods for ICC membership registration:

• Signing up through the online form on the ICC website at www.iccongress.ca/joinICC

• Or registering in person with the secretary of the ICC board. For in person registration please send an email to: info@iccongress.ca. For in person registration you can attend the upcoming ICC Elections Forum on April 15th, 2018 from 3-6PM at the North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber (5100 Yonge Street, Toronto). The board secretary will be available to help you register in person. You will be asked to show your valid photo ID for in person registration.  

The ICC does not accept membership registration through any other method.

Here is an announcement from the ICC Board of Directors:

According to the ICC bylaws (Article 5.3) the board shall appoint 3 members to form the Election Committee. The Election Committee will be in charge of administration of the election process. The board is pleased to introduce members of the ICC Election Committee 2018:

Ms. Sadie Etemad, Mr. Mashoud Nasseri, Mr. Ramin Faraji 

The appointed members come from diverse professional backgrounds and have the knowledge and the experience to conduct a transparent, accurate and successful election. We thank them for agreeing to be part of the committee to conduct the upcoming board elections.  

Sincerely, 

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)

April 11, 2018

A quick clarification regarding online membership registration:

During the past 24 hours few people registered for membership using pre-paid credit cards for payments and even using similar email addresses and phone numbers in the online form. To verify the identity of the individual registering and ensure about accuracy of the membership information we cannot accept pre-paid credit cards for membership payments. Payments by Pre-paid cards undermine the integrity and accuracy of our membership registration process. Therefore we request everyone to complete their own registration forms and make the payment with their personal credit cards. 

If you'd like to vote ONLINE in the upcoming ICC Annual General Meeting, you have to register for ICC membership by end of April 15. 

Dear Supporters of the Iranian Canadian Congress,


The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is the only organization advocating for the interests of Iranian-Canadians and it does this work based on the mandate provided by its members. Members of the organization through their vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election of board of directors set the agenda and priorities of the organization. 

The upcoming AGM of the ICC is scheduled for April 29, 2018. Members of the organization may vote online from April 22-28 or in person on April 29th, 2018 (AGM info here). If you'd like to vote online, you should register as a member by end of April 15, 2018. 

Click Here to Join ICC Membership and Help Strengthen Our Community's Voice in Canada. 

ICC's mission:

- Building a united and engaged Iranian-Canadian community. 
- Advocating for the interests of Iranian-Canadians. 
- Informing elected officials of our community's priorities. 
- Raising awareness in Canadian media about issues important for Iranian-Canadians.
- Highlighting contributions of Iranian-Canadians to Canada's multicultural society. 

 

Here is the link to the online membership registration form: www.iccongress.ca/joinICC

پاسخ برخی از پرسش های متداول در رابطه با انتخابات هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا را میتوانید در این صفحه مطالعه کنید

چند نفر در این انتخابات برگزیده خواهند شد؟

در انتخابات پیشرو افراد جدیدی برای ۶ کرسی خالی در هیات مدیره انتخاب خواهند شد. هر فرد برای مدت دو سال در هیات مدیره انجام وظیفه خواهد کرد. هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا از ۹ نفر تشکیل شده است

انتخابات در چه تاریخی و کجا برگزار میشود؟

انتخابات آنلاین از روز ۲۲ آوریل، ۲۰۱۸ تا ۲۸ آوریل، ۲۰۱۸ برگزار میشود. اعضای سازمان ایمیلی را برای شرکت در انتخابات آنلاین دریافت خواهند کرد

انتخابات حضوری و جلسه مجمع عمومی سازمان روز یکشنبه ۲۹ آوریل، ۲۰۱۸ در سالن اجتماعات شهرداری نورت یورک (۵۱۰۰ خیابان یانگ) برگزار خواهد شد. جلسه مجمع عمومی ساعت ۳ بعدازظهر آغاز خواهد شد. ساعت دقیق رای گیری در روزهای آینده اعلام خواهد شد

چه افرادی میتوانند در این انتخابات شرکت کنند؟

اعضای کنگره ایرانیان کانادا که در انتاریو زندگی میکنند و پیش از مهلت نهایی اعلام شده ثبت نام کرده باشند میتوانند در انتخابات هیات مدیره شرکت کنند

مهلت ثبت نام برای عضویت چه تاریخی ست؟

مهلت ثبت نام عضویت برای افرادی که علاقمند به شرکت در انتخابات آنلاین هستند پایان روز ۱۵ آوریل، ،۲۰۱۸

مهلت ثبت نام عضویت برای افرادی که علاقمند به شرکت در انتخابات حضوری هستند پایان روز ۲۳ آوریل، ۲۰۱۸

ثبت نام یا تجدید عضویت چگونه انجام میشود؟

به صورت آنلاین از طریق لینک زیر میتوانید برای عضویت ثبت نام کنید و یا عضویت خود را تجدید کنید. حق عضویت سالیانه ۱۰ دلار است

www.iccongress.ca/joinICC

آیا غیر از رای آنلاین و رای حضوری راه دیگری هم برای شرکت در انتخابات هیات مدیره وجود دارد؟

بله، اعضا میتوانند از طریق پر کردن فرم رای وکالتی فردی را به عنوان وکیل خود انتخاب کنند. این فرد همراه با فرم کامل و امضا شده شما و کپی کارت شناسایی عکس دار شما میتواند از طرف شما روز ۲۹ آوریل، ۲۰۱۸ در رای گیری به طور حضوری شرکت کند و رای شما را از طرف شما به صندوق بیاندازد

چه افرادی مجری و ناظر انتخابات هیات مدیره هستند؟

طبق اساس نامه کنگره ایرانیان کانادا هیات مدیره فعلی سازمان وظیفه دارد کمیته انتخابات را برای اجرا و نظرات بر انتخابات هیات مدیره شکل دهد. این کمیته از سه نفر از اعضای کنگره تشکیل شده که هیچکدام نباید از اعضای خانواده کاندیداهای حاضر در انتخابات باشند. هیات مدیره به طور معمول سه نفر از افراد با تجربه که دانش لازم در اجرا و مدیریت انتخابات را دارند برای چنین مسئولیتی انتخاب میکند. اعضای کمیته انتخابات باید به طور مستقل انتخابات را اجرا و نظارت کنند و پس از شمارش آرا نتایج نهایی را ارائه دهند. هیچکدام از اعضای هیات مدیره نباید در کمیته انتخابات نقشی داشته باشند تا کمیته انتخابات به طور مستقل از هیات مدیره بتواند فعالیت اجرا و نظرات بر انتخابات را انجام دهد.

منبع: اصل ۵، بخش ۱-۴، اساس نامه کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

نقش هیات مدیره در طول انتخابات چیست؟

طبق اساس نامه اعضای هیات مدیره سازمان به عنوان افرادی که برگزیده و مورد اعتماد اعضای سازمان هستند اعضای کمیته انتخابات را انتخاب میکنند. همچنین هیات مدیره باید ساز و کار انتخابات (به عنوان مثال اجاره محل، تهیه نرم افزار آنلاین و تهیه هرگونه ابزار مورد نیاز برای اجرای انتخابات) را در اختیار کمیته انتخابات قرار دهد

دبیر کنگره، طبق مسئولیت تعریف شده برای وی در اساس نامه، وظیفه نگهداری از مدارک عضویت و لیست اعضا را بر عهده دارد. دبیر کنگره وظیفه دارد لیست اعضای کنگره که میتوانند در انتخابات شرکت کنند را تهیه و در اختیار کمیته انتخابات قرار دهد. تهیه لیست همواره با هماهنگی کمیته انتخابات صورت میگیرد. در صورت هرگونه سوال و یا مشکلی در رابطه با عضویت فرد رای دهنده کمیته انتخابات از دبیر کنگره در رابطه با عضویت رای دهنده پرسش خواهد کرد. به عنوان مسئول مدارک عضویت سازمان تشخیص و تعیین عضویت فرد و تاریخ عضویت بر عهده دبیر کنگره است

در جلسه مجمع عمومی سازمان هیات مدیره مسئول برگزاری مجمع است و رئیس هیات مدیره مدیریت جلسه را برعهده خواهد داشت

منبع: اصل ۵، بخش ۱-۴، اساس نامه کنگره ایرانیان کاناد

Here is a list of nominees for the ICC Board of Directors:

The following 7 nominees meet all eligibility requirements. Here is the list in alphabetical order: 

Sholeh Khalili

Bio/Nomination Statement

Sholeh Khalili (Dolatabadi) has immigrated to Toronto,Canada with her husband and two daughters since 1991. With her relocation Sholeh  brought a wealth of knowledge, training and over seventeen years experience in early childhood education. 

Academically, Sholeh holds a BA in Sociology from the National University of Iran, as well as an Early Childhood Education Diploma from the Canadian Mothercraft Society. 

She is the co author of a series of books for kindergarten children entitled “Gamhaye Nakhostin” meaning “first steps” covering material on phonics, sound and picture association. Her books are still widely used across Kindergartens in Iran and have been reprinted in over 25 editions since their first publication. 

In a professional setting since her arrival in Toronto, Sholeh continued her work in early childhood education initially as an early childhood educator within the YMCA from 1994-2003, followed by the position as one of the directors for the YMCA Scarborough region from 2003 to 2009. Since 2009 Sholeh has held the role of Senior Director, YMCA Greater Toronto Child Care Centre adding to a total of over twenty four years of contribution and service to the YMCA. 

Additionally and within the YMCA, Sholeh organised the “Peace March” for a number of years and served as a member of the “Peace Medallion Ceremony Committee” for many years. Sholeh had also been the Co-Chair of the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign.

As well as her professional contribution within the YMCA in her field of expertise, Sholeh has been equally active in her Iranian community service work on many levels including organising fundraising events of “Mahak” an organisation for helping children diagnosed with cancer in Iran. Additionally, Sholeh is an enthusiastic contributor to “Karnameh” – an Intellectual Centre for teaching performing arts to adults.

Sholeh has also been a regular contributor to the Iranian newspapers.

Adding to her community service contribution, Sholeh has been actively involved in the Iranian Canadian Congress since June 2008 and has served this organisation as a board member and as a vice president for almost four years. In this regard, Sholeh advocates a united Iranian community supporting and upholding a voice of peace and prosperity for all. Sholeh campaigns for a united Iranian Canadian Community entitled to a strong voice with an opportunity to grow and become a strong community that can influence the process of decision making across Canada based on the principle that “the similarities that unite us are much greater than the differences that separate us.” 

Above all, Sholeh is an advocate of basic human rights and justice for all.

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Mohsen Khaniki

Bio/Nomination Statement

 

Mohsen is a young student activist.  Beside his active involvement as a volunteer and board member in the ICC for the past 3 years he has been active in the Iranian Students' Association at York University (ISAYU) and currently sits on the executive board of the association. Mohsen is also the co-founder of Human Capital of Iran, a student run group that aims to raise awareness about the contributions of the Iranian diaspora. One of the projects of the Human Capital of Iran was a short documentary called "Iranians Non-Grata" that uncovers the personal stories of prominent Iranian students who have been affected by President Trump's Executive Order known as the Muslim Ban or the Travel Ban. Mohsen studies Finance at York University.   

 

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Reza Sepehr-Esfahani

 

Bio/Nomination Statement

I would like to nominate myself for member of the ICC Board of Directors. With many years of professional experience and community leadership skills, both from Iran and here in Canada, I believe that I have the ability to fulfill my duties as an ICC director. My goal is to foster ICC development for improving unity of Iranian-Canadians, and to make ICC resourceful in facilitating the integration of our community in Canadian society.

Since I joined the ICC at the end of 2015, I have enthusiastically engaged with many ICC activities. I have supported planning and organizing several successful events to progress the ICC’s development.  

My education includes a Doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from University of Ahwaz and University of Tehran. In Iran, I worked as an academic lecturer and the university Vice President of Research for more than eight years. Also, as a veterinary practitioner, I have successfully operated my own clinic.

In 2001, I immigrated to Canada with my wife and two daughters and began a new chapter of my life. Since then, I have pursued my professional career in several public and private organizations including Canadian Food Inspection Agency, University of Ottawa, and a Public Animal Health Laboratory. Additionally, as a professional interpreter, I have served the Iranian and Afghani communities in Ottawa. Due to personal interest, I completed a flight training program (PPL) at the Ottawa airport. In 2009, I moved to Guelph with my family to study a Masters program in Food Safety at the University of Guelph. While studying, I worked as an instructor and researcher. After the completion of my studies, I have worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, and food manufacturing companies in Ontario. Also, I continue to work as a professional interpreter in Guelph and cities in the GTA and southern Ontario. Furthermore, I have been employed as an Election Officer for several Provincial and Federal elections both in Ottawa and Guelph.

Above all, I have developed a strong passion for engaging in my communities. These are highlights of my previous leadership experiences:

Guelph:

• Vice-President External, Graduate Students Association (GSA) at University of Guelph
• Chief Executive Officer, Iranian Students Association at University of Guelph (ISAUG)
• Executive Board Member, Iranian Canadian Community of Guelph (ICCG)
• Executive Health & Safety Officer, TAs & Sessional Lecturers CUPE3913, University of Guelph

Ottawa:

• Active Member of Persian Arts & Cultural Society of Ottawa (PACSO)
• Coordinator and Active Member of Parents Council in Farsi International School

Iran:

• Residence Executive Member

Farsi statement available here. 

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Pouyan Tabasinejad

 

Bio/Nomination Statement

My name is Saman Tabasinejad. I have a Bachelors of Arts in both political science and anthropology from Carleton University and recently completed my Masters research in Anthropology at McGill University, where my research focused on middle-class Tehrani women and dress. For the past two years I have been on the executive of Roofs for Refugees, an organization that pairs newly arrived refugees with homes with reasonable rents. In the past, I have worked with immigrant communities in an organizing capacity as well as teaching English. I have also served as a policy associate for the Iranian Canadian Congress since January. 

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Sorena Zahiri Shadbad

Nomination of the following 4 individuals is pending on approval of 1-year membership exemption:

Mehrdokht Hadi

My name is Bob A.Tafreshi, I've landed in Canada in April 2004. My goal is to work towards building a united and stronger Iranian-Canadian community. I graduated  from Karadj university and carry Bachelors degree in Engineering. I am a Master Electrician since 2011. I'm sure my extended 25 years of experience (More than 15 years experience in management, leadership and coordination) can help me in successfully contributing to the ICC as a board member. In my professional life I have worked as a product manager, project manager, plant manager, vice president and president of organizations in different fields both in Iran and in Canada. Also I'm completely familiar with volunteer work. I was part of the Board of Directors of the Mansion of Avondale in Willowdale community from 2015-2017. 

Shayan Moin

Bio/Nomination Statement

I am a Chemical Engineer by profession and studied Polymer Engineering in Tehran Polytechnic. I hold a master of Polymer Engineering from Azad University. I also studied Management and have the certificate to teach management courses from FIDIC (Switzerland).

I am a serial entrepreneur and have vast experience in Manufacturing Industry, Consulting and International trading as well as conducting management courses in Iranian Society of Consulting Engineers. I have been active in non-profit organizations. I was an active member of the board of Young professional forum of ISCE (from 2004 to 2010), and have been a member of the board of IC Network  for 4 years.

I moved to Canada in 2010 and now work with GreenFlow Financial.

I believe that my experience and expertise can bring great value to the board of ICC.

- Membership registration/renewal on March 29, 2018. 

Here is an announcement form the ICC Board: 

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress, 

As part of the notice of AGM and in compliance with the ICC bylaws we have requested any member interested to run for the ICC board to provide us with the required nomination documents. Some of the nominees did not provide the required documents by the nomination deadline and requested an extension. To accommodate this request the Board of Directors decided to provide all nominees extension till end of April 3rd, 2018. Unfortunately we are still missing documentation from 3 of the potential nominees who have expressed their intention to run in the upcoming ICC Board Elections. Without documentation it is impossible for us to ensure compliance of their nomination with the legal requirements in the ICC bylaws. In good faith and in an effort to increase participation in the election process we are providing a final extension. We have already communicated with the 3 nominees who have yet to provide their documents that the final deadline for complete their nomination process and submit all required documents is end of tomorrow April 5th, 2018. 

Regards,

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress

Here is an announcement from the Board of Directors:

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress,

The Board of Directors of the ICC has approved a number of changes to the bylaws of the organization in an effort to foster transparency and accountability in the operation of the organization and encourage participation of Iranians across Canada in the organization. Board members have considered each change carefully. The need for many of these changes and reforms have been discussed in the ICC for several years now.

The Board of Directors has also prepared an approved a Code of Conduct for directors, volunteers, employees and advisers. Click here to download the proposed code of conduct. The code of conduct has been prepared based on earlier version adopted by the ICC Board initially in 2008 and then later unanimously approved by the board of directors in June 2017. We believe it’s necessary for the ICC to adopt a Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct that will allow us to ensure a safe, ethical and professional environment for all individuals working at the ICC while working for the interests of our community. The Code of Conduct is a resolution at the AGM and requires affirmative vote of 50%+1 of the members at the Annual General Meeting.

Here is a list of amendments that the board will propose for approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on April 29, 2018 considering the procedure set in Article 13 of the bylaws. The bylaw amendments require affirmative vote of at least ⅔ of members voting at the Annual General Meeting.   

• Article 5, Section 2

  • Any member of the ICC who holds Permanent Residency status and meets the other eligibility requirements for nomination (as set out in the bylaws) shall have the right to run for a position on the Board of Directors. However, nominees who do not hold Canadian citizenship may only be elected for maximum of one position on the board of directors (out of 9). A board member with PR status shall not hold any of the four executive positions on the ICC Board (Executive Roles: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary).   

  • Nominees must have been regular members in good standing for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the election. A nominee who does not meet the one-year membership eligibility shall have the right to request exemption from this requirement at the General Meeting of members. Such exemption requires the affirmative vote of at least 50%+1 of the members at the General Meeting.  

• Article 3, Section 1

  • The organizational structure of the ICC consists of the National Board of Directors, which is composed of 9 board members.

  • The Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress will be considered the National Board of Directors. Any member of the ICC in any city or province in Canada shall have the right to vote for the National Board of Directors through in person voting at the AGM, online voting or through a proxy.

  • The references to the Regional Board of Directors in the bylaws will be amended to the National Board of Directors. The references to National Board of Director remain in place, where applicable.

