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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

During question period on immigration, Conservatives asked about a temporary resident permit the immigration minister issued to Mehdi Taj, who they said was a commander in Iran’s regime, and asked why he was allowed into Canada and why the minister had not answered for it. The Liberal minister, Gary Anandasangaree, replied each time that senior Iranian officials and IRGC members are inadmissible to Canada, that the government works with border and law enforcement agencies to keep Canadