Citizenship and Immigration committee  I am pleased to testify on this important bill in my capacity as director of policy for Canada with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and adviser to the Canadian Coalition Against Terror. Like other democracies, Canadian society has been built on the concept of the social contract. In broad terms, this means that individuals have consented, either explicitly or implicitly, to relinquish some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the state in exchange for other compelling benefits.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It's my pleasure. Thank you very much. Honourable members of this subcommittee, I am privileged to appear before you today to discuss the role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, in a vast system of domestic repression, and to encourage the government of Iran to end these human rights atrocities and the Government of Canada to designate the IRGC, in its entirety, under the Special Economic Measures Act, for its human rights abuses, and to add the IRGC, in its entirety, to Canada's Criminal Code for its terrorist activities.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Pursuant to our ongoing study of the human rights situation in Iran, we have two witnesses: Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; and Matthew Levitt, who is attached to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Gentlemen, you already know that you have about 10 minutes each for your presentations, following which we will have questions from the panellists here.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We also have the representatives from the Canadian Coalition Against Terror: Sheryl Saperia, who is the adviser and the director of policy for Canada, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Maureen Basnicki. Welcome to the four of you. We will start with Professor Macklin. Each group has up to eight minutes.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Today we continue looking at the human rights situation in Iran. We have with us Ms. Sheryl Saperia, Canadian director of policy for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. We'll turn things over to you and give you some time to talk. When you're finished, we'll go to questions as we always do. Please begin.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you for the opportunity to be here today. As you know, all four aspects of the Iranian threat are intrinsically linked. A regime that seeks nuclear weapons capability is rightly perceived as exceptionally dangerous when it is simultaneously implicated in human rights violations within its borders, support for and direct involvement in terrorism outside its borders, and issuing genocidal statements of intent with regard to other sovereign countries.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to appear before you today and to address a subject that, in my view, deserves more attention than it currently receives in the international debate over Iran. For a number of years now, the international community has understandably sought to persuade the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with its international obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.