• Article 6

  • A quorum for the Special General Meeting shall be 50% of members in good standing or 100 members, the lesser of the two.  

  • The Board of Directors has the right to call for a Special General Meeting with a vote of majority of the Board Members at anytime with a 30-day advance notice to members.

  • Quorum for the Annual General Meeting remains the same.

• Article 8

  • The Board of Directors shall have the right to create Local Committees for each city or province. Each Local Committee shall consist of 10 members.

  • Local Committees shall have the responsibility to work on issues and priorities identified by the Board of Directors.

  • The Local Committee shall consist of the following members:

    • The Chair of the Local Committee, who shall be a member of the Board of Directors residing in the local area (city or province) that the local committee represents. If a board member living in the local area is not available to take the position, the board has the authority to appoint a member of the ICC who resides in the local area as the Chair of the Local Committee.

    • The Vice-Chair and 8 ICC members who reside in the local area that the Local Committee represents.

• Article 11, Section 1

  • The ICC shall keep all physical documents at its principal office or a safe virtual space for the electronic documents and transfer all documents to the following board of directors within maximum 7 business days upon completion of the elections of the new board of directors. Documents and properties are including financial documents, access information, office access, databases, social media files, audio/video files of the ICC events, if available, as properties of the organization.

• Article 11, Section 4

  • The ICC Board of Directors shall present an annual financial report at the Annual General Meeting of the members. If the annual revenue of the organization is more than $150,000, the ICC Board of Directors shall provide an audited financial statement prepared by an independent auditor. If the annual revenue of the organization in any given fiscal year is less than or equal to $150,000, the ICC shall hire a Chartered Accountant to prepare the Annual Financial Statements of the organization.

Note: Currently the ICC is going through a transition from a provincially registered non-profit organization in Ontario to a federally registered non-profit organization. As a result of this transition certain changes might be required to comply with the applicable federal law. Once the transition is completed the ICC Board of Directors shall consult legal professionals to ensure the bylaws comply with the applicable federal laws. Any further update or amendment to the bylaws will be proposed for approval by the membership.   

Here is a list of nominees for the ICC Board of Directors:

The following 7 nominees meet all eligibility requirements. Here is the list in alphabetical order: 

Sholeh Khalili

Nomination of the following 4 individuals is pending on approval of 1-year membership exemption:

Mehrdokht Hadi

My name is Bob A.Tafreshi, I've landed in Canada in April 2004. My goal is to work towards building a united and stronger Iranian-Canadian community. I graduated  from Karadj university and carry Bachelors degree in Engineering. I am a Master Electrician since 2011. I'm sure my extended 25 years of experience (More than 15 years experience in management, leadership and coordination) can help me in successfully contributing to the ICC as a board member. In my professional life I have worked as a product manager, project manager, plant manager, vice president and president of organizations in different fields both in Iran and in Canada. Also I'm completely familiar with volunteer work. I was part of the Board of Directors of the Mansion of Avondale in Willowdale community from 2015-2017. 

Shayan Moin

Bio/Nomination Statement

I am a Chemical Engineer by profession and studied Polymer Engineering in Tehran Polytechnic. I hold a master of Polymer Engineering from Azad University. I also studied Management and have the certificate to teach management courses from FIDIC (Switzerland).

I am a serial entrepreneur and have vast experience in Manufacturing Industry, Consulting and International trading as well as conducting management courses in Iranian Society of Consulting Engineers. I have been active in non-profit organizations. I was an active member of the board of Young professional forum of ISCE (from 2004 to 2010), and have been a member of the board of IC Network  for 4 years.

I moved to Canada in 2010 and now work with GreenFlow Financial.

I believe that my experience and expertise can bring great value to the board of ICC.

* Membership registration/renewal on March 29, 2018. 

Here is a list of nominees for the ICC Board of Directors:

The following 7 nominees meet all eligibility requirements. Here is the list in alphabetical order: 

Here is a list of nominees for the ICC Board of Directors in alphabetical order (based on last name):

The following 6 nominees meet all eligibility requirements: 

More than ever before it is necessary for our community to advocate for peace and diplomacy.

John Bolton: "The inconvenient truth is that only military action...can accomplish what is required. Time is terribly short, but a strike can still succeed." (1)

Mike Pompeo: "It is under 2,000 sorties to destroy the Iranian nuclear capacity. This is not an insurmountable task for the coalition forces.” (2)
 

As we were celebrating Nowruz, important changes happened in the Trump Administration. First, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was replaced by Mike Pompeo. Shortly thereafter, National Security Advisor H.R McMaster was replaced by John Bolton. While Tillerson and McMaster were both considered moderate in their approach to foreign relations, both John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are on record advocating publicly for aggression and military actions against Iran.
 

Since the last US elections the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) has warned the Canadian government on multiple occasions about the dangerous policies the Trump administration have implemented. The ICC was among the leading Canadian organizations raising its voice against the discriminatory Trump travel ban (the Muslim Ban) and ensuring that Canadian-Iranians and Canadian PR holders are not impacted. 

On October 11, 2017 as the world was waiting for Trump administration's decision about the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) we authored a letter signed by 10 Canadian civil society organizations asking the Canadian government to show leadership by supporting the nuclear agreement and committing to diplomacy with Iran. A few days later (on Oct 13th) Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland issued a statement in support of the nuclear agreement and announced Canada's commitment to provide additional funding for the International Atomic Energy Agency work related to the Iran nuclear agreement. 

Click here to join ICC membership and help us strengthen our community’s voice in Canada.

References:

(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/opinion/to-stop-irans-bomb-bomb-iran.html

(2) http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/sen-elect-tom-cotton-put-an-end-to-iran-nuclear-talks.html

Here is an announcement from the ICC Board of Directors regarding the upcoming AGM on April 29, 2018:

Dear Members and Supporters of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC),

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ICC will be held on Sunday April 29^th, 2018 at 3PM in North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber in Toronto, Ontario (5100 Yonge Street). During this meeting the ICC executives will provide a report about the annual activities of the organization. Also during this AGM 6 new board members will be elected for the ICC Board of Directors. For more information about the AGM and the nomination procedure please click here to review the AGM Notice.

Please note that the nomination deadline is March 29, 2018, 11:59PM. 

Clarification regarding nomination requirements:

During recent days we have received questions about the nomination requirements. According to the ICC bylaws nominees must meet certain requirements. One of the requirements is that a board nominee must have been a member in good standing for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the AGM. The Board of Directors of the ICC would like to clarify that consistent with the practice of the ICC in previous years if a nominee does not meet the 1 year membership requirement we will accept a motion proposed by the nominee to request membership for an exception/exemption. In this process the nomination of the person who does not meet the bylaw membership requirement will be pending on approval from the membership. For this exemption motion to pass it requires an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the members voting in the AGM. 

Membership Registration

ONLY members of the ICC are eligible to attend at the Annual General Meeting and vote for the election of new board members. You can sign up for ICC membership or renew your membership online at www.iccongress.ca/joinICC 

For membership cut-off dates please refer to the AGM notice. 

Online Voting

According to the procedure provided in the bylaws the ICC is facilitating online voting from April 21-April 28. 

  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at info@iccongress.

Board of Directors
Iranian Canadian Congress

Full video of the ICC Community Roundtable about increasing participation of Iranian-Canadian women in Canada.

Thanks to frameless.ca for sponsoring the videography of the event. Click on the following link to watch the full video on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsY2ZnLypIg

Here is a Nowruz message from the ICC President Bijan Ahmadi:

TOGETHER LET’S MAKE 1397 A GREAT YEAR FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

Happy Nowruz!

On behalf of the Iranian Canadian Congress I would like to wish you a happy Nowruz. May 1397 bring happiness and prosperity to you, your family and loved ones.

During the past year with your help and support we have come a long way in strengthening the voice of our community in Canada. Nowruz is a good opportunity to reflect on our achievements together and plan for the year ahead.

More than ever before our community is organized and meaningfully engaged in Canada’s social and political life. Through our work in raising awareness about important public policy issues, we have enabled thousands of Iranian-Canadians to take action and connect with their elected representatives about causes that are important to our community.

We have ensured that the federal government remains committed to diplomacy with Iran and gained bipartisan support for engagement. While facing strong opposition from pro-sanction and pro-isolation lobbies, we have ensured that the Government of Prime Minister Trudeau remains committed to reengagement and diplomacy with Iran. We have also been able to gain the support of the New Democratic Party of Canada and its leadership for renewal of relations with Iran and the reopening of the embassies.

We have successfully prevented imposition of sanctions that negatively impact Iranian-Canadians. With your support we have been able to so far block and delay the vote on Bill S219 (Non-Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran Act). We believe that these sanctions only hurt ordinary Iranian-Canadians and block the path of diplomacy between Canada and Iran.

We have done extensive work related to policies that impact Iranian newcomers. During the past year we have also focused on two important issues that impact Iranian newcomers. We have done extensive research about the foreign trained professionals accreditation process and we are in midst of sharing our list of recommendations with major political parties in Ontario. We will ask them to present their plan before the upcoming provincial elections for addressing problems our foreign trained professionals encounter in their credential evaluation process. We are also raising awareness about unreasonable extended wait times Iranian students are facing in their immigration process to ensure they are treated fairly and that they can stay in Canada and contribute to this great country.

Working in collaboration with other Canadian organizations to advocate for our common interests. During this past year the ICC for the first time joined forces with other Canadian organizations in raising awareness about important issues that would impact our community as well. We led an initiative in preparing and publishing a joint statement with 9 other civil society and pro peace organizations asking PM Trudeau to commit to the nuclear deal with Iran. We joined the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in raising our objection to some of the provisions of Bill C51 and finally we joined tens of organizations that stood against some of the provisions of the Preclearance Act that in our opinion would negatively affect our community.

For the first time in the Parliament of Canada we talked about discrimination that our community members face in Canada and we proposed solutions to overcome these problems. While our multicultural Canada is much better in comparison to most other countries, we need to acknowledge that discrimination still exists in Canada. As part of the study initiated in the House of Commons on anti-discrimination motion M103, representatives of the ICC presented in front of the House of Commons Committee on Canadian Heritage and provided a list of recommendations on how Canadian policy makers may combat discrimination against minority communities.  

We have a challenging year ahead. The voices of hate, division and war seem to be louder than ever before. We need to organize and make sure that our voice is heard by policy makers in Canada. More than ever before it is necessary for our community to advocate for peace, dialogue, inclusion, and tolerance. The ICC is the only organization that work to safeguard the interests of Iranian-Canadians in Canadian social and political life. Join us as a member to be one of the shareholders of the organization. As a member you will have voting rights and through your vote in the Annual General Meetings you will set the priorities and the policy agenda of the organization.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN ICC MEMBERSHIP AND HELP US STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY’S VOICE IN CANADA.

Sincerely,

Bijan Ahmadi

President

Iranian Canadian Congress

Note: the next Annual General Meeting is scheduled for April 29, 2018. Click here to review the notice of AGM. 

آقای مهندس حسین شریف یکی اعضای کنگره ایرانیان کانادا مطلب زیر را برای ما ارسال کردند. ایشان این مطلب را در پاسخ چند نوشته، که در هفته های اخیر علیه فعالیت های کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در هفته نامه شهروند (تورنتو) منتشر شده بود، نوشته اند. به گفته ایشان هفته نامه شهروند بر خلاف اصول روزنامه نگاری و با وجود پیگیری های ایشان تا این لحظه از انتشار پاسخ آقای شریف به مطالب منتشر شده امتناع کرده است. بر این اساس روابط عمومی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا تصمیم گرفت که نوشته این عضو کنگره ایرانیان کانادا را منتشر کند و آن را با شما همراهان کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به اشتراک بگذارد تا با اینکار اعتراض خود را به سانسور مطلب یکی از اعضای کنگره توسط هفته نامه شهروند اعلام کنیم. 

از مدیران هفته نامه شهروند (تورنتو) درخواست میکنیم که با احترام به اصول اخلاقی و و رسالت حرفه ای خود در کار رسانه ای نظرات گوناگون را بازتاب دهند و یا با شفافیت کامل خود را به عنوان یک رسانه حزبی برای تبلیغ عقاید گروهی و جناحی خود معرفی کنند. 

این مطلب بازگو کننده نظرات نویسنده است. 

معترضین به کنگره ایرانیان کانادا چه میخواهند؟

در هفته های اخیر و بخصوص در روزهای نزدیک به جشن سالانه سیمرغ کنگره ایرانیان کانادا (جمعه ۲ فوریه) عده ای از هموطنان که مخالف فعالیتهای و برنامه های کنگره ایرانیان کانادا هستند، به حملات گفتاری و نوشتاری خود علیه کنگره افزودند.

آقای رضا بنائی یکی از آنها بود که در نامه ای که در یکی از نشریات فارسی زبان –شهروند شماره ۱۶۸۷- به چاپ رسانده، در آن به هر دروغی متوسل شده تا کنگره ایرانیان را پشتیبان جمهوری اسلامی معرفی کند. او که خود چند سال پیش (سال ۲۰۱۴-۲۰۱۵) به طور انتصابی به ریاست کنگره ایرانیان کانادا رسیده بود در این نامه این سازمان را "گروه موسوم به «کنگره ایرانیان کانادا»" مینامد و مراسم کنگره ایرانیان که در جهت قدردانی از فعالین جامعه ایرانیان کانادا با نام سیمرغ برگزار شده را " پارتی شبانه" میخواند که توسط یک "گروه چند ده نفره طرفداران و لابی‌گران جمهوری اسلامی" برگزار شد.

سقراط چه خوب گفته که دروغ از حقارت نشات میگیرد و حقارت از جهالت.

ضیافت سیمرغ  Simorgh Gala که از جمله اهداف آن "تعامل بیشتر جامعه ایرانی کانادایی  با احزاب کانادا و قدر دانی از فعالین جامعه ایرانی" است، برای دومین سال با حضور چند صد نفر( متجاوز از ۳۵۰ نفر) و با حضور سیاستمداران شناخته شده در شورای شهر ریچموند هیل، اعضای پارلمان کانادا و همچنین رهبر حزب نیودمکرات -که نامه آقای بنایی با لحنی توهین آمیز خطاب به ایشان نوشته شده- برگزار گردید. در سخنانی جگمیت سینگ رهبر حزب نیودمکرات در ادامه درخواستش از دولت به تعهدی که سه سال پیش نسبت به بازگشایی سفارت های ایران و کانادا کرده بود و هنوز به آن عمل نکرده از جمله گفت: «ما دنیای بهتر را با دیالوگ می سازیم. دنیای بهتر با نشنیدن دیگری و قطع ارتباطات ایجاد نمی شود. دنیای بهتر با ارتباطات ایجاد می شود. "
پیام آقای جاستین ترودو نخست وزیر کانادا درابتدای مراسم خوانده شد. آقای ترودو ا ین جشن را “فرصتی عالی برای بزرگداشت سهم چشمگیر ایرانی ـ کانادایی ها در پیشرفت کانادا” دانست.

لطفا نامه آقای بنایی را خوانده و خودتان آنرا با گزارش این مراسم که در یک نشریه دیگر -سلام تورنتو ۸ فوریه- چاپ شده مقایسه کنید.

اما جدای از خلاف گویی نامه  آقای رضا بنایی بنظر میرسد ایشان با وجود اینکه یک سال به طور انتصابی ریاست کنگره ایرانیان را بر عهده داشته اند حتی یکبار هم اساسنامه آنرا نخوانده اند و کوچکترین اطلاع یا اهمیتی برای وظایف کنگره به عنوان یک سازمان غیر حزبی که برای بهبود شرایط زندگی ایرانیان کانادا تلاش میکند قائل نیستند. بی دلیل نبود که ایشان بدون توجه به اساس نامه سازمان و وظیفه خود به عنوان ریاست کنگره در جریان انتخابات داخلی حزب لیبرال در ویلودیل از کاندیدای ایتالیایی تبار در مقابل دو کاندید ایرانی تبار فعالانه حمایت میکرد.

گفته شده در جریان اعتراض ۳ تن از اعضا هیات مدیره کنگره به این اقدام رئیس وقت کنگره آقای بنایی هزاران دلار صرف وکیل -دفتر حقوقی میندن گروس- شد تا  نظر زیر ارائه گردد:

"از نظر ما عملكرد آقاى بنائى در تاريخ ٣٠ سپتامبر ٢٠١٤ هنگاميكه ايشان از كانديداى ايتاليايي – كانادايى رقيب كانديداهای ايرانى-كانادايى حمايت كردند در تضاد با وظائف قانونى ايشان به عنوان مدير و مسئول کنگره قرار دارد. عليرغم اينكه آقاى بنائى در ظرفيت شخصى خود اين حق را دارند كه از هر فردى كه مايلند حمايت كنند به واسطه مقامشان به عنوان رئيس هيئت مديره و يكى از مديران کنگره ایشان ملزم به رعایت وظايف قانونى قید شده در بالا در قبال سازمانی که آن را نمایندگی می کنند هستند."

اما در مخالفت با کنگره و ضیافت سیمرغ در دوم فوریه آقای رضا بنائى تنها نیست.

در جمعه شب ۲ فوریه گروه کوچکی حدود ۱۰ نفر در محل برگزاری جشن سیمرغ به تظاهرات به اصطلاح افشاگرانه علیه کنگره پرداختند و مخالفت خود را با موجودیت و فعالیتهای کنگره ابراز کردند. فیلم گزارش این تظاهرات در فضای مجازی گذاشته شده است.

قبل از هر چیز باید بگویم که انتقاد، ابراز مخالفت و تظاهرات امری قانونی و پذیرفته شده و یکی از مواهب جامعه دمکرات کانادا است.

متاسفانه سخنان و گزارش های این گروه معترض از جشن سیمرغ سراسر کذب و همراه با تهمت و توهین است. در این گزارش ها و شعار های این عده کنگره به عنوان لابی جمهوری اسلامی و برگزار کننده جشن که هزینه اش را جمهوری اسلامی پرداخته است معرفی میشود. این گروه حتی بر خلاف آگاهی خودشان که هزینه محل اجاره جشن با پول بلیط شرکت کنندگان که من یکی از آنها بودم پرداخته شده است به دروغی غیر اخلاقی متوسل میشوند تا بگویند که کنگره لابی جمهوری اسلامی است.

شاید اینها همه به دروغ مصلحت آمیز معتقد هستند یا معتقدند که هدف وسیله را توجیه میکند؟!

