Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
It's always very difficult during Iran Accountability Week. We hear the emotion, we get frustrated and we have the emotion, but we do know.... I'm a member of Parliament who's been here for one term. I've been like you; I've been someone who's been following this issue, as a Canadian, following what I think the mistakes are in our foreign policy and how we should be doing something. I do understand how even words are construed; I know. This is a long game, as we sometimes call it. There does have to be patience in terms of diplomacy.
You inspire us with your testimony. I've been to other groups of women who do the White Wednesdays, and that courage inspires me. I just want to say thank you for that kind of inspiration and energy, which you give all of us for all of our work in international human rights. We've had other people come before this committee, even General Roméo Dallaire, with two fists on the desk—do something about the Rohingya; do something—because he knows; he's lived it. It gets at our frustration and our emotions, but with that, we have to take this logic and say, “What is the government's role here? How do we use Canada's soft power?” This committee has to discuss that.
Mr. Hashemi, in the time I have left, I'm wondering if you can talk to us a little bit about that kind of frustration in how we're trying to help advance this capacity of Iran as brothers and sisters in the global world, and what Canada's role is. You recently experienced a vicious smear that went against another person I had asked to testify. There are some very convoluted issues when we talk about threats and when we talk about lobbies and proxies. Would you talk a little bit about what is happening to you? Maybe discuss the MEK and their mouthpiece organization in Canada and how we should be cognizant of these things as we are taking our government role further.
You can use the rest of my time. My preamble probably took us to three minutes. You can take three minutes.