We call for clear, written guidelines for IRCC and CBSA to ensure that mandatory Iranian conscripts are not automatically treated as voluntary IRGC members.
#ConscriptsAreNotMembers
On the Borderlines podcast, MP Garnett Genuis discussed the consequences of mandatory Iranian conscription and why Bill C-350 offers a legislative path forward.
Listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization was an important step toward accountability. But accountability loses its purpose when blanket policies fail to distinguish between perpetrators and victims of the same regime. Canada's commitment to holding the IRGC accountable must go hand in hand with protecting people who were forced to serve.
Bill C-350 proposes a targeted amendment to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: a person would not be deemed a member of an organization solely because they were required to complete mandatory service, provided they did not serve beyond that mandatory period or engage in specified acts.
This is not blanket immunity. It is a way to distinguish compulsory service from voluntary membership while maintaining safeguards against those who engaged in wrongdoing.
The proposed amendment is on the table. The question is whether the government will put partisan differences aside and act in the interest of affected families, or allow more people to endure years of avoidable hardship.
Conscription ≠ membership.
Special thanks to @smeurrens and @GarnettGenuis for keeping this issue in the spotlight and ensuring that the concerns of former Iranian conscripts and their families are not forgotten.
@MarkJCarney@gary_srp@LenaMetlegeDiab@AliEhsassi@pfragiskatos@jacquesramsaypl@SameerZuberi@PierrePoilievre@MelissaLantsman@vincentneilho@CostasMenegakis@MichelleRempel
#ConscriptAreNotMembers
Dear IRCC and CBSA,
Please distinguish between those who voluntarily joined the IRGC and those compelled to complete mandatory military service.
Investigating genuine threats matters. So does protecting innocent people from unfair assumptions.
#ConscriptsAreNotMembers
A young Iranian forced into military conscription did not choose the IRGC, its ideology, or its actions. Canada must distinguish compulsory assignment from voluntary membership. Justice requires examining individual circumstances. #ConscriptsAreNotMembers
@KaveAhangar92@AliEhsassi@JulieDzerowicz@PierrePoilievre who you are talking?@AliEhsassi, by repeatedly using the phrase “case by case,” you are making a mockery of the situation. You know exactly what a mess you’ve created, and now you’re simply buying time to evade responsibility for the catastrophic consequences.
Canada can take a strong stand against the IRGC while protecting victims of forced conscription. These goals are not contradictory. Assess actual duties, conduct, and individual circumstances, not compulsory assignment alone. #ConscriptsAreNotMembers