از اینهم سخیفتر مخالفت این گروه نه تنها اعضا و هیئت مدیره کنگره را مورد هدف قرار داده است، بلکه حتی به خانواده شان هم تهمت های دروغ و ناروا بسته اند که این خود نشانه ضعف منطق و عمل غیر اخلاقی این گروه معترض است.

راستی اینها چه میخواهند؟ در یک کلام حرف آنان این است که چرا کنگره مانند یک حزب و گروه سیاسی برانداز بر علیه جمهوری اسلامی عمل نمی کند. این گروه به عمد یا سهوا نادیده میگیرند که کنگره یک سازمان غیر انتفاعی، غیر مذهبی، غیر حزبی، داوطلبانه و سراسری است که برای هماهنگی وجوه مشترک ایرانیان مهاجر به کانادا و پیگیری حقوق و منافعشان به وجود آمده است. آیا این افراد با تفاوت کار صنفی و غیر حزبی با فعالیت های یک سازمان سیاسی و حزبی آشنا نیستند؟ کافی است این گروه سری به سایت کنگره بزنند و در سرلوحه وظایف کنگره مطالب زیر را ببینند:

The Iranian Canadian Congress is a non-profit, non-partisan, and non-religious organization, established in 2007, to represent the interests of Iranian Canadians and encourage their participation in Canadian society.

کنگره ایرانیان کانادا سازمانی است غیرانتفاعی، غیر مذهبی و غیر حزبی که به همت جمعی از فعالان اجتماعی از سال 2007 میلادی پایه گذاری و شروع به فعالیت نموده است.  هدف اصلی بانیان این حرکت، ایجاد ساختاری برای پیشبرد منافع جامعه ایرانی-کانادایی و تشویق جامعه ما به مشارکت در جامعه کانادا بوده است.

انصافا کدام یک از فعالیتهای جاری کنگره از این اهداف سر باز زده است؟ بنظر میرسد که این گروه از ساده ترین اصل یک سازمان صنفی و غیر حزبی کاملا بی اطلاع هستند. برای مثال در یک سندیکای کارگری که از منافع کارگران حمایت میکند اعضایش غیر از کارگر بودن میتوانند همه نوع سلیقه و اعتقاد مذهبی و سیاسی داشته باشند. یک گروه میتوانند نماز خوان و مذهبی باشند، یک گروه افکار چپ داشته باشند، یک عده هم لیبرال و غیره. نمیتوانی به نمازخوان بگویی مرتجع، به چپگرا بگویی عامل بیگانه، به لیبرال بگویی وطن فروش و غیره و سندیکا را از درون متلاشی کنی! از یک سندیکا نمیتوان وظیفه یک حزب سیاسی را انتظار داشت. این گروه معترض به کنگره انتظار دارند که کنگره به مانند یک حزب سیاسی عمل بکند و بر این باورند که اگر کنگره با ما هم عقیده نباشد باید کمر به نابودیش ببندیم.

تا آنجا که من برداشت کرده ام این گروه به دو دلیل عمده دروغ گویی، تهمت زدن، و دشنام گویی را علیه کنگره ایرانیان شروع کرده وهمچنان ادامه میدهند:

دلیل ۱- پشتیبانی کنگره از باز گشائی سفارتخانه ها و عادی کردن روابط دیپلماتیک بین کانادا و ایران

از نظر اینجاب به عنوان یکنفر از نزدیک به ۱۶,۰۰۰ نفری که پتیشن (طومار) پارلمانی کنگره در این زمینه را امضا کرده، این اقدام کنگره بر اساس وظایف تعریف شده در اساسنامه کنگره و در جهت منافع مشترک ایرانیان مهاجر به کانادا بوده و قابل تقدیر است.

این گروه خوب میدانند که قطع ناگهانی روابط کانادا با ایران در سال ۲۰۱۲ با دستور آقای استفان هارپر نخست وزیر دولت محافظه کار بدون هیچ زمینه منطقی بطور ضرب الاجل و بیسابقه در روابط بین الملل انجام گرفت. یاد آور میشوم سفارت خانه های ایران و عراق در تمام طول جنگ ۸ ساله هیچوقت بسته نشدند. سفارتخانه های آمریکا و شوروی در تمام دوران جنگ سرد همیشه فعال بودند, هرچند که دیپلماتهای جاسوس به عنوان عناصر نامطلوب اخراج میشدند.

سفارتخانه ها متعلق به ملتها هم هستند، دکان بقالی نیستند که یک شبه با ذکر دلایل واهی بسته شوند. این اقدام ناگهانی آقای هارپر بلافاصله مورد انتقاد شدید دیپلماتهای برجسته کانادا و آقای کن تیلور سفر پیشین کانادا در ایران قرار گرفت. دلیل قطع روابط در آن زمان احتمال حمله به سفارتخانه کانادا بدنبال حمله به سفارتخانه انگلستان در تهران اعلام شد. لازم به ذکر است چند سال است که روابط انگلستان در حد سفیر با ایران مجددا برقرار است.

البته در مورد کانادا بعدها در تحلیل ها معلوم شد دولت آقای هارپر تحت تاثیر لابی های پنهان دست راستی و همچنین امکان بستن قرار داد چند ملیاردی فروش اسلحه به عربستان سعودی، چنین با عجله و خارج از عرف دست به چنین کاری زده است.

راستی چرا پیگیری و تلاش برای تجدید روابط بین کانادا با ایران که وعده انتخاباتی دولت لیبرال آقای ترودو نیز هست، از وظایف مسلم کنگره ایرانیان کانادا ا میباشد که به خوبی هم آنرا در حد توانش انجام داده است؟ سالهاست هزاران ایرانی و ایرانی تباران که نیازمند خدمات کنسولی هستند باید با صرف وقت و هزینه های غیر ضروری به کشور های دیگر سفر بکنند. چرا ما باید برای انجام نیازهای کنسولی, امور تحصیلی و حقوقی مان تا این درجه با مشکلات روبرو شویم؟ چه کسانی از نبود روابط بین دو کشور سود میبرند؟ مسلما نه هموطنانمان در ایران و نه مهاجران ایرانی تبار در کانادا.

همزمان با پتیشن کنگره در تشویق دولت لیبرال کانادا به عمل به وعده انتخاباتیش در سال گذشته، پتیشن دیگری در همان زمان با پشتیبانی پیتر کنت نماینده محافظه کار تورن هیل در مخالفت با بازگشایی سفارت ها به جریان افتاد. پتیشن کنگره نزدیک به ۱۶,۰۰۰ و پتیشن مخالف تنها حدود ۶۰۰ امضا جمع آوری کرد. با اینحال پس از نزدیک به سه سال از وعده آقای ترودو بنظر میرسد چشم انداز روشنی حداقل برای آینده نزدیک برای برقراری مجدد رابطه حتی در پایینترین سطح دیده نمیشود.

دلیل ۲: تلاش کنگره برای جلوگیری از تصویب لایحه S-219  

این لایحه که عنوانش "تحریم های غیر هسته ای علیه ایران" است در صورت تصویب در واقع شرایطی را فراهم خواهد آورد که موانع بیشتری برای تجدید روابط بین کانادا با ایران بوجود خواهد آورد. تصویب این لایحه بر پیچیده گی گفتگو برای برقراری روابط اثرات منفی خواهد گذاشت.

ولی این خود وزارت خارجه کانادا است که با لایحه S-219 و وضع تحریم های غیرهسته ای علیه ایران موافق نیست. در آپریل سال گذشته دستیار معاون وزارت امور خارجه کانادا در امور اروپا و خاورمیانه در نامه ای به سناتورهای عضو کمیته روابط خارجی سنا گفت که «از دیدگاه وزارت امور خارجه کانادا، تصویب لایحه 219-S به احتمال زیاد برقراری روابط دیپلماتیک با ایران را مانع می شود.»

یکی از اقدامات چشمگیر کنگره در بهار سال گذشته، حضور نمایندگان این سازمان در کمیته روابط خارجی سنا و مطرح کردن دلائل منطقی شان بر غیر ضروری و مضر بودن تصویب این لایحه بر منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی بود. در این جلسه همه دیدیم که سناتور محافظه کار  لین بی یک که اکنون بخاطر دفاع از فاجعه جدا کردن فرزندان بومیان کانادا از والدینشان در دهه های گذشته از حزب محافظه کار اخراج شده است یکی از کسانی بود که بر تصویب این لایحه اصرار میورزید.

اکنون با توجه به دو دلیل بالا سوال من از گروه معترض اینست که چگونه توضیح میدهند که افکارو خواسته هایشان تا این حد به دست راستی ترین همکاران آقای هارپر و این سناتور نژاد پرست نزدیک است؟

با سپاس و احترام

حسین شریف

ریچموند هیل، آنتاریو

NOTICE FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS AND CALL FOR NOMINATION

When: Sunday April 29, 2018, 3PM

Where: Council Chamber, North York Civic Centre (5100 Yonge Street)

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress,

Notice is hereby given to all members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ICC will be held on Sunday April 29^th, 2018 at 3PM in North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber in North York, Ontario (5100 Yonge Street) to conduct the following:

• Provide a report about the annual activities and performance of the organization.

• Election for 6 new board members for the ICC Board of Directors. 

According to the procedure provided in the bylaws the ICC is facilitating online voting from April 21-April 28. For more information about the nomination process and voting procedure please review this announcement carefully and send us an email at info@iccongress.ca if you have any questions. 

Nomination Procedure: ICC members interested to run for a position on the Board of Directors shall follow these steps:

Step 1: Review the eligibility requirements for board nominees (as per the ICC by-laws):

Must have been a member in good standing for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the AGM;

Must be 21 years or older;

Must be a Canadian Citizen;

Must have lived in Canada for at least 5 years in aggregate;

Must pass a criminal background check.

Step 2: If you meet the eligibility requirements, to announce your intention to run send an email to info@iccongress.ca and submit all required nomination documents before March 29, 2018, 11:59PM. To meet the bylaw requirements all nominees shall submit the following documents to the ICC together with their nomination email:

• A biography and/or nomination statement in maximum 300 words. English bio is required, Farsi bio is optional. Please provide your bio in a word file.  
• A passport size photo in digital format. The photo has to be passport style - clear and formal. 
• A certificate of police clearance. 
• Proof of Citizenship. 

Membership cut-off date

ONLY members of the Iranian Canadian Congress are eligible to attend at the Annual General Meeting and vote for the election of new Board members. Therefore, those who become members of the ICC by the end of April 15, 2018 (11:59PM) are eligible to vote in the online election and those who become member of the ICC by the end of April 23, 2018 (11:59PM) are eligible to vote in person on April 29, 2018.

Membership Registration

You can sign up for ICC membership or renew your membership only in one of the two following ways: 

1. 1. Online at www.iccongress.ca/joinicc or
   2. In person with the secretary of the board. For in person registration please email us at info@iccongress.ca.

If you have any question about your membership status, please email us at info@iccongress.ca.

Proxy Voting 

Members who are unable to vote themselves can assign a proxy representative to vote for them. We will send you the proxy form and instructions in a separate email in the next few weeks.  

In the coming weeks we will provide you more information about the online voting procedure and the upcoming AGM including early voting hours on the day of the  

Note: The Board of Directors decided (with a unanimous vote of all directors) to hold the AGM earlier in compare to last year to ensure that the organization is able to organize activities regarding the upcoming provincial elections during the month of May.

The following is an informal Farsi translation of the AGM notice. Please note that the English notice is the formal and legal reference.  

اعلامیه‌ی رسمی مجمع عمومی سالیانه‌ی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا و فراخوان نامزدی در انتخابات هیات مدیره

زمان: یکشنبه ۲۹ ماه آوریل، ۲۰۱۸ ساعت ۳ بعدازظهر

مکان: سالن اجتماعات شهرداری نورت یورک، واقع در ۵۱۰۰ خیابان یانگ

اعضای محترم کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

بدین‌وسیله به آگاهی می‌رساند که مجمع عمومی سالیانه‌ی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا ساعت ۳ بعدازظهر روز یکشنبه ۲۹ ماه آوریل ۲۰۱۸ در سالن اجتماعات شهرداری نورت یورک برای رسیدگی به موارد زیر برگزار خواهد شد

گزارش فعالیت و عملکرد کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در ۱۲ ماه گذشته -

 برگزاری انتخابات برای جایگزینی ۶ عضو هیأت مدیره که دوره‌ی آنان پایان می‌یابد -

طبق اساسنامه‌ی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا، انتخابات آنلاین از تاریخ ۲۱ تا ۲۸ آوریل برگزار خواهد شد. اگر قصد نامزدی دارید این ایمیل را با دقت بخوانید و تاریخ‌های مهم را یادداشت کنید و اگر سوالی دارید به info@iccongress.ca ایمیل بفرستید. 

:شرایط نامزدی برای عضویت در هیات مدیره به استناد اساسنامه کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به شرح زیر است 

الف) عضویت در کنگره ایرانیان کانادا برای حداقل یک سالِ کامل که زمان آن بلافاصله پیش از تاریخ انتخابات پیش رو محاسبه می‌گردد؛

ب)  حداقل ۲۱ سال و یا بیشتر سن داشته باشند؛

ج) شهروند کانادا باشند؛

د) حداقل (یا در مجموع) ۵ سال در کانادا ساکن بوده باشند؛

ه) بایستی دارای سوء پیشینه نباشند؛ 

همگی اعضای علاقمند به عضویت در هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا که دارای شرایط فوق هستند می‌بایست تا تاریخ ۲۹ مارس، پیش از ۱۱:۵۹ شب، قصد عضویت خود را در هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به همراه مدارک زیر به آدرس ایمیل کنگره ارسال کنند

Info@iccongress.ca

خلاصه‌ای از سوابق و دلایل علاقمندی برای عضویت در هیأت مدیره در حداکثر ۳۰۰ لغت -

 یک عکس جدید در اندازه‌ی پاسپورت -

- گواهی عدم سوء پیشینه از اداره‌ی پلیس

- گواهی اثبات شهروندی

توجه*

 تنها اعضای کنگره می‌توانند در مجمع عمومی شرکت کرده و رای دهند. از این رو آنهایی که تا پایان روز۱۵  آوریل ۲۰۱۸ به عضویت کنگره در آمده و یا عضویت خود را تمدید کنند می‌توانند در انتخابات آنلاین شرکت نمایند و آنهایی که تا پایان روز۲۳ آوریل ۲۰۱۸ به عضویت کنگره در آمده و یا عضویت خود را تمدید کنند می‌توانند در انتخابات حضوری در روز۲۹ آوریل در مجمع عمومی شرکت کنند

برای عضویت هم می‌توانید به نشانی اینترنتی مقابل رفته و عضویت خود را به صورت آنلاین تمدید کنید: www.iccongress.ca/joinicc.
یا اینکه برای تمدید عضویت به صورت حضوری با هماهنگی دبیر کنگره ایمیلی به info@iccongress.ca بفرستید. ثبت نام برای عضویت تنها از دو طریق ذکر شده امکان پذیر است. 

در روزها و هفته‌های آینده اطلاعات بیشتر و دقیق‌تری از انتخابات آنلاین، فرم رای وکالتی و مجمع عمومی امسال به شما ارائه خواهیم کرد. 

هیأت مدیره‌ی کنگره ایرانیان کاناد

"مقاله ای از بیژن احمدی، رئیس کنگره ایرانیان کانادا، درباره کمپین این سازمان در مخالفت با لایحه "تحریم های غیر هسته ای علیه ایران

سال قبل در چنین روزهایی در ماه فوریه بود که پویان طبسی نژاد و من به نمایندگی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در کمیته روابط خارجی سنای کانادا حاضر شدیم تا در مخالفت با "لایحه تحریم های غیر هسته ای علیه ایران" صحبت کنیم. خوشحالم که با گذشت یک سال از آن روز و به واسطه تلاش های کنگره ایرانیان کانادا تصویب این لایحه که به گفته ناظران و کارشناسان انتظار میرفت خیلی سریع انجام شود قدم به قدم به تاخیر افتاده است. طرفداران و طراحان این لایحه خود در نوشته هایشان در نشریات کانادا به نقش موثر کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در رابطه با کند شدن مسیر  این لایحه اعتراف کرده اند. این کمپین یک ساله در مخالفت با لایحه تحریم کنگره ایرانیان کانادا را در سطح سیاسی کانادا مطرح کرد و توانایی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی را در تاثیر گذاری بر روند قانون گذاری در کانادا نشان داد. از طریق کمپین کنگره ایرانیان کانادا برخی از اساتید ایرانی کانادایی مخالفت خود را با این لایحه اعلام کردند. هزاران ایرانی-کانادایی از غرب تا شرق کانادا با سناتور های خود برای اولین بار تماس گرفتند و از آنها خواستند که با این لایحه مخالفت کنند. حاصل این فعالیت ها این بوده که بسیاری از سناتور های سرشناس و با تجربه کانادا مخالفت خود را با این لایحه به طور عمومی اعلام کردند و در جلسه علنی سنا علیه این لایحه سخنرانی کرده اند. 

اما چرا کنگره ایرانیان کانادا با لایحه تحریم های غیر هسته ای علیه ایران مخالف است؟ 
در جلسه کمیته سنا که حدود یک ساعت طول کشید دلایل مخالفت کنگره ایرانیان کانادا با لایحه تحریم S219 را توضیح دادیم. اما متاسفانه برخی از موافقین این لایحه به جای توضیح دلایل خود برای طرفداری از این لایحه سعی کردند با ارائه اطلاعات نادرست به تخریب کمپین کنگره ایرانیان کانادا و تخریب داوطلبین این سازمان بپردازند. به عنوان مثال گفتند که کنگره با این لایحه مخالف است چون موضوع نقض حقوق بشر در ایران را مطرح میکند. نه تنها این گفته دروغی بیش نیست بلکه در همان جلسه سنا ما چندین بار در رابطه با اهمیت موضوع حقوق بشر در ایران صحبت کردیم و از زندانیان ایرانی-کانادایی نام بردیم و از لزوم پیگیری شرایط آنها سخن گفتیم.  

