I think that, in principle, any group that renounces violence as a means of change should be given a seat at the table. As Dr. Shaheed said, Iran is a very complex society. It is multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and politically complex. The point is to understand that all of those elements are part of the future of Iran, part of creating a culture of human rights. The problem in the past has been exactly that political groups use human rights in order to gain power, and then become the worst abusers of human rights. That is why I think civil society is so important—because it is, in a sense, divorced from power and creates a different set of rules for legitimacy.
I think the diaspora has a very important role to play, because Iran has a very sizable diaspora thanks to the many refugees or economic migrants who have left because of the terrible circumstances in Iran. They travel back and forth; they transmit information. One of the reasons why the regime is having a hard time is the Internet and satellite television. The young people in Iran are savvy, cosmopolitan. They know what is happening out there in the world.
I think that nurturing those relations is very important, which is why Canada has quite a lot more influence than it may imagine. Beyond diplomacy, defined in a narrow sense, Canada can shape things in a much broader way for the better.