Any day is a good day to slander Iran

Statement by Ministers Baird and Kenney on Iran

June 5, 2013 – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, today issued the following statement:
“We wish to extend Canada’s deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the thousands of innocents who have fallen victim to the Iranian regime, from the first days of the Islamic Revolution to the present. Canada grieves alongside all those whose loved ones suffered on the orders of Iran’s past and present rulers.
“Canada has not forgotten that the roots of today’s appalling situation extend back to the origins of this hollow regime. The persecution of dissident voices and systematic stifling of democratic freedoms stem from the highest levels of this regressive clerical-military dictatorship and its terrorist operatives in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.
“We would like to commend the work of the courageous human rights activists who continue to document the many crimes of the Islamic Republic’s rulers. Through their work, the ghastly and innumerable crimes of this regime’s rulers will not be forgotten. We will not forget the terrible summer of 1988, when the regime liquidated thousands of its political opponents, 25 years ago this year. We will not forget Zahra Kazemi, killed in an Iranian prison 10 years ago this summer. And we will not forget the innocent Iranians who face arrest, torture and death still today, simply for questioning the actions of this brutal regime.”

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The think tank here at Falling Downs has a research team digging into the causes for this most undiplomatic outburst. While it is thoughtful of Ministers Baird and Kenney to remember the victims of repression in Iran, it's not often that we see such random announcements coming out of the blue.

One must wonder why Iran? Is an Iranian life worth more than an Ethiopian, Angolan, or Timorese life? There are many governments around the globe that have been more vicious with their populations than have the Ayatollahs. Generally speaking Canada doesn't skip a beat in maintaining trade and diplomatic relations with those countries.

But in the case of Iran, the Harper gang closes our embassy and indulges in gratuitious hate-mongering.

What is the purpose of this?