 

به عنوان یک شهروند و خارج از حوزه مسئولیت کنگره ایرانیان کانادا دلایل دیگری نیز برای مخالفت با این لایحه وجود دارد. به عنوان مثال به نظر من تحریم هوشمند و غیر هوشمند تنها به اقتصاد ایران و در نتیجه آن مردم ایران آسیب میرساند و هیچ کمکی به خواست های مردم ایران برای آزادی سیاسی و اجتماعی یا بهبود شرایط اقتصادی نخواهد کرد. همچنین به نظر من نقض و زیر پا گذاشتن برجام خطرناک است و این روند همچنان که در ماه های گذشته دیده ایم میتواند بار دیگر خطر جنگ را افزایش دهد. شما نیز ممکن است دلایل دیگری برای مخالفت با تحریم علیه ایران داشته باشید اما کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در حوزه مسئولیت و وظیفه خود که دفاع از جامعه ایرانی-کانادایی ست فعالیت خود را در رابطه با این لایحه آغاز کرد و تا امروز نیز بسیار موفق توانسته جلوی تصویب این لایحه را بگیرد. اگر این لایحه در سنا نیز تصویب شود با تمام توان در مقابل آن در مجلس نمایندگان خواهیم ایستاد. 


بیژن احمدی

رئیس کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

Here is a statement from the ICC regarding the Aseman Airlines Plan Crash:

The ICC is extremely saddened to hear about the tragedy on Aseman Airlines Flight EP3704. This flight crashed on Sunday shortly after taking off from Tehran heading for Yasouj. 66 people were aboard the aircraft. Many analysts have observed that these crashes occur in Iran with higher frequency due to the fact that Iranian airlines have been prevented from getting access to needed replacement parts and new aircraft due to the sanctions on Iran. This forces Iranian airlines to fly older aircraft that are more likely to fail during flights.

Unfortunately, even in Canada we have politicians and lobbying groups who are attempting to prevent aircraft sales to Iran and are advocating for additional sanctions on Iran that only hurt the Iranian people. On the same week as the crash, Senator Linda Frum condemned potential Canadian aircraft sales by Bombardier to Iranian airlines on the Senate floor. We call on the Canadian government and all parliamentarians to refrain from imposing any restrictions on potential sales of Canadian aircraft or Canadian parts to Iranian commercial airlines.

ICC: We call on the Iranian government to immediately investigate Mr. Seyed-Emami's death and call on the Canadian government to follow up on this request with their Iranian counterparts. We call for complete transparency and accountability in this process.

Here is a statement from the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) regarding the death of Iranian-Canadian academic Kavous Seyed-Emami:

The ICC has been made aware that Iranian-Canadian academic Kavous Seyed-Emami has died while in custody in Iran. According to Mr. Seyed-Emami's son, his father was arrested by Iranian authorities on Jan. 24, and that his mother had been informed of Emami’s death on Feb. 9.   

On behalf of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC), we extend our condolences to Mr. Seyed-Emami's family. We call on the Iranian government to immediately investigate Mr. Seyed-Emami's death and call on the Canadian government to follow up on this request with their Iranian counterparts. The rights of all prisoners must be protected in accordance with the rule of law. The health and safety of prisoners are the responsibility of the authorities. Mr. Seyed-Emami's death should be investigated and the results transparently communicated to the public and to the family of Mr. Seyed-Emami. We call for complete transparency and accountability in this process. The ICC will keep monitoring the developments regarding this case and is trying to connect with Mr. Seyed-Emami's family.  

بیانیه اعضای هیات مدیره سازمان پیرو اخبار جعلی منتشرشده راجع به رییس هیت مدیره کنگره

بیانیه اعضای هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در محکومیت موج تهدید و دروغ پراکنی

دروغ پراکنی و تهمت، ما را از راه خود باز نخواهد داشت  

اعضای محترم،همراهان و مخاطبان محترم کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

در هفته های اخیر موج جدیدی از دروغ پراکنی، تهمت و توهین توسط عده ای قلیل علیه کنگره ایرانیان کانادا و اعضای هیات مدیره این نهاد آغاز شده است. این گروه کوچک و تندرو اینبار با هدف قرار دادن و حملات شخصی به رئیس کنگره ایرانیان کانادا -بیژن احمدی و خانواده‌ او- قصد دارند که وی را که یکی از تاثیر گذارترین افراد در پیشرفت و ایجاد تغییرات اساسی در کنگره در طول سال های اخیر بوده از فعالیت بازدارند. بیژن احمدی در اواسط ماه ژانویه ۲۰۱۸ در جلسه هیات مدیره با ذکر جزییات اطلاع داد که اخیرا تهدیدهایی را دریافت کرده که از ایشان خواسته شده فعالیت های خود برای پیگیری موضوع تجدید روابط بین کانادا و ایران را در کنگره ایرانیان کانادا قطع کند. چند روز پس از رد این تهدیدها٬ موج دروغ پراکنی علیه ایشان و سایر اعضای هیات مدیره از رسانه های دیگری نیز آغاز شد. این بار این گروه ها به جای شب نامه های محلی در تورنتو از رسانه خشونت طلب "آمد نیوز" یاری جستند و با تهمت های نخ نما به تخریب وی پرداختند

همچنین در هفته های پیش از برگزاری جشن سیمرغ کنگره ایرانیان کانادا، این افراد با ارسال نامه های بی نام و نشان برای مقامات دولتی و مسئولین محل برگزاری جشن سعی در ایجاد اخلال در برنامه این سازمان را داشتند. خوشبختانه جشن سیمرغ ۲۰۱۸ با وجود تمامی این بی اخلاقی ها٬ موفق، با شکوه و با حضور پر رنگ سیاست‌مداران کانادایی از دولت های فدرال و شهری و از احزاب مختلف کانادا برگزار شد

ما اعضای هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا با قاطعیت رفتار های غیر اخلاقی و غیر قانونی این افراد در تهدید و دروغ پراکنی در رابطه با داوطلبین و فعالین اجتماعی را محکوم میکنیم و از عموم جامعه ایرانی کانادایی نیز دعوت میکنیم که با مشارکت خود در مقابل این دروغ پراکنی‌ها و تهمت‌ها بایستند و اجازه ندهند که عده ای قلیل برای پیشبرد منافع شخصی و اهداف سیاسی مسموم خود سابقه درخشان جامعه ما را در کانادا خدشه دار کنند و چهره ای خشن و به دور از اخلاق را از جامعه ایرانیان در کانادا بگسترانند

بار دیگر تاکید میکنیم که تا زمانی که در این سازمان حضور داریم به عهد و پیمان خود با اعضای این مجموعه پایبند هستیم و ذره ای از فعالیت های خود در جهت پیشبرد منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی عقب نشینی نخواهیم کرد. دروغ، تهمت و افترا نه تنها ما را از مسیرمان دور نخواهد کرد بلکه دلیلی بر استمرار فعالیت های آزادی طلبانه در راستای منفعت حداکثری جامعه مان خواهد بود

با احترام

فوریه ۹، ۲۰۱۸

امضا کنندگان این نامه به ترتیب حروف الفبا

پویان طبسی نژاد - تایاز فخری - درنا مجدمی - سوده قاسمی - مجتبی ادیبراد - محسن خانیکی - مهران فرازمند

لیست افراد و سازمان های نامزد سیمرغ ۲۰۱۸

در بین ۳۲ نامزد سیمرغ ۲۰۱۸ فعالینی از ونکوور، مونترال، کلگری، و اتاوا هم حضور دارند

جشن سیمرغ کنگره ایرانیان کانادا روز دوم فبریه ۲۰۱۸ در سالن Chateau le parc برگزار خواهد شد. در سیمرغ امسال، بنا به روال سال گذشته از افراد و سازمان هایی که در جامعه ایرانی کانادایی فعالیت میکنند قدر دانی خواهیم کرد. کمیته فرهنگی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا،اواخر سال  ۲۰۱۷ به طور عمومی  دعوت کرد تا افراد یا سازمان هایی را که فکر میکنید شایسته‌‌ی قدردانی هستند را نامزد دریاف ۴ جایزه سیمرغ کنید. به لطف شما همراهان کنگره،۳۲ فعال و سازمان فرهنگی و اجتماعی توسط شما نامزد دریافت جایزه سیمرغ ۲۰۱۸ شدند و اطلاعات و سابقه فعالیت هایشان را برای مرور توسط کمیته مستقل داوری ارسال کردند. مفتخریم که امسال ایرانیان خارج از تورنتو ی بزرگ نیز از جشن سیمرغ استقبال کردند و در بین ۳۲ نامزد سیمرغ فعالینی از شهرهای ونکوور، مونترال، کلگری، و اتاوا هم حضور دارند. کمیته مستقل داوری برای انتخاب فرد و موسسه پیشگام در هر گروه تشکیل شده. هیچ یک از اعضای هیات مدیره و یا مسئولین اجرایی  کنگره در این کمیته دخالتی ندارند. اعضای این تیم داوری شب جشن سیمرغ معرفی خواهند شد.  بی شک، جامعه ایرانیان کانادا،  قدردان تک تک افراد و سازمان هایی ست که برای پیشرفت جامعه ما تلاش میکنند. منتخب هر گروه  شب ۲ فبریه در جشن سیمرغ توسط کمیته داوری اعلام خواهد شد

لیست افراد و سازمان های نامزد سیمرغ ۲۰۱۸

بخش اول: پپیشگام در خدمت رسانی به جامعه ایرانی کاندایی

نیما حسامی

مهناز شهبازی

شهاب انصاری

شهره صباغ پور

فریبا بشیری

پانته‌آ جعفری

مشهود ناصری

لیوسا کیلانی

سام ابراهیمی

محبوب بلندی

امیر باجکیان

فریده یگانه

بخش دوم: پیشگام در فرهنگ و هنر

نیما رحمانی

سینا گیلانی

شیلا نهاور

شمسی شاهرخی

امیر سلطانی

بخش سوم: موسسه غیرانتفاعی یا خیریه برتر سال

Persica Management and Quality Association (PMQA)

The First Institute of Canadian Inventors (FICI)

Iranian Women's Organization of Ontario (IWOO)

Behnam Foundation of Canada

Paradise Charity Group

بخش چهارم:‌  جوان پیشگام- زیر ۳۵ سال

تینا حسامی

شیما موسوی

یونس زنگی آبادی

اینا راستیان

امیلی هودی

مهرک هزاوه

مهراز جوادیان

سلمان سلیمانی دشتکی

سنا رخ صفت

درسا دهداری

برای اطلاعات بیشتر در رابطه با جشن سیمرغ به وبسایت زیر مراجعه کنید
www.SimorghGala.ca

Announcement from the ICC Board of Directors:

Based on the decision of the ICC Board of Directors Mr. Mohsen Khaniki is appointed as the Chair of the ICC's Public Relations & Communications Committee. This appointment is effective immediately. 

About Mohsen: Mohsen is a young student activist. Beside his active involvement as a volunteer in the ICC for the past 2 years he has been active in the Iranian Students' Association at York University (ISAYU) and currently sits on the executive board of the association. Mohsen is also the co-founder of Human Capital of Iran, a student run group that aims to raise awareness about the contributions of the Iranian diaspora. One of the projects of the Human Capital of Iran was a short documentary called "Iranians Non-Grata" that uncovers the personal stories of prominent Iranian students who have been affected by President Trump's Executive Order known as the Muslim Ban or the Travel Ban. Mohsen studies Finance at York University. We hope that with Mohsen's involvement in the leadership of the ICC we significantly increase our outreach to Iranian-Canadian students.   

Discounted Simorgh tickets are available for students:

STUDENT TICKETS

With the generous donation of our supporters, we are able to offer limited number of discounted tickets for students at $75 per ticket for Simorgh Gala 2018. Students tickets are not available online. To purchase your student tickets, please call Mohsen at 416-832-9851 or email info@iccongress.ca You need to have a valid Canadian or Iranian student ID to purchase a student ticket.

Here you can find important updates regarding changes in the program for Simorgh Gala 2018:

CHANGES IN OUR PROGRAM

In light of the recent protests in Iran and the deaths of approximately 21 fellow Iranians during these protests the Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress has decided to cancel the comedy show by Max Amini for Simorgh Gala 2018.

NEW PERFORMERS

We will have two amazing Iranian-Canadian bands performing at the Simorgh Gala 2018:

Fariba Davoodi and the 'Avaye Sharghi' ensemble, including Koroush Babaei, Araz Nayeb Pashai and Sardar Mohammadjani.

Iranian-Canadian pop artist Milad Jalaeian and his band will be playing their own pieces as well as some all-time Persian favourites.

If you purchased your tickets before January 11th, 2018 and you have any concerns regarding the above-mentioned changes in the program, please contact us at info@iccongress.ca. We apologize for any inconvenience. However, we believe these changes were necessary in light of recent circumstances. We will offer a full refund until January 18, 2018 to anyone who purchased tickets on or before the date of this announcement: January 11, 2018.

STUDENT TICKETS

With the generous donation of our supporters, we are able to offer discounted tickets for students at $75 per ticket. Students tickets are not available online. To purchase your student tickets, please call Mohsen at 416-832-9851 or email info@iccongress.ca You need to have a valid Canadian or Iranian student ID to purchase a student ticket.

TICKET PRICES WILL REMAIN $150 

While we have made changes to the program, ticket prices remain at $150. Tickets will not be available at the door and, similar to last year, we expect the event to be sold out. Please purchase your tickets as soon as possible.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW. 

Here is a statement from the Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) regarding recent protests in Iran.

The ICC strongly supports the rights of Iranian people to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

In recent days there have been protests in several cities in Iran. As an organization that is committed to the values enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms the Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress strongly supports the rights of Iranian people to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. We believe in the right of all Iranian people to peacefully demonstrate and communicate their views and demands with their government. We hope that the legitimate demands of the protesters are addressed and that the protests result in improved conditions for all concerned. Freedom to protest is a basic human right and must be protected and respected by all governments; however, violence or endangering the security and safety of others by any group, individual or entity should be condemned by all and we are extremely saddened about the loss of life and violent clashes happening in Iran. Time and again it has been demonstrated, whether in the Middle East region or otherwise, that violence does not lead to progress or improvements in the social and economic well-being of the people.   

In the days since the protests began, some politicians and political groups in Canada and abroad who have for years advocated for sanctions and aggression against Iran have tried to exploit these protests to justify their anti-Iranian policies. We should make no mistake; the policies of sanctions and aggression have only hurt ordinary Iranians by negatively impacting the Iranian economy. These efforts constitute nothing but an attempt to cynically exploit people’s legitimate demands to advance these groups' own political agenda. In addition to internal factors and economic mismanagement in Iran, decades of sanctions by Western governments, especially the United States, have significantly harmed the Iranian economy and the lives of ordinary Iranians. Time and again, the people of Iran have demonstrated to the world that they want to engage constructively with the international community and that they reject isolation, violence and war. 

We believe that it is important for the international community to respect the rights of Iranians to determine the direction of their own country in the pursuit of their social and economic vision for the future.

Here is an announcement from the ICC Board of Directors:

Dear Members and Supporters of the Iranian Canadian Congress, 

This is to inform you that Ms. Morvarid Zare has resigned as a director and officer of the ICC. In her resignation letter she mentioned that she decided to resign due to heavy load of work and academics. You can find a copy of her resignation letter here. Morvarid's resignation was submitted to the board of directors on December 12, 2017- effective immediately.

We ask that you join us in thanking Morvarid for her contributions and efforts during her time in the ICC board and wishing her the very best in her future endeavours.

After consultation among the ICC board members it was decided that consistent with the guidelines and parameters provided in our bylaws the vacant sit to be filled with one of the candidates/nominees in the last Annual General Meeting of the ICC. With the unanimous support of the ICC Board, we are pleased to announce appointment of Mr. Mohsen Khaniki as a director of the ICC. Mohsen Khaniki was a candidate during the ICC AGM 2017. He withdrew his nomination to support the other candidates few days before the AGM. During the consultation among board members all directors believed that while Mr. Khaniki withdrew his candidacy before the AGM, to comply with the spirit and intent of the bylaws, appointing the candidates/nominees of the immediate preceding AGM is a more transparent process instead of appointing other individuals.

Mohsen is a young student activist. Beside his active involvement as a volunteer in the ICC for the past 2 years he has been active in the Iranian Students' Association at York University (ISAYU) and currently sits on the executive board of the association. Mohsen is also the co-founder of Human Capital of Iran, a student run group that aims to raise awareness about the contributions of the Iranian diaspora. One of the projects of the Human Capital of Iran was a short documentary called "Iranians Non-Grata" that uncovers the personal stories of prominent Iranian students who have been affected by President Trump's Executive Order known as the Muslim Ban or the Travel Ban. Mohsen studies Finance at York University. We hope that with Mohsen's involvement in the leadership of the ICC we significantly increase our outreach to Iranian-Canadian students.   

Mr. Khaniki's term starts effective immediately and according to the bylaws ends at the next AGM. 

Please join us in welcoming Mohsen to the ICC Board. 

Sincerely, 

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)

December 20, 2017 

The Policy Committee of the Iranian Canadian Congress provided the following statement and outlined the concerns of the ICC in regard to the changes to the Preclearance Act Bill C-23, which is currently being discussed before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defense.

Successful Iranian-American comedian Max Amini will be the star performer at the ICC's Simorgh Gala 2018 on February 2, 2018. 

We are delighted to announce that Iranian-American comedian Max Amini will have a special show at our Simorgh Gala 2018 on February 2, 2018.

We are finalizing a great line up for the night which will be announced one by one as we get closer to the event. 

For more information about the event and to purchase your tickets visit: www.iccongress.ca/simorgh_gala

Here is Max Amini's bio:

 MAX AMINI, born in Tucson Arizona, from a Persian heritage was raised on the East Coast and graduated from UCLA’s school of Theater, Film and Television in 2004. As an actor, Max has over 50 film and television credits including NBC’s Heroes, regular appearances on Comedy Central’s Mind of Mencia, and a leading role in the upcoming feature film Beyond Paradise. 

While in college Max launched his stand up comedy career in 2002. He quickly built a reputation as one of the fastest growing comedians in the Los Angeles comedy circuit. In 2006 the world famous Laugh Factory in Hollywood recognized Max’s brilliant performances, hard work, and dedication to his craft and made him a resident comic. In 2009 Max was chosen as one of the finalists for NBC’s Diversity Showcase. He would later use this experience to develop a stand-up comedy tour in 2010 named “Exotic Imports” featuring second-generation Americans coming from diverse cultural backgrounds. His tour was very successful and sold out across the country.

