Madam Speaker, earlier this week, I asked the government a question about whether it would list the Iranian IRGC as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. On June 12 of last year, the government supported my motion to immediately list the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Up until now, the Liberals have totally failed to act. When asked about this in question period, the Liberals mired the discussion in process and failed to answer the direct question.
Therefore, I want to ask the question again. Is it the intention of the Liberals to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity? I understand they say the process is ongoing, but they had no problem voting for a motion to do it immediately. It has been almost a year. Have they changed their position or not? We would like to know.
Today, Professor Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal MP and minister, and also other representatives from the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights were on the Hill, as well as people who had been victims of the Iranian regime. All of the victims who were brought to the Hill were very supportive. As one of them put it, “Sanction all the oppressors”. They were supportive of sanctioning those who were involved in committing atrocities against the Iranian people. These sanctions would target the IRGC and human rights abusers.
If it is just a matter of process for the government, then I wonder why it has not used Magnitsky sanctions. The Liberals have been very reluctant to bring any kind of sanctions against Iran. Commendably, they have brought Magnitsky sanctions against human rights abusers in other cases, but they have not done so against Iran. It is very striking. If there are sanctions imposed against other human rights abusers but no action on Iran, either Magnitsky sanctions or the sanction of the IRGC, it starts to paint a disturbing picture. It starts to make us wonder if it is not just a matter of process or a matter of policy. Therefore, again, when will the Liberals list the IRGC? Is it still their intention to list the IRGC?
Irwin Cotler and the Raoul Wallenberg group gave us a list at our meeting of 19 oppressors whom they would like to see listed under Magnitsky sanctions. I would submit to the government as well that its failure to sanction any oppressors in Iran is telling and the government should move forward on both of these fronts.
The names on the centre's suggested list of people to sanction under the Magnitsky act are Mahmoud Alavi, minister of intelligence; Hossein Ashtari, chief of the law enforcement force; Seyyed Alireza Avaei, minister of justice; Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi; Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, minister of the interior; Hassan Firouzabadi, senior military adviser to the supreme leader; Gholamhossein Gheibparvar; Mansour Gholami; Asghar Jahangir; Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi; Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the chief justice of Iran; Asghar Mir-Hejazi; Mohammad Moghiseh; Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei; Mostafa Pourmohammadi; Ebrahim Raisi; Abolghassem Salavati; Abbas Salehi; and Sohrab Soleimani. I apologize for the mispronunciation of their names, although they are probably more bothered by the fact that I am proposing that they be sanctioned than they are by the mispronunciation.
Again, I call on the government to clarify its Iran policy. Does the government intend to list the IRGC, as it voted to on June 12, yes or no? Why has it not proceeded with any sanctions against oppressors, be it IRGC, or sanctions under the Magnitsky act?