Thank you very much for the question.
If you look at, for example, Europe, you see they're moving forward with support for designating the IRGC. I think where there is a thriving and vibrant Iranian diaspora in places like Canada, where there's a democracy, the will of the people should be reflected in your policies. If you look at a Pew Research poll that was done in 2020, for example, you'll see that it showed that three-quarters or more of people in 14 advanced economies had a negative view on human rights in Iran. That was only exacerbated, I'm sure, by the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that resonated with people across the world, especially in democracies.
You'll see in the European Union, for example, that the European Commission president and members of the European Parliament are really pushing for this. If you look at places like the U.S., where there's already a designation that exists, you see that people are safer than in, say, the United Kingdom or Europe, where transnational repression really exists. We have the example of Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati being stabbed outside his home in London, which is looking more and more like a contracted job by the Islamic Republic. If we want to keep people safe, we have to list the IRGC. The argument that dialogue, for example, is important is really something that we should move past. Forty-five years of dialogue has not kept people safe, and people are still being targeted.
I encourage you to please list the IRGC and listen to your vibrant and flourishing diaspora. I know that Canada has been a leader in many ways. You were the first to call the1988 massacre of thousands of Iranians what it was—a crime against humanity. I think you should lead in this and not wait for others to do it first.
Thank you.