Max is now headlining his own shows and has taken his tours internationally selling out around the world in Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Dubai, Sweden, Kula Lumpur… Demanding to see Max in action fanspush Max to add additional shows on his world tours to accommodate his fan base. While his international popularity grows, his online presence also persists with his YouTube channel garnering over 10 million views today.

Through an array of eccentric impressions and novel story telling, Max expresses his comedy by delivering a strong message about family ties, cultural aspects, and social topics. What really sets Max apart from most comedians is his uncanny ability to improvise and create on the spot. This makes him unique as an entertainer that it’s not uncommon for an audience member to sit through two Max Amini shows in one night and find two totally different performances.

Nominate yourself or someone else for the Simorgh Achievement Awards 2018:

The Simorgh Gala is an event organized by the Iranian Canadian Congress that celebrates the contributions of the Iranian-Canadian community to Canada. During this annual gala the Iranian Canadian Congress recognizes individuals/organizations who have dedicated their lives to building a flourishing Iranian-Canadian community by awarding them the Simorgh Achievement Awards. 

This year we have a new process for nomination and selection of the award recipients. For the first time we are engaging the public in the nomination process and we are forming an independent awards committee for improved transparency and fairness. Please review this page carefully to find out how you can nominate yourself or another individual or a non-profit or charity organization for one of the 4 Achievement Awards that will be given away on Feb 2, 2018 at the Simorgh Gala. 

AWARD CATEGORIES

• Leadership in Community Service

Awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions to the Iranian-Canadian community and demonstrated successful leadership by working with not-for-profits or charities and/or volunteering her/his time and expertise to build a brighter future for her community.

• Leadership in Arts and Culture

Awarded to an individual who has made significant impact on the Iranian-Canadian community through her/his artistic or cultural work or has successfully helped in introducing Iranian arts and culture in the Canadian society through her/his work.

• The Rising Star (Under 35 young leadership award)

Awarded to a young individual under 35 that has made outstanding contributions to the Iranian-Canadian community in her/his career and/or in her/his community work and has demonstrated a continued commitment to serving the Iranian community. 

• The Iranian-Canadian Non-Profit/Charity of the Year.

Awarded to a Canadian non-profit or registered charity organization that has made outstanding contributions to the Iranian-Canadian community or has provided significant and necessary services to the Iranian-Canadian community in their work during the past year. 

NOMINATION PROCESS

You can nominate yourself or someone else (or a non-profit organization) for one of the Award categories above. Note that each individual can only be nominate for one award category and organizations can only be nominated for their one specific award category. You can nominate multiple individuals (or multiple organizations) for the Simorgh Achievement Awards but you have to complete one separate nomination form for each person/organization you are nominating. To complete the nomination form click on the following link:

Click here to complete the nomination form.

• Deadline: All nomination forms must be submitted by end of December 31st, 2017. 
• If you are nominating someone else, the person/organization that you are nominating will be contacted by the Awards Committee and they must accept your nomination before being considered as a nominee. 

AWARDS SELECTION 

To improve the transparency and fairness in the process the Iranian Canadian Congress for the first time is forming an independent Awards Committee consisting of experts, long time community activists and previous recipients of the Simorgh Awards to evaluate the nomination applications and select the final award recipients for each category. The Awards Committee works independent of the ICC Board of Directors and only members of the Awards Committee will have the right to vote or comment in the evaluation process. 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The final award recipients for each category will be announced at the Simorgh Gala 2018 on February 2nd, 2018. For more information about the Simorgh Gala or to purchase your tickets to the event please visit the following page: 

Click here for more information about the Simorgh Gala 2018 and to purchase your tickets.

Join us on Monday November 20th, 2017 to donate and show your support for the victims of the recent earthquake in Iran.

کنگره ایرانیان کانادا از جامعه ایرانی کانادایی بزرگ شهر تورنتو دعوت میکند که روز دوشنبه ۲۰ ماه نوامبر برای کمک مالی به زلزله زدگان در ایران و همدردی با آسیب دیدگان در سالن اجتماعات شهرداری نورت یورک از ساعت ۷-۹ شب به ما بپیوندید
اگر نمی توانید در این جلسه حضور داشته باشید راههای پیشنهادی برای ارسال کمک های مالی خود برای زلزله زدگان را میتوانید در ادامه این متن پیدا کنید

We stand today with heavy hearts mourning the lives lost in the recent earthquake in Iran. The lives lost and heartbreaking images of the victims of the earthquake have left millions of Iranian worldwide in agonizing pain. 

Let us unite together on Monday November 20th, 2017 at 7PM at North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber (5100 Yonge Street). We will gather to raise donation for registered charities that are helping the victims of the earthquake and to show our support for our fellow Iranians in Kermanshah and the impacted region. 

DONATIONS

Since the first hours after the earthquake happened in Iran the ICC executives have reached out to several organizations to figure out the best possible ways for Iranian-Canadians to donate and support the victims of the earthquake in Iran. The ICC only works with registered Canadian charities that are helping the earthquake victims through their partnering NGOs and charities in Iran. Here you can find information about Canadian Charities we will donate the proceeds of the event to. If you cannot make it to our event on Monday, please consider donating to these charities. 

PARADISE CHARITY GROUP
Registered Canadian Charity. Tax receipts will be issued for all donations above $20. 

Their representatives will be present on Monday November 20th at the ICC event to collect your donations and to provide you with more information.Alternative ways to donate if you cannot attend the event on Monday:

• E-transfer to paradisecharity@gmail.com
• Scotiabank: Transit #45922 Account #0072311
• RBC: Transit #00888 Account #1017086

Once you send the donation please contact them to confirm at paradisecharity@gmail.com or 905 482 2822. 
https://paradisecharity.org/

We are still waiting for information from the Canadian Red Cross and couple of other charity organizations. As soon as we have confirmed information we will share it with you here and update our list.

Introduction 

         Our organization recently completed an online survey of more than 600 Iranian-Canadians on racism and discrimination faced by them in their daily lives. A large majority of respondents (65%) report experiencing discrimination personally. Respondents cited discriminatory experiences in their workplace, in social settings, and at border crossings and air travel. Importantly, many of these experiences are tied to, and a result of, hostile and antagonistic policies and rhetoric against Iran on the international stage. 

Incidence of Discrimination 

            Currently, Iranian-Canadians experience high rates of discrimination, with 65% of polled individuals reporting to have personally experienced discrimination because of their ethnicity or country of origin. When asked if they have had experience with discrimination, 65% of respondents responded yes to this question and 21% of respondents responded no, with 14% of respondents indicating that they were not sure. Clearly this means that Iranian-Canadians face a significant degree of discrimination in Canada, with a clear majority reporting that they had personal experience with discrimination. Taking this into account, it is important to determine what forms this discrimination takes. 

Where and How do Iranian-Canadians Experience Discrimination? 

            Specifically, Iranian-Canadians cite significant challenges with discrimination in employment/business settings, in social settings, and by airlines or airport security. 50% of respondents signalled that they had experienced employment/business discrimination while 44% indicated that they had experienced discrimination in social settings, while 27% report discrimination during air travel. These findings show that discrimination in employment and business are significant issues for Iranian-Canadians, as is discrimination faced at the social level and in travel. This is a concerning finding, as it indicates that Iranian-Canadians’ livelihoods, social well-being, and right to travel freely is threatened by discrimination against them. It is important at this point to determine the type and reasons behind the discrimination that Iranian-Canadians experience. 

Categories of and Reasons Behind Discrimination 

            Iranian-Canadians define the reasons behind the discrimination they face as an intersection of different prejudices, but the biggest cause is seen as anti-Iranian sentiment, or Iranophobia. Largely, our respondents categorized their experiences of discrimination as Iranophobia (i.e. discrimination specifically targeting Iranians, or anti-Iranian sentiment), Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia, with Iranophobia being the largest selection, by 49% of respondents. This result shows that Iranians are not only facing discrimination facing other Muslim-majority and racialized groups, but are also facing a discrimination specific to them (i.e. anti-Iranian sentiment or Iranophobia). Upon exploring this issue further, we found that Iranian-Canadians believe that there is an international dimension to this specifically anti-Iranian sentiment. 

The International Dimension of Anti-Iranian Discrimination 

            Importantly, 77% of polled respondents indicated that policies and rhetoric against Iran on the international stage, including by the Canadian government and its officials, resulted in an increase in the discrimination experience by Iranian-Canadians in their day-to-day lives. This is an important result when taken in combination with the fact that respondents saw specifically anti-Iranian discrimination as the biggest reason behind the discrimination they face.

 Conclusions 

            The results above show that discrimination is a significant issue facing the Iranian-Canadian community. Iranian-Canadians feel discrimination in employment, business, socials settings, and travel. They feel that this discrimination specifically targets them because they are Iranian, though typical racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia also contribute. They feel that this discrimination is to a significant extent caused by the treatment of Iran on the world stage, especially by the Canadian government’s policies and rhetoric. We believe that these are important findings that need to be addressed by Canadian governments. Specifically, the Canadian government should explore how its rhetoric and policies regarding a specific country affect the discrimination that Canadians who are affiliated with that country experience in Canada. 

On October 26, 2017 during the debate on Bill S219 (Non-nuclear Sanctions Against Iran Act) Senator Linda Frum said the following about Iran and Iranians:"Bill S-219 is grounded in a moral and ethical purpose, and that is to monitor one of the most maligned nations in the world and to calibrate our nation’s sanctions accordingly."

Senator Frum's discriminatory and anti-Iranian comment is a disrespect to the Iranian-Canadian community, one of the largest and fastest growing immigrant communities in Canada. It is estimated that over 300,000 Iranian-Canadians live across Canada. These individuals are an integral part of the Canadian multicultural fabric. In every city and province in Canada the positive contributions of the Iranian-Canadian community are evident. Iranian-Canadians are proud of their culture, their heritage and their ethnic and national origin. 

Senator Frum must retract her comments publicly in the Senate of Canada and apologize to the Iranian-Canadian community. 

We call on members and supporters of the Iranian Canadian Congress to contact their Senators and ask them to keep Linda Frum accountable for her discriminatory comments against Iranians. 

Follow this link to email your Senators: www.iccongress.ca/S219

Sentor Frum must realize that while this kind of charged and irresponsible rhetoric is becoming a part of the daily politics south of the border, here in our multicultural and diverse Canada we do not accept this language.  

- Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)

During the months of September and October, executives of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) engaged in discussion with Ontario provincial ministers concerning problems with recent immigrants to Canada, particularly foreign trained professionals from Iran. Specifically, executives of the ICC met with Hon. Laura Albanese, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Hon. Chris Ballard, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation, Hon. David Zimmer, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. 

Within these meetings, the ICC executives discussed the struggles that recent immigrants face when arriving to Canada with professional degrees from their home country. The ICC executives emphasized that although many immigrants are able to immigrate to Canada on account of their professional degree, due to complications associated with international degree evaluations, many of these foreign trained professionals are unable to enter the job market in Ontario. Furthermore, newly immigrated foreign trained professionals may struggle with paying the costly fees of training and evaluation exams. As a result, many of these immigrants are unable to receive the training they require to pass these evaluation exams, leaving them unable to pursue their professional careers in Ontario. While there are government funded loan programs available to newly immigrated individuals, the funding amount is relatively low and does not cover any significant portion of the costs associated with the evaluation process in many professional fields. The aforementioned provincial ministers expressed their interest to work on this issue to improve the process workings of the professional regulatory bodies.

Furthermore, in response to our email inquiry, Hon. Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation, and Science, suggests that his recommendation is to provide adequate information concerning international degree evaluation processes to foreign trained professionals in their home country before making the decision to immigrate to Canada. Part of his email is as follows:

“I have spoken to former federal Immigration Ministers and the current provincial Immigration Minister on this issue and suggested that our embassies in foreign countries should educate the immigration applicant on the professional licensing process here so that they will know about such major hurdle they have to overcome upon arrival at Canada.  By knowing the licensing process, some of those professionals may decide not to come to Canada.” Full text of his response is available here.

In the upcoming months, the ICC plans to continue meeting with the Ontario government officials and representatives of opposition parties to highlight problems of foreign trained professionals regarding access to training and degree evaluation processes. As the next provincial election is scheduled for June 2018, the ICC is committed to addressing this issue to members of Ontario political parties in order to construct a healthy dialogue concerning this issue and make clear that this is a pressing problem within the Iranian-Canadian community.

ICC executives pictured with Hon. Stephen Del Duca (centre).

ICC executives pictured with Hon. Laura Albanese (centre).

ICC executives pictured with Hon. Chris Ballard (centre).

ICC executives pictured with Hon. David Zimmer (centre).

Email your MPs & Senators: Trump is Wrong on Iran. Canada Must Support Peace, Diplomacy, and the Iran Deal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS ISSUE JOINT LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU URGING HIM TO SUPPORT THE IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

“We ask the Government of Canada to publicly express its firm commitment to the JCPOA, and to comply with Resolution 2231 of the United Nations Security Council, regardless of the course of action that the Trump Administration may choose to adopt.”

October 11, 2017. Today, 10 Canadian civil society organizations issued a joint letter to the The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressing their concerns regarding the possibility of an imminent decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the international nuclear agreement with Iran, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

The JCPOA was the result of 12 years of diplomatic negotiations between the P5+1 countries and Iran. This agreement was subsequently ratified by the United Nations Security Council through the passage of Resolution 2231. 

In recent months President Trump has expressed his intention to exit the nuclear agreement with Iran. During his confrontational speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, 2017, President Trump once again signalled his intention to withdraw from the agreement and called the deal an "embarrassment" for the United States.  His statements in the UNGA regarding the nuclear agreement has been a cause for concern for other signatories to the agreement and for the people of Iran. 

“We the signatories of this letter  respectfully ask that your Government work with its European partners and make it a foreign policy priority for Canada, as a responsible member of the international community and a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to do all that it can to prevent the United States from unilaterally withdrawing from the JCPOA, and persuade the United States Government to uphold its responsibilities as outlined in the agreement. Furthermore, we ask the Government of Canada to publicly express its firm commitment to the JCPOA, and to comply with Resolution 2231 of the United Nations Security Council, regardless of the course of action that the Trump Administration may choose to adopt.” 

The full letter including list of signatories is available here.      

Ten Canadian civil society organizations issued a joint letter to the The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressing their concerns regarding the possibility of an imminent decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the international nuclear agreement with Iran, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

OCTOBER 11, 2017

The Right Honourable Justin P.J. Trudeau, P.C., M.P.

Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2 

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the undersigned NGOs, are writing to convey our concerns regarding the possibility of an imminent decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the international nuclear agreement with Iran, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As you are certainly aware, in recent months President Trump has expressed his intention to exit the nuclear agreement with Iran. During his confrontational speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, 2017, President Trump once again signalled his intention to withdraw from the agreement and called the deal an "embarrassment" for the United States.  His statements in the UNGA regarding the nuclear agreement has been a cause for concern for other signatories to the agreement and for the people of Iran.

The JCPOA was the result of 12 years of diplomatic negotiations between the P5+1 countries and Iran. This agreement was subsequently ratified by the United Nations Security Council through the passage of Resolution 2231.

The JCPOA is considered by most knowledgeable observers as a monumental victory for international diplomacy, cooperation, and multilateralism. Since its creation, it has been endorsed by more than 90 nations as a vital path towards peace and stability in one of the most volatile regions of the globe. Many experts have gone further to posit that the JCPOA successfully averted another catastrophic conflict in the Middle East.

In strict adherence to the JCPOA, Iran has significantly limited its nuclear program and has agreed to one of the most thorough inspection regimes in history by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the goal of assuring the international community about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. In return, major sanctions which were imposed on Iran and which had caused significant damage to the Iranian economy and to the daily lives of Iranian people have been lifted. Since the implementation of the nuclear agreement, the IAEA has, on 8 different occasions, verified Iran’s full compliance with the provisions of the JCPOA. Furthermore, in accordance with the agreement, the IAEA will continue to inspect and monitor Iran’s nuclear program on a regular basis.

We the signatories of this letter  respectfully ask that your Government work with its European partners and make it a foreign policy priority for Canada, as a responsible member of the international community and a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to do all that it can to prevent the United States from unilaterally withdrawing from the JCPOA, and persuade the United States Government to uphold its responsibilities as outlined in the agreement. Furthermore, we ask the Government of Canada to publicly express its firm commitment to the JCPOA, and to comply with Resolution 2231 of the United Nations Security Council, regardless of the course of action that the Trump Administration may choose to adopt.

The undersigned organizations

- Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)

- Science for Peace

- Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

- Peggy Mason, President of the Rideau Institute and former Canadian Ambassador for

   Disarmament to the UN

- The Group of 78

- Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War

- Canadian Voice of Women for Peace

- Independent Jewish Voices Canada

- Canadian Peace Congress

Results of Iranian Canadian Congress' survey reveals a strong support for the Iran Nuclear Agreement among Canadian-Iranians.

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT

Morvarid Pearl Zare

PR & Communications Chair

Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC)

Email:Communications@iccongress.ca

Telephone: 416-569-0576 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Iran Nuclear Agreement from the Perspective of Canadian-Iranians

A survey by the Iranian Canadian Congress reveals strong support for the Iran Nuclear Agreement among Canadian-Iranians.

 Toronto, ON – the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) conducted an online survey from October 4 to October 8, 2017 to gauge the opinion of the Canadian-Iranians regarding the historic nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 on July 14, 2015, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Results: Respondents overwhelmingly support the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

According to the survey of 1100 Iranian-Canadians, over 90% of the respondents are in support of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. About 95% of the respondents believe that in the event that the US Trump administration withdraws from the nuclear agreement with Iran, the Canadian government should abide by the nuclear agreement and therefore not to follow the US. While Canada is not a party in P5+1, because the deal was ratified in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), all UN members, including Canada, are obliged to abide by the UNSC Resolution 2231. With respect to the positive impact of the nuclear deal on the lives of Iranians, over 80% of respondents believe that the nuclear agreement has positively impacted the lives of Iranian people. About 11% of the respondents were unsure about whether the deal has improved the lives of Iranian people and 7% of the respondents believed that there have been no improvements. Based on comments from respondents some people expected that the sanctions relief after the deal would result into immediate economic improvements; however, in reality the improvements have been slower than initially expected, according to some expert observers. Secondly, some experts believe that the US has not delivered on its promises and its obligations with respect to the deal signed. For example, Iranians still encounter difficulties in accessing the international banking system due to US sanctions.    

