Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I have the pleasure to present a petition signed by a number of residents in the greater Toronto area who reinforce the leadership and efforts by my colleague from the riding of Richmond Hill.
The petitioners call upon the Parliament of Canada to urge the Minister of Foreign Affairs to intervene on behalf of Saeed Malekpour.
Mr. Malekpour is a permanent resident of Canada who is currently in prison in Iran and is potentially facing, as my good colleague from Richmond Hill suggested, the death penalty.
The petitioners believe Mr. Malekpour has been subjected to torture and has received very little in the way of due diligence and duty of care while in prison. He has been subject to a false confession. The petitioners urge the Government of Canada to engage with Iran to do everything possible to ensure that he receives a fair and transparent trial and is provided with appropriate legal counsel to defend himself against any charges made against him.
As the critic for consular affairs, I can say that this party supports this initiative and we ask that the government act as soon as possible, as do the petitioners.