Full survey results: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-6QX5V2B78/

The ICC's Policy Committee is looking for volunteers!

Those who are interested in gaining experience with politics, advocacy, and policy research in an exciting and fast paced environment should apply!

Volunteers should have most or all of these experiences and education:

• Education in Immigration, Public Policy, or Political Science
• Previous experience in politics and/or advocacy for non-profit or community organizations.
• Experience in writing policy statements, analyses, and briefs
• Proficiency in English writing 
• Knowledge of Farsi, and ability to translate between English and Farsi is an asset
• Involvement in politics at professional or volunteer capacity, at any political level, for any entity
• Passion for political issues and the policy priorities of the ICC

If you meet the above requirements and are interested in being a volunteer for the Policy Committee, please send us an email including your resume, sample of written work, and a brief summary of why you want to work with the ICC policy team to info@iccongress.ca and policy@iccongress.ca by October 20th, 2017. 

On September 29th, the Iranian Canadian Congress' Fundraising Reception was held to support the efforts and initiatives of ICC. With a wonderful turnout, we are happy to announce that the event was a huge success.

This success is owed to the participation and contributions of our dedicated and passionate members and supporters who are the pillars of this organization, and most importantly, our generous and supportive sponsors, without whose invaluable support this event would not have been made possible.

The recent terror attack in Las Vegas touched home, as 4 Canadians were confirmed to be among the 59 people killed in the mass shooting, with numerous Canadians among the wounded.

At home, within our borders, the terror attack in Edmonton injured 5. 

Click here for more information

The recent terror attacks have left many families traumatized. Many grieving the tragic and bitter loss of their loved ones.  As Global Citizens, the pain extends to us all. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/las-vegas-shooting-canadian-victims-roe-tara-klymchuk-mcildoon-dead-1.4318537

 In regards to the hateful and violent terror attacks in Las Vegas, and Edmonton, the Iranian Canadian Congress extends its condolences to the families of the victims, and stands in solidarity with the people of the United States. Let us stand together with a united prayer and a fervent hope for peace and the eradication of violence and terrorism across the world.

On Sunday, Jagmeet Singh was chosen leader of the federal New Democratic Party of Canada; at 38, he is the youngest leader in the party's history. With strong competition, he successfully took more than the 50 per cent of the votes in the party's federal leadership contest. 

This unique and powerful moment in the history of our strong, diverse, and united nation is worthy of great celebration. 

The Iranian Canadian Congress extends its most sincerest congratulations to Jagmeet Singh, on this momentous victory. 

We look forward to building on the strong foundations set, and working with Jagmeet on key efforts, initiatives, and policies, impacting the Iranian-Canadian community.   

The Iranian Canadian Congress joins leading civil society voices urging for changes to the government's national security bill to protect privacy and freedoms. 

The Iranian Canadian Congress joins 40 leading civil society organizations and individuals urging for changes to the government's national security bill (C-59) to protect privacy and freedoms. On September 19, 2017 these civil society organizations issued a joint letter to the Hon. Minister Ralph Goodale, the Hon. Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, and the Hon. Minister Ahmed Hussen that lays out overarching concerns with Bill C-59, An Act respecting national security matters.

Some of the leading organizations signing the joint letter are the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association and the Amnesty International Canada. 

You can find an outline of the concerns shared in this join letter here on the website of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

The letter, which sets out these and other issues in greater detail, can be found here in English and here in French.   

Based on reports from UN Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland met with her Iranian counterpart, Minister Javad Zarif today at the UN. More information will be posted soon. 

Photo Source: https://twitter.com/VaghayeDaily

Her speech is titled:

Iranophobia and its connection to Islamophobia: Why Canadian-Iranians should be concerned about both issues.

To learn more about Dr. Victoria Tahmasebi:  

Victoria Tahmasebi-Birgani is an Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies, in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga and in Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tahmasebi is an interdisciplinary scholar whose areas of specialization encompass feminist theories in relation to continental and transnational contexts; critical theories of women’s movements in the Middle East; digital activism; gender and ethics of non-violence; contemporary history of social and political thought. 

She holds an Honours B.A. in Sociology and Women’s Studies from the University of Toronto, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Social and Political Thought from York University, Toronto, Canada. 

Some of her recent and forthcoming publications include: 

Manuscript: Emmanuel Levinas and Politics of Non-Violence (University of Toronto Press, forthcoming) 

“Women Continue the Unfinished Project of Liberation in the MENA Region through Online Activism,” in The Unfinished Project of Social Movements in the Middle East, edited by Mojtaba Mahdavi (New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2017). 

“Social Media as a Site of Transformative Politics and Political Dissent: Iranian Women’s Online Contestations,” in Iran’s Struggles for Social Justice: Economics, Agency, Justice, and Activism, edited by Peyman Vahabzadeh (New York/London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2017) 

 “Green Women of Iran: The Role of the Women’s Movement During and After Iran’s Presidential Election of 2009,” Constellations: An International Journalof Critical and Democratic Theory, (March 2010), 17 (1). Reprinted in Civil Society and Democracy in Iran, ed. Ramin Jahanbegloo (New York: Lexington Books, 2012). 

On September 29th, join us to support the efforts and initiatives of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC). Your participation and financial support will strengthen the institution that advocates for your rights and your interests.

YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT WILL HELP THE ICC TO:

- Mobilize a grassroots network of Iranian Canadian advocates across Canada.
- Advocate for renewed relations between Iran and Canada, and the rights of Iranian Canadians to access necessary consular services. 
- Fight discrimination against our community, anti-Iran rhetoric and Iranophobia. 
- Block any efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran that negatively affect our community.
- Highlight the many positive contributions of the Iranian-Canadian community to Canada's multicultural society. 
- Encourage participation of Iranian-Canadians in the Canadian society. 

The ICC is the only organization that advocates for the interests of the Iranian Canadian community nationally in the political, social economic, and cultural spheres. Support the ICC to strengthen our community’s voice in Canada.

* GENERAL ADMISSION: $50. Additional donation is encouraged and appreciated. 

* STUDENT ADMISSION: $30. Student tickets are not available online and must be purchased in person showing valid student ID. 

* Hors d'oeuvres and a complementary drink will be served. Cash bar is available.

ONLINE:
Purchase your tickets online using the following link:
http://iccfundraising.eventbrite.ca/
* Online tickets are subject to a $3.60 CND service fee.

IN PERSON:
To purchase your ticket in person, call 647-539-4344 where it can be picked up from our office at 45 Sheppard Avenue East, Unit 900, from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday to Friday.

* Tickets shall be purchased in advance. Tickets are not guaranteed at the door. 

If you have any questions, please email us at info@iccongress.ca.

As you know ICC's Fundraising Campaign has started. With great passion and dedication this organization works for its membership, and it operates solely on the contributions and supports of the very members it works for.

To continue our efforts and projects, for the furtherance, and betterment of  our community, as well as delivering on the active issues and priorities identified by our community, we need your support. 

Join our September Fundraising Campaign to support the efforts and initiatives of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC). The ICC is the only organization that advocates for the interests of Iranian-Canadians nationally in the political, social, economic, and cultural spheres. 

Contribute to our fundraising campaign to strengthen our community’s voice in Canada. 

Support ICC:

• Contribute by donating as little as $10 to our Fundraising Campaign

Your financial support will help the ICC to:  
 

• Advocate for renewed relations between Iran and Canada, reopening of the embassies and the rights of Iranian Canadians to access necessary consular services. 
• Fight discrimination against our community, anti-Iran rhetoric and Iranophobia. 
• Block any efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran that negatively affect our community. 
• Highlight the many positive contributions of the Iranian-Canadian community to Canada's multicultural society. 
• Encourage participation of Iranian-Canadians in the Canadian society. 
• Mobilize a grassroots network of Iranian Canadian advocates across Canada. 
• Advocate for improved services for recent immigrants from Iran and fair procedures in their integration into the Canadian job market. 

Your financial support will strengthen the institution that advocates for your rights and your interests.

Click here to buy your ticket for ICC's Fundraising Reception on Sept 29th.

On Sunday September 10, 2017, a group of Iranian-Canadian students peacefully gathered in front of the Toronto office of Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to demand the federal government to fulfill its 2 year old promise to reestablish diplomatic relations with Iran and reopen the embassies in Ottawa and Tehran.

The ICC is recruiting volunteers for its Public Relations and Communications Department. The department is responsible for effective and professional communication with members, supporters, media, and other stakeholders on a regular basis and community building. 

Volunteers may be assigned tasks such as: creating promotional videos for the ICC, creating posts for the ICC’s social media accounts, and creating content for the ICC’s website. 

The ICC would like to hire volunteers who have experience in some of the following areas: 
 

• Strong knowledge of and previous experience in graphic design and visual content. 
• Strong knowledge and previous experience in event planning. 
• Strong knowledge of and previous experience in social media and web administration.
• Strong knowledge of and previous experience in multimedia (videography and photography).
• Knowledge of and experience in writing formal text content in Farsi and English. 
• Strong leadership, organization, and prioritization skills.
• Previous volunteer experiences, and strong interpersonal skills (proven track record required).

If you are interested volunteering with the Public Relations and Communications department, please send your resume and any relevant work samples to communications@iccongress.ca by September 5th, 2017. 

The ICC values its volunteers and commends them for their dedication and time. Upon successful completion of their volunteer commitment they will be provided with a certificate of appreciation and acknowledgement letter, or a certificate of volunteer hours. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to the possibility of working together. 

Join us on Friday, September 29, 2017 to support the efforts and initiatives of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC). Your participation and financial support will strengthen the institution that advocates for your rights and your interests. 

Click here to buy tickets for our Fundraising Reception on September 29th, 2017. 

EVENT DETAILS

Date & Time: September 29th at 7 PM - 10 PM 

Location: Shiraz Restaurant, 9737 Yonge St, Richmond Hill, ON 

* GENERAL ADMISSION: $50. Additional donation is encouraged and appreciated. 

If you live outside of the GTA and cannot attend our Fundraising Reception, please consider donating to the ICC. The ICC is the only organization that advocates for the interests of the Iranian Canadian community nationally in the political, social economic, and cultural spheres. Support the ICC to strengthen our community’s voice in Canada.

Click here to donate to the ICC. 

Your financial support will help the ICC to: 

- Mobilize a grassroots network of Iranian Canadian advocates across Canada.
- Advocate for renewed relations between Iran and Canada, and the rights of Iranian Canadians to access necessary consular services. 
- Fight discrimination against our community, anti-Iran rhetoric and Iranophobia. 
- Block any efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran that negatively affect our community.
- Highlight the many positive contributions of the Iranian-Canadian community to Canada's multicultural society. 
- Encourage participation of Iranian-Canadians in the Canadian society. 

.لطفاً پرسش‌نامه مربوط به ایرانیان تازه وارد به کانادا را پر کنید 

.کنگره‌ی ایرانیان کانادا، در راستای سیاست‌های خود در حمایت از ایرانیانِ تازه‌وارد به کانادا، در حال انجامِ تحقیقی گسترده پیرامون مسائل و مشکلاتِ این گروه از ایرانیانِ ساکن در کانادا می‌باشد

. با وجود آن که کنگره‌ی ایرانیانِ کانادا آشناییِ ضمنی با بسیاری از این مشکلات دارد، بررسیِ دقیق‌تر و اطلاع از جزئیاتِ تجربیاتِ این گروه از ایرانیان می‌تواند به عنوان منبعی موثق و قابل اتکا جهتِ رساندنِ صدای ایرانیانِ کانادا به گوشِ دولتِ کانادا، احزاب سیاسی، و سازمان‌های مردم‌نهاد، مورد استفاده قرار گیرد

کنگره‌ی ایرانیانِ کانادا قصد دارد تا بر اساس یافته‌ها و نتایج این تحقیق، در مذاکرات و گفت‌وگوهای خود با گروه‌ها و احزابِ سیاسیِ کانادا، توجه‌ای ویژه‌ای به مشکلاتِ ایرانیانِ تازه‌وارد به کانادا داشته باشد. یکی از اهداف کنگره این است که با آگاه کردنِ احزاب سیاسی کانادا از جزئیاتِ مسائلِ پیشِ روی ایرانیانِ تازه‌وارد، به حل و فصل آن‌ها کمک کند. در همین راستا، جلسه‌ی مشورت عمومی با حضور متخصصان و برخی از اعضای اجتماعِ ایرانیانِ کانادا، روز جمعه چهار آگوست در سیویک سنترِ نورت یورک نیز برگزار شد 

قدمِ بعدی در انجامِ این پروژه‌ی تحقیقی، جمع‌آوریِ پاسخ‌های ایرانی-کانادایی‌های عزیز به پرسش‌نامه‌ای است که در همین راستا تدوین شده است. بدین وسیله از تمامی ایرانیانِ مقیمِ کانادا دعوت می‌شود تا با پاسخ‌گویی به این پرسش‌نامه، ما را در انجامِ هر چه بهتر این پروژه‌ی تحقیقی یاری رسانند. گرچه سوالاتِ این پرسش‌نامه به طور خاص مربوط به مسائلِ ایرانیانِ تازه‌وارد است، اما پاسخ‌های عزیزانِی که سال های بیشتری در کانادا زندگی کرده اند نیز،در رابطه با تجربیات سال های نخست مهاجرت به کانادا، به کنگره کمک خواهد کرد تا تصویری دقیق‌تر از مسائل و مشکلاتِ ایرانیانِ مهاجر به کانادا داشته باشد. لطفاً از خانواده و آشنایانِ خود نیز بخواهید که پنج دقیقه از وقت خود را صرف پاسخ‌گویی به این پرسش‌نامه کنند

حمایت از ایرانیانِ تازه‌وارد به کانادا یکی از مهم‌ترین اولویت‌های سیاست‌گذاریِ کنگره‌ی ایرانیان کانادا محسوب می‌شود. آشناییِ بیشتر با مسائل و مشکلاتِ این گروه از ایرانیان به کنگره کمک خواهد کرد تا در راستای احیای حقوقِ ایرانیانِ کانادا قدم‌های مطمئن‌تر و محکم‌تری بردارد. با پاسخ دادن به این پرسش‌نامه، اجتماعِ ایرانیانِ کانادا را یاری کنید

برای تکمیل پرسش نامه به صورت آنلاین به لینک زیر مراجعه کنید. در این پرسش نامه هیچ نیازی به وارد کردن نام و اطلاعات شخصی نیست

http://www.iccongress.ca/survey

اعضای محترم و حامیان کنگره ایرانیان کانادا،

روز ۲۷ ماه مه، ۲۰۱۷ نامه ای خطاب به هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا منتشر شد که به طور خلاصه از مدیران این سازمان درخواست شده بود فعالیت های کنگره در رابطه با تجدید رابطه کانادا و ایران و تلاش برای جلوگیری از تحریم دوباره ایران را پایان دهند و ثبت قانونی کنگره در سایر استان های کانادا و به صورت فدرال را متوقف کنند. این نامه توسط  آقایان مهرداد حریری، سعید حریری، مسعود منصور زاده، منوهر میثاقی، مهرداد آرین نژاد و حسین زرشکیان به عنوان تعدادی از افرادی که در تاسیس کنگره ایرانیان کانادا ۱۰ سال پیش مشارکت داشتند نوشته و امضا شده بود. پس از دریافت این نامه و بخصوص بعد از مشخص شدن مسوولین اجرایی جدید، هیات مدیره درصدد برآمد که طی برگزاری جلسه / جلسات مشترکی، پیش از پاسخگویی از نقطه نظرات نگارندگان بیشتر و دقیقتر مطلع گردد. در این راستا دو تاریخ برای برگزاری جلسه با مدیران اجرایی کنگره و یک تاریخ برای شرکت در جلسه هیات مدیره به نگارندگان پیشنهاد شد. معهذا هیچ یک از زمانها مورد قبول نگارندگان قرار نگرفت. از این رو برای اجتناب از تاخیر بیشتر،  پاسخ نامه که متن کامل آن در این صفحه آمده است ارسال گردید. 

این پاسخ به اختصار سه موضوع اصلی را مطرح میکند:

۱. تلاش کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در رابطه با دسترسی ایرانیان به خدمات کنسولی، تجدید رابطه کانادا و ایران و جلوگیری از تحریم ایران به نظر هیات مدیره قانونی این سازمان وظیفه کنگره و در راستای عمل به اساس نامه این سازمان است.

۲. ثبت قانونی کنگره به صورت فدرال، برای کمک به گسترش این نهاد به سایر شهرها و استان های کانادا ضروری است. ۹۶% رای دهندگان در آخرین مجمع عمومی کنگره به ثبت فدرال سازمان رای مثبت دادند.

۳. بر اساس مستندات و شواهد امروز کنگره ایرانیان کانادا توانمندتر از هر زمان دیگر در تاریخ ۱۰ ساله ی خود در حال خدمت به جامعه بزرگ ایرانی کانادایی است.

متن کامل نامه ارسال شده به شرح زیر است:

سروران محترم، 

ضمن سپاس گزاری از شما و توجهتان به فعالیت های کنگره، هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا لازم میداند که برای روشن شدن موضوعات مطرح شده در نامه ارسال شده شما به تاریخ ۲۷ ماه مه، ۲۰۱۷، موارد زیر را با شما عزیزان و اعضا و حامیان کنگره در میان بگذارد

فعالیت کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در رابطه با تجدید روابط کانادا و ایران و جلوگیری از تحریم ایران به نظر هیات مدیره قانونی این سازمان، وظیفه کنگره و در راستای عمل به اساس نامه این سازمان است:

همانطور که در بند اول اساس نامه کنگره ایرانیان کانادا آمده است، هدف اصلی این سازمان پیشبرد منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی از طریق تلاش سیاسی و رایزنی با سیاست مداران کانادایی از تمامی احزاب است. مانند هر سازمان غیر انتفاعی، برنامه ریزی برای فعالیت ها و تصمیم گیری در رابطه با الویت های هر سازمان بر عهده هیات مدیره قانونی  آن نهاد است که از طرف اعضا که مالکین و سهام داران این نهاد هستند از طریق مجمع عمومی سالیانه برگزیده میشوند. هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا پس از برگزاری مجمع عمومی در سال ۲۰۱۶ و پس از روند مشورتی سه ماهه که در طول آن با اعضا و حامیان کنگره، فعالین سیاسی اجتماعی جامعه ایرانی از احزاب گوناگون کانادا، مدیران ۲۰ نهاد غیر انتفاعی و خیریه ایرانی کانادایی مشورت و از آنها نظرسنجی کرد، اولویت های ۵ گانه خود را به طور عمومی اعلام نمود. لازم به ذکر است که روند مشورت و نیاز سنجی عمومی برای نخستین بار در تاریخ ۱۰ ساله کنگره توسط هیات مدیره این نهاد در سال ۲۰۱۶ به اجرا گذاشته شد.  تلاش برای تجدید روابط کانادا و ایران و بازگشایی سفارت های دو کشور و تلاش برای حل مشکلات بوجود آمده برای ایرانیان کانادایی به دلیل تحریم های کانادا بر ایران، دو الویت اصلی بودند که به وضوح اکثریت قاطع شرکت کنندگان در روند مشورتی کنگره به آنها اشاره می کردند.

مشکلات ناشی از تحریم ها و بسته بودن سفارت ها به طور یقین تبعات منفی بسیاری برای بخش بزرگی از جامعه ایرانی کانادایی داشته است. تصمیم اشتباه دولت آقای هارپر به بستن سفارت ها و تصویب تحریم های یک جانبه که حتی از حدود مصوبات شورای امنیت سازمان ملل نیز فراتر می رفت، مشکلات عدیده ای از سال ۲۰۱۲ برای ایرانیان کانادایی بوجود آورده است. از دانشجویان تا شهروندان ارشد، از تازه واردین تا آنها که سالهاست به کانادا مهاجرت کرده اند، همه و همه با این مشکلات و در مواردی تبعیض آشکار علیه ایرانیان کانادا روبرو هستند.

مسلم است که  طبق اساس نامه، کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به عنوان تنها سازمانی که وظیفه پیگیری مطالبات جامعه ایرانی کانادایی را از طریق تلاش و رایزنی سیاسی به عهده دارد باید در رابطه با چنین مشکل اساسی فعالیت کند. فعالیت کنگره در رابطه با این مشکلات اساسی جامعه ما اصولا خلاف اساس نامه سازمان نیست، بلکه به نظر ما سکوت برخی و حتی موافقت عده ای از مدیران سابق کنگره در سالهای ۲۰۱۲ تا ۲۰۱۶ با تصمیم اشتباه آقای استفن هارپر خلاف منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی و عدول از مسئولیت آنها نسبت به کنگره و جامعه بزرگ ایرانیان کانادا بوده است.

گواه درستی فعالیت کنگره در زمینه تجدید روابط ایران و کانادا را می توان در میزان حمایت جامعه ما از این حرکت یافت. درخواست رسمی پارلمانی که از طرف کنگره تنظیم و با حمایت نماینده ایرانی کانادایی آقای مجید جوهری به مجلس کانادا تقدیم شد در زمان کوتاه و با ناچیزترین امکانات و بودجه تبلیغاتی، نزدیک به ۱۶،۰۰۰ امضا را از سراسر کانادا دریافت کرد. این تعداد امضا و گستردگی آن در استان های مختلف این حرکت را با اختلاف بسیار به بزرگترین حرکت مدنی جامعه ایرانی ما در تاریخ مهاجرت خود به کانادا تبدیل می کند. هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا امروز افتخار می کند که بانی چنین حرکت بزرگی بوده است. این حرکت نام کنگره ایرانیان کانادا را برای اولین بار در تاریخ ۱۰ ساله این سازمان در سراسر کانادا مطرح کرد و سندی مهم را در اختیار جامعه ایرانی کانادایی ما قرار داد که مورد استناد نمایندگان مجلس، سناتور ها و رسانه های اصلی کانادا قرار گرفته است.

در بخشی از نامه ی ارسال شده به کنگره، نگارندگان محترم عنوان کرده اند که از آنجا که دولت نخست وزیر ترودو در پیش از انتخابات فدرال سال ۲۰۱۵ قول به تجدید رابطه با ایران را داده است بهتر است "که کنگره کار سیاسی روابط بین دولت ها را به ایشان واگذارد" این گفته ی نگارندگان نامه ۲۷ ماه مه سوالاتی را در ذهن بوجود می آورد که علاقمند بودیم در رابطه با آن با نگارندگان حضوری صحبت کنیم که فرصتی برای ملاقات حضوری از طرف نگارندگان در اختیار هیات مدیره قرار داده نشد.

وزیر امور خارجه سابق کانادا آقای دیان در جلسه ای که با حضورحدود ۴۰ نفر از فعالین جامعه ایرانی کانادایی برگزار شد به وضوح مطرح کردند که بدلیل مخالفت لابی های قدرتمند علیه تجدید رابطه ایران و کانادا، فعالین جامعه ایرانی کانادایی که علاقمند به تجدید رابطه هستند باید در این زمینه فعال باشند و خواست خود را مطرح نگاه دارند. کنگره نیز در ملاقات ها و مکاتبات خود همین نظر را از سیاست مداران و کارشناسان با تجربه بارها و بارها شنیده است. در رابطه با موضوع تحریم ایران نیز بسیاری از سیاست مداران کانادا که مخالف تحریم هستند فعالیت های کنگره ایرانیان کانادا را نه تنها درست بلکه ضروری میدانند. به عنوان مثال یکی از با سابقه ترین و باتجربه ترین سناتورهای کانادا خانم کولز بارها در صحبت های عمومی خود از کنگره برای فعالیت علیه تحریم ایران و حضور در کمیته روابط خارجی سنای کانادا تشکر کرده و از جامعه ایرانی کانادایی خواسته است که در سیاست کانادا فعال شوند. سوالی که علاقمند بودیم به طور حضوری از نگارندگان نامه ۲۷ ماه مه بپرسیم این است که آیا ایشان به اطلاعات و اسناد مشخصی دسترسی دارند که نشان دهد با وجود نظرات کارشناسی و نظر وزیر امور خارجه سابق کانادا جامعه ما نیازی به فعالیت در این زمینه ندارد و این کار خود به خود انجام خواهد شد؟ آیا کم کاری و عدم فعالیت جامعه و به ویژه فعالین اجتماعی سیاسی در سالهای گذشته، یکی از عوامل اصلی بی توجهی دولت آقای هارپر به مشکلات ایرانیان به دلیل بسته بودن سفارت و مشکلات ناشی از تحریم ها نبود؟

پس از روی کار آمدن دولت آقای ترامپ در آمریکا و تغییر سیاست خارجی آمریکا در قبال ایران، نظر کارشناسان این است که نیاز به مطرح نگاه داشتن این خواسته و مشارکت جامعه ایرانی برای مقابله با سیاست های ضد ایرانی آقای ترامپ بیش از پیش است. معرفی لایحه تحریم علیه ایران در سنای کانادا و عدم انجام اقدامات جدی برای تجدید رابطه کانادا و ایران توسط دولت کانادا را بسیاری از کارشناسان تاثیر سیاست جدید آمریکا نسبت به ایران می دانند. آیا با وجود این تغییرات و سیاست های خصمانه دولت ترامپ علیه ایران و ایرانیان، نظر نگارندگان نامه این است که کنگره باید در رابطه با مطالبات اساسی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی، منفعلانه سکوت کند؟

ثبت قانونی کنگره به صورت فدرال، برای کمک به گسترش این نهاد به سایر شهرها و استان های کانادا ضروری است و بهتر بود از نخستین روز تاسیس این سازمان انجام می گرفت. ۹۶% رای دهندگان در آخرین مجمع عمومی کنگره به ثبت فدرال سازمان رای مثبت دادند:

اساس نامه اولیه کنگره ایرانیان کانادا که به همت گروه بزرگی از فعالین اجتماعی ۱۰ سال قبل تهیه شده، به وضوح این نهاد را سازمانی برای جامعه ایرانی در سراسر کانادا تعریف می کند و برای گسترش سازمان در استان های مختلف، راه کارهایی را تعریف کرده است. اما متاسفانه از روز نخست، کنگره ایرانیان کانادا از نظر ثبت قانونی تنها در سطح استان انتاریو به ثبت رسیده است. عدم ثبت کنگره در سطح فدرال، شکل گیری گروه های محلی در استان های دیگر را سخت تر میکند و متاسفانه حق مالکیت نام این نهاد (که متعلق به اعضا یا سهام داران سازمان است) را تنها در استان انتاریو به رسمیت میشناسد. این عدم تطابق در ثبت کنگره، تا امروز نیز در مواردی برای کنگره مشکل ساز بوده که طرح کردن جزئیات آن به بعد موکول می شود. تا سال ۲۰۱۶، به دلیل عدم موفقیت هیات مدیره های گذشته در گسترش سازمان به خارج از مرزهای تورنتوی بزرگ، این نابسامانی در ثبت سازمان، تاثیر خود را نشان نداده بود. اما در سال ۲۰۱۶ با آغاز گسترش سازمان به ونکوور، مونترال، کلگری و سایر شهر ها و استان های کانادا، این مشکل اساسی مطرح شد. هیات مدیره کنگره در سال ۲۰۱۶ با چند تن از مشاورین حقوقی مشورت نمود و با آنکه می توانست ثبت فدرال را طبق اساس نامه فعلی از روشی قانونی و بدون مصوبه مجمع عمومی انجام دهد، تصمیم گرفت برای این امر به رای اعضای سازمان (که بالاترین مرجع تصمیم گیری کنگره ایرانیان کانادا محسوب میشود) رجوع کند. در آخرین مجمع عمومی کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در روز ۲۸ ماه مه ۲۰۱۷، ۹۶% رای دهندگان در مجمع به ثبت کنگره در سطح فدرال رای مثبت دادند و از گسترش سازمان به سراسر کانادا قاطعانه حمایت کردند.

بر اساس مستندات و شواهد امروز کنگره ایرانیان کانادا توانمندتر از هر زمان دیگر در تاریخ ۱۰ ساله ی خود در حال خدمت به جامعه بزرگ ایرانی کانادایی است:    

در بخش آغازین نامه سرگشاده ۲۷ مه، نگارندگان چنین نوشته اند که پیشنهادات مطرح شده در نامه ارسالی خود را "برای بازگرداندن اعتماد عمومی به کنگره" مطرح میکنند. متاسفانه در این زمینه هیچگونه مدرک و سندی برای این ادعا که اصلاحات اساسی در کنگره از سال ۲۰۱۶ و تلاش های این سازمان از همان زمان در جهت بازگشایی سفارت خانه ها و جلوگیری از تحریم ایران سبب از بین رفتن "اعتماد عمومی" به کنگره شده ارائه نگردیده است. این یکی از سوال های اساسی بود که علاقمند بودیم حضوری از نگارندگان این نامه بپرسیم که چگونه به چنین نتیجه ای رسیده اند که در "اعتماد عمومی" به کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به دلیل فعالیت این سازمان در جهت بازگشایی سفارت ها خدشه ای وارد شده ؟ آیا صحبت ایشان بر اساس شنیده هایی از شبکه اجتماعی شخصی آنهاست و یا بر اساس آمار و سنجش درستی از فعالیت کنگره ایرانیان کانادا؟ قصد داشتیم حضوری از نگارندگان محترم درخواست کنیم که مستندات خود را در این رابطه با ما در میان بگذارند تا بتوانیم برای پیشرفت سازمان بهتر تلاش کنیم.  

از نظر ما چنین ادعایی با واقعیت و عملکرد کنگره ایرانیان کانادا انطباق ندارد بلکه بر خلاف گفته ایشان، از سال ۲۰۱۶ با ایجاد اصلاحات اساسی در روند کاری کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به همت صد ها داوطلب به ویژه داوطلبینی که از نسل جوان ایرانی کانادایی وارد این سازمان شده اند، در زمان کوتاهی (کمی بیش از یک سال) پیشرفت های بسیاری حاصل شده است. امروز کنگره ایرانیان کانادا از نظر تعداد مخاطب، تعداد داوطلبین، گسترش جغرافیایی، سطح تماس با سیاست مداران از احزاب مختلف کانادا و کار حرفه ای در بالاترین سطح خود در تاریخ ۱۰ ساله ی این سازمان قرار دارد. مسلم است که پیشرفت کنگره در طول این زمان مدیون توجه سازمان به مطالبات اساسی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی بوده است. امروز بسیاری از ایرانیان از غرب تا شرق کانادا با کنگره ایرانیان کانادا آشنا هستند و می دانند که سازمانی در دفتری کوچک در خیابان شپرد (Sheppard) اما با داوطلبینی که همت و تلاش آنها به گستردگی کشور زیبا و پهناور کاناداست، آماده شنیدن صدای آنها و دفاع از منافع آنها هستند.

ما همواره از گفتگو و دریافت نظرات و پیشنهادات از سوی اقشار مختلف جامعه ایرانی کانادایی و فعالین اجتماعی استقبال می کنیم و استفاده از تجربیات و ایده های آنان را فرصتی برای پیشبرد بیشتر اهداف این سازمان می دانیم.

با کمال احترام

هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

۸ آگوست، ۲۰۱۷

It has been nearly two years since the federal government of PM Trudeau promised to reopen the Iranian embassy in Canada. It is time we hold the government to account on its promise by calling and emailing our Members of Parliament.

Click here to call your MP.

Enter your postal code to access their number and use the script we provided as a guide for you call. Calling your Member of Parliament is the most effective way to hold the government to account on Iran-Canada relations. If you absolutely cannot call your MP, email them. 

Click here to send your MP an email.

All you need to do is enter your name, email, and postal code.  

It has been nearly two years since the federal government of PM Trudeau promised to reopen the Iranian embassy in Canada. Although many Iranian-Canadians supported Prime Minister Trudeau because of this promise,  it has not yet been fulfilled and the prospects are looking dim. Iranian-Canadians are still unable to access basic consular services, like passport renewal, and are subject to possible discrimination at the U.S. border when trying to obtain those services in Washington DC. Yet, the embassy is not the only issue: the lack of diplomatic engagement with Iran is also highly problematic. Without diplomatic engagement, Canada cannot address the needs of its citizens located in Iran in times of need. We Canadians must show the government that we have not forgotten about their promise and that we want the re-establishment of relations between Iran and Canada. 

The Iranian Canadian Congress is hosting an event regarding the challenges Iranian immigrants in Canada face at the North York Civic Centre on August 4th 2017 from 7pm to 9pm. All Iranian immigrants are welcome to discuss the challenges that they faced, or continue to face, during settlement in Canada.

The link to the Facebook event can be found here: https://goo.gl/3ouPgp

 :کنگرهی ایرانیان کانادا (ICC) برگزار می کند

جلسه مشاوره عمومی در رابطه با مشکلات ایرانیان تازه وارد به کانادا 

کنگرهی ایرانیان کانادا، در راستای اولویت خود برای تلاش برای رفع مشکلات ایرانیان تازه وارد در کانادا، قصد دارد تا دقیقتر و موثرتر از مشکلات و تجربیات این گروه از ایرانیان بپردازد. بررسی و تحقیق به کنگره ایرانیان کانادا کمک خواهد کرد که مشکلات این گروه از ایرانیان مهاجر را قادر می سازد با دولت و سیاست مداران کانادا در میان بگذارد و برای حل این مشکلات تلاش کند. دعوت می کنیم تا در این جلسه مشاوره عمومی، که روز جمعه چهار آگوست ساعت 7 تا 9 عصر در سالن اجتماعات شهرداری نورت یورک (5100 خیابان یانگ) برگزار خواهد شد، حضور به هم رسانند

هدف اصلی از برگزاری این گردهمایی، شنیدن و آشنا شدن با مشکلات و تجربیات ایرانیان تازهوارد به کانادا از زبان خودشان است. با وجود این که کنگره ایرانیان کانادا دارای آشنایی با بسیاری از این مشکلات است، بررسی دقیق تر و اطلاع رسانی از جزئیات تجربیات این گروه از ایرانیان می تواند به عنوان منبعی موثق و قابل اطمینان جهت رسیدن صدای ایرانیان کانادا به گوش دولت کانادا و سایر نهادها مورد استفاده قرار گیرد . برخی از مسائلی که جامعه ایرانی کانادایی با آن مواجه است، مانند اشتغال و اختلاف، میان بسیاری از اقلیتها در کانادا؛ با این حال برخی مسائل، از جمله عدم وجود سفارت یا کنسولگری، مشکلات بانکداری به دلیل تحریم ها به اجتماع ایرانیان کانادا است. در این جلسه از شما دعوت مییم همه این مشکلات را با توجه به تجربه خود با ما در میان بگذارید

حمایت از ایرانیان تازه وارد به کانادا یکی از مهمترین اولویت های کاری کنگره ایرانیان کانادایی است. آشنایی بیشتر با مسائل و مشکلات این گروه از ایرانیان به کنگره کمک خواهد کرد تا در راستای بهبود حقوق و بهبود شرایط ایرانیان کانادا قدمی مطمئن تر و استوارتر برنده شوید. با حضور خود در چنین برنامه هایی، به پویایی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی و بهبود شرایط ایرانیان مهاجر کمک کنید

زمان: جمعه 7 تا 9 شب

محل: سالن اجتماعات شهرداری نورت یورک (اتاق جلسه)، واقع در 5100 خیابان یانگ

حضور برای عموم آزاد است

برای شرکت ایرانیان خارج از تورنتو در این راهپیمایی، فرم های نظر سنجی و نیاز سنجی آنلاین به زودی در اختیار عموم قرار خواهد گرفت 

https://goo.gl/3ouPgp :لینک به رویداد فیس بوک

اطلاعیه هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا را بخوانید

حضور محترم اعضا و حامیان کنگره‌ی ایرانیان کانادا،

از طریق شبکه های اجتماعی آگاه شدیم که برنامه ای با عنوان "ده سال بعد" از سوی گروهی ۶ نفره (که مخالف تلاش های کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در جهت بازگشایی سفارت ها و جلوگیری از تحریم ایران هستند) درباره فعالیت های کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در رسانه های اجتماعی و برخی از هفته نامه های فارسی زبان تورنتو (شهروند، شهر ما) تبلیغ شده است.

از آنجا که در روزهای گذشته از طرف اعضای کنگره در رابطه با این برنامه سوالاتی مطرح شده، لازم دیدیم که در این رابطه آگاهی رسانی کنیم تا از هرگونه سوء تفاهم و سوء استفاده جلوگیری شود. برنامه مذکور توسط کنگره ایرانیان کانادا برگزار نمی شود و کنگره ایرانیان کانادا هیچ گونه مسئولیتی در رابطه با این برنامه ندارد. کمیته سیاست گذاری کنگره از مدت ها پیش جلسه ای را جهت مشورت عمومی با جامعه ایرانی کانادایی در رابطه با مشکلات ایرانیان مهاجر به کانادا برای روز جمعه ۴ ام آگوست برنامه ریزی کرده بود و پیگیر برگزاری آن می باشد. متاسفانه به دلیل عدم همکاری و هماهنگی با کنگره حتی از این تداخل زمانی نیز جلوگیری نشد.

بدیهی است اشخاص و گروهها در کانادا می توانند آزادانه در حدود قانون برنامه های گوناگون و سخنرانی در رابطه با موضوعات مختلف ترتیب دهند. لیکن از نظر اخلاقی و اصول حرفه ای، برگزاری جلسه ای در رابطه با یک سازمان بدون کوچک ترین هماهنگی با مدیران آن سازمان (که منتخب اعضای سازمان هستند) و عدم دعوت از آنان برای حضور در بین سخنرانان و حداقل امکان پاسخ گویی به پرسش ها و یا انتقادات، روشی درست و سازنده تلقی نمی شود. با احترام به سخنرانان و گروه ۶ نفره برگزار کنندگان این برنامه، ما معتقدیم گسترش چنین رفتارهایی تنها اتحاد و همدلی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی را هدف قرار میدهد و حاصل آن جز هرج و مرج در فضای فعالیت اجتماعی در جامعه ما و نا امیدی نسل جوان و نوجوان به فعال شدن در جامعه و سازمان های اجتماعی و یا فرهنگی جامعه ایرانی ما نخواهد بود.

ما اعضای هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا به پیگیری مطالبات اساسی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی پایبند هستیم و در این راه همواره از نظرات، مشورت ها، و نقد و انتقاد سازنده استقبال کرده و خواهیم کرد.  از شما دعوت میکنیم که از طریق کانال های رسمی کنگره با ما در تماس باشید، نظرات خود را با ما مطرح کنید و به پیشرفت این سازمان و پویایی جامعه ایرانی کانادایی کمک کنید.

با احترام،

هیات مدیره کنگره‌ ایرانیان کانادا

جولای ۲۵، ۲۰۱۷

Canada must side with its EU allies in protecting this important non-proliferation agreement and in advancing peace and stability in the Middle East.

The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is deeply concerned about the passing of new US sanctions on Iran yesterday. These sanctions are a clear violation of the nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) signed between Iran and major world powers in 2015 and endorsed by UN Security Council resolution 2231. The maintenance of this deal is not only essential for the security and stability of the Middle East region but that of the world at large. Today, the ICC calls on the Canadian government to reaffirm its commitment to the deal and to side with its EU allies who signed the deal in 2015 in protecting this crucial agreement.

The Iranian Canadian Congress has engaged with all of the NDP Leadership Candidates to determine how they intend to address the needs of the Iranian-Canadian community. 

The Iranian Canadian Congress is firmly committed to active engagement with politicians of the major political parties in Canada to better serve the Iranian-Canadian Community. 

Thus far, the ICC has had productive meetings discussing and reviewing current policy initiatives concerning the Iranian-Canadian community with Charlie Angus and Guy Caron. Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton, and Jagmeet Singh have each sent the ICC a statement on how they intend to address the needs of the Iranian-Canadian Community. Their statements are outlined below. Guy Caron did not submit a statement to the ICC, but his position on issues regarding the Iranian-Canadian Community and Iran-Canada relations which were discussed during our meeting with him are outlined below. 

Charlie Angus: 

Charlie Angus recognizes that the Liberal and Conservative status quo on Iran is not helping anybody. As both leader of the NDP and as Prime Minister, Charlie would work to re-establish diplomatic relations and re-open the Iranian embassy on a mutually acceptable basis, and bring in immediate access to consular services in the interim – in the era of Donald Trump’s travel ban; there is no reason Iranian-Canadians should have to subject themselves to degrading and intimidating American border security to receive basic services.

The people of Iran have consistently favoured engagement, and while Iran’s government continues to abide by the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Charlie would work to hold up our end of the bargain by easing sanctions and engaging diplomatically. At the same time, we would remain a strong voice for human rights for peace in the region – while Canada should be a voice for productive engagement, it must also stand for the rights and freedoms of religious and ethnic minorities throughout the Middle East, as well as Iranian-Canadian dual citizens. 

Charlie Angus - ICC Statement PDF

Charlie Angus Statement Video on Iranian-Canadian Issues:

 Photo of Charlie Angus after a meeting with the ICC:

 Niki Ashton: 

Canada has over 200,000 Iranian-Canadians living and working here - folks who play active roles in their communities and are active Canadian citizens. Our campaign understands that the absence of a Canadian diplomatic mission in Iran has impact many negatively, and has left many Canadians visiting in Iran vulnerable and without access to consular services in times of need. This is something I will immediately address as leader of Canada's NDP.

The conflict and human rights issues in the Middle East broadly demand a principled approach based on peace and justice. Many, including the Canadian Labour Congress and Amnesty International, have shown their support for the hunger strikers who are opposing inhumane conditions in key Middle Eastern regions. As someone who is completing a PhD in Peace and Conflict studies, it is clear to me that one must speak out in the face of injustice, whether here at home or abroad. Canada must return to its traditional role, supporting a balanced position and a just peace in the Middle East.

Re-engaging in diplomatic relations with Iran is critical to not only working toward a just peace in the Middle East, but also in supporting the well being of Iranian-Canadians and their families in Iran. I believe we need to lead globally, and address nuclear non-proliferation and state stability with diplomacy.

Here in Canada, I am committed to Racial Justice that will address and ameliorate racism and xenophobia by addressing root causes of discrimination and oppression, and by opposing domestic and international policies that seek to further divide us. By re-engaging in diplomatic relations with Iran, Canada can lead in making life better for Iranian-Canadian communities, better protect Canadians visiting Iran, and improve our economic relationships.

Niki Ashton - ICC Statement PDF 

Jagmeet Singh: 

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress, Building peace and promoting human rights must be a top priority for Canada's foreign policy. I believe that these goals are most effectively attained through engagement and diplomacy. That's why I will look for opportunities to change Canada's policy of disengagement with Iran.

I've had the honour of working with many Iranian-Canadians to build a Canada where no one is left behind. Just a few months ago, I attended the Simorgh Gala to celebrate some of the extraordinary contributions that the Iranian-Canadian community is making to improving the lives of all Canadians. I was inspired by the passion and the energy in the room, the young volunteers who made it all possible, and all the dancing and poetry that Iranians love so much. Thank you again for welcoming me so warmly into your community.

Two years ago, Mr. Trudeau made a commitment to reopen the Iranian embassy in Canada. Sadly, that promise has been one of the many progressive initiatives that the Liberals have abandoned. I've heard from numerous Iranian-Canadians who are deeply disappointed in Mr. Trudeau's broken promises.

In the meantime, I've been encouraged by the Iranian people's participation in the recent presidential elections. Despite all the limits imposed on Iranians' democratic rights, masses of reform-minded Iranians have taken the opportunity to reject extremist candidates and elect a more moderate president in two elections in a row. As a result of Mr. Rouhani's election, our allies were able to negotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to resolve global concerns about Iran's nuclear program. This was a victory for diplomacy and showed the benefits of engagement. It also led to lifting sanctions that were inflicting hardship on the civilian population in Iran. Canada must also re-engage with Iran and alleviate sanctions that harm ordinary Iranians and limit Canada's ability to pursue opportunities for progress.

Finally, I have been deeply disturbed by the growing discrimination that Canadians of Iranian origin face, as a result of President Donald Trump's travel ban. President Trump's travel ban is a racist policy that should be unequivocally condemned by Canada. I'm ashamed that our government has not been outspoken in defending Canadian values in the face of the Trump administration.

The travel ban also highlights the need for re-opening the Iranian embassy in Canada. Currently, Iranian-Canadians must travel to Washington to receive any consular service they require from Iran. With an embassy in Canada, Iranian-Canadians would not need to expose themselves to potential mistreatment at US border crossings.

Furthermore, without a Canadian embassy in Iran, Canadian citizens visiting Iran have virtually no consular support from our government. As numerous cases have indicated, the lack of a Canadian embassy has significantly curtailed Canada's ability to stand up for our citizens' rights while they are visiting Iran.

Now, we cannot make progress on these policies without taking action. I need you to join the NDP and support my leadership. Together we can work towards a Canadian foreign policy that prioritizes diplomatic engagement with Iran to build peace and promote human rights.

With love and courage,

Jagmeet Singh

Candidate, Leader of Canada’s NDP

Jagmeet Singh - ICC Statement PDF

Guy Caron:

(On the embassy): "I need to know more about this issue... [but] I am fully in favour of reopening at least consular services... I am not opposed to it [opening the embassy], but I want to know more about the repercussions and consequences"

(On engaging Iranian-Canadians and new Canadians with the NDP) "The NDP is 10, 15 years behind in terms of their outreach to the various parts of our communities [in Canada]... such as Iranian-Canadians. We are not doing a good job at this... I will do the outreach needed to catch up on the outreach we did not do during the last parliament."

(On holding the Trudeau government accountable on the promise to reengage with Iran) "I do intend to ensure that the Liberals will be... held to account on... the issue"

(On relisting) "The problem that I have with the list itself is the lack of consistency, that other countries that should be on the list are not on the list... such as Saudi Arabia, and if there is no consistency, I have problems with the way things are done because it is politicized"

Canada’s political system rests on a multi-party arrangement and it is imperative that the concerns of Iranian Canadians are heard and represented all across the Canadian political landscape. We therefore ask that interested community members consider becoming members of the New Democratic Party and vote in the upcoming leadership election. By becoming members during this important time, Iranian-Canadians can help shape the direction of the party, and by extension the whole of federal politics, for years to come.

We are working to build an organized group of NDP members from the Iranian Canadian community. Please follow the two steps below to register for NDP membership before August 17, 2017 and make sure you provide us your contact information.

How to Join NDP Membership: 

Step 1: Click here to directly fill out the NDP membership registration form online. If you are a member already, proceed to Step 2 below. Click here to register for NDP membership.

Step 2: Fill out this simple form from the ICC to provide us with your contact information. This way we will be able to contact you with updates about the NDP leadership race, especially updates related to the Iranian Canadian community. Click here to fill out ICC's subscription form.  

The culture department, chaired by Dorna Mojdami, is excited to announce its call for volunteers for the 2017/2018 year.

The culture department of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is dedicated to promoting and familiarizing the Iranian and Non-Iranian communities of Canada with Iranian culture and traditions, and bringing the Iranian Community together to promote unity, diversity, and cross-cultural exchange. 

We at the ICC greatly appreciate your support and value your volunteerism and commitment. Thank you!

“Volunteers are not paid – not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless”

On this day two years ago, Iran and the world reached an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

This included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who stated on many occasions before and after his election that Canada would support the deal and re-engage with Iran diplomatically and economically. Since the agreement, Iran has showed its dedication to international cooperation and has been committed to fulfilling the requirements of the deal, as noted by multiple international watchdogs including the UN’s IAEA. However, despite the promise of the Government of Canada, nearly two years have passed and the Trudeau Government has yet to meaningfully engage with Iran and the embassies in both countries remain closed.

The Iranian Canadian Congress would like to commemorate the second anniversary of this agreement by reminding the government of their promise to the Iranian-Canadian community to re-establish full diplomatic and economic relations with Iran. We ask that the Canadian government to resolve existing barriers in the path for re-engagement with Iran and re-open the Iranian and Canadian embassies in Ottawa and Tehran respectively as a matter utmost of importance. 

The New Democratic Party leadership race is underway, the outcome of which will have serious implications for the future of the NDP, its policies and the general direction that the Party will come to adopt for years to come.

The importance of our community’s involvement with all of Canada's major political parties:

Iranian-Canadians comprise one of the most vibrant and dynamic communities in Canada. We are a community of 300,000 members with a reputation for success and perseverance in Canada’s multicultural society. However, Iranian-Canadians have yet to match this success in the professional, academic, business, and cultural spheres with success in Canada’s civic and political life. While we have Iranian-Canadians in the federal Liberal caucus and in the Legislative Assemblies of Ontario and Quebec, Iranian-Canadians need to expand their involvement into other Canadian political parties and other levels of government.

Traditionally, Iranian Canadians have found their voice within the Liberal Party, and their support has given crucial help to this party time and time again in election time and beyond. However, given the ever-growing competition in Canada’s multi-party political landscape, it is time for Iranian-Canadians to diversify their political investments and to engage with all major political parties in Canada for the representation of their interests.

Why our community should be involved with the current important NDP leadership race:

Currently, the New Democratic Party leadership race is underway, the outcome of which will have serious implications for the future of the NDP, its policies and the general direction that the Party will come to adopt for years to come. The Iranian-Canadian community should get involved in the NDP leadership race and communicate their concerns to the candidates aspiring to lead the Party.

Canada’s political system rests on a multi-party arrangement and it is imperative that the concerns of Iranian Canadians are heard and represented all across the Canadian political landscape. This would allow the Iranian-Canadian community to communicate more effectively with elected representatives and strengthen the community’s presence in Canadian civic and political life so that we, as a community, can better protect the rights and dignity of Iranian Canadians. We therefore ask that interested community members consider becoming members of the New Democratic Party and vote in the upcoming leadership election. By becoming members during this important time, Iranian-Canadians can help shape the direction of the party, and by extension the whole of federal politics, for years to come.

How to join NDP membership:

We are working to build an organized group of NDP members from the Iranian Canadian community. Please follow the two steps below to register for NDP membership before August 17, 2017 and make sure you provide us your contact information.  

Step 2: Fill out this simple form from the ICC to provide us with your contact information. This way we will be able to contact you with updates about the NDP leadership race, especially updates related to the Iranian Canadian community. Click here to fill out ICC's subscription form.  

Happy Canada 150 from all of us at the ICC.

From all of us at the ICC, Happy Canada Day! Happy Canada 150! The True North Strong and Free.

ICC sent a formal inquiry to U.S. Consulate in Toronto asking for clarifications regarding the impact of Trump's Travel Ban on Iranian Canadians. Here is a copy of the official response we received on June 29, 2017. 

https://ca.usembassy.gov/

After months of delay, the third reading of Bill S-219 was begun by Senator Tkatchuk with the support of Senator Carignan and Senator Housakos on June 13th, 2017.  However, in subsequent days they did not resume the debate and the final vote is postponed on this bill until after the summer recess of the Parliament.

The Iranian Canadian Congress reiterates its position that sanctions on Iran will block the path of diplomacy and dialogue, and, as confirmed by Global Affairs Canada, it will hinder the process of re-engagement with Iran, the stated policy of the Canadian government since Oct 2015. 

Letter from ICC Policy Chair Pouyan Tabasinejad to Minister of Citizenship, Refugees and Immigration, Hon. Ahmed Hussen regarding the recent developments in the U.S Travel Ban. 

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Canadian Congress

Here is an announcement from the ICC Secretary about appointment of executive officers and department chairs:

Dear Members and Supporters of the Iranian Canadian Congress, 

 During the board meeting on Monday June 19th, 2017 the following directors were appointed as the executive officers and department chairs:

President: Bijan Ahmadi

Iranian Canadian Congress

با سلام خدمت اعضا و همراهان کنگره ایرانیان کانادا،

هیات مدیره کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در جلسه مورخ ۱۹ جون، ۲۰۱۷ کارگزاران و مدیران کمیته های اجرایی سازمان را به شرح زیر برگزید:

رئیس: بیژن احمدی

نایب رئیس: سوده قاسمی

خزانه دار: مجتبی ادیب راد

دبیر: مهران فرازمند

مدیر سیاست گزاری: پویان طبسی نژاد

مدیر روابط عمومی: مروارید زارع  زاده

مدیر فرهنگی: درنا مژدمی

امیدواریم با حمایت اعضا و همراهی حامیان سازمان، بتوانیم در جهت دفاع از منافع جامعه ایرانی کانادایی و پیشرفت جامعه چند فرهنگی کانادا  قدم برداریم.  

با تشکر،

مهران فرازمند

دبیر کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

If you are a student looking for a summer internship position, please review the list of positions available below.

Here you can find positions available:

Communications Intern

Paid summer internship, July- end of August 2017, Full time position.

Location: ICC Office, Unit 900, 45 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto.

We are recruiting a communications intern to support our PR and Policy teams at the Iranian Canadian Congress. This position requires a good deal of thoughtful analysis and independent judgment, as well as flexibility to perform a variety of duties. We are looking for a passionate, self-driven and positive individual who can work independently and as part of a team.  

We’d love to have you join the team. To apply, send your resume and a sample of your written work to info@iccongress.ca. Due to time constraints, only candidates who meet our requirements will be contacted.

Here you can find a list of candlelight vigils organized by the ICC and other community groups across Canada to remember the victims of recent terrorist attacks in Tehran:

Dear Friends, 


We stand today with heavy hearts mourning the lives lost in the recent heinous acts of violence and terrorism in Tehran. These saddening and heartbreaking attacks have left millions of Iranians worldwide in agonizing pain. Acts of terrorism in any part of this world, with any and all intentions and purposes; is in its innate nature against humanity, morality, and global-unity, and is to be strongly condemned. In the face of this tragic and devastating event, it is more than ever imperative and essential for us to stand together as a community; united and strong, sharing our compassion, empathy, and connectedness; sympathizing with the grief-stricken families who have lost their loved ones. With great dismay we extend our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to our fellow Iranians across the globe. 

With un-shattering resilience in the face of this adversity let us unite together for peace. We have organized Candlelight Vigils for Victims of Tehran Attacks in Toronto and Vancouver. Here are the details:

Toronto: Thursday, June 8, 8:30PM (EST) at Mel Lastman Square. Click here for the event page on Facebook.

Vancouver: Thursday, June 8, 8PM (PDT) in front of CBC Building. Click here for the event page on Facebook. 

Calgary: An independent group of community members have organized a gathering in Calgary. For more info click here. Please note that the event in Calgary is not organized by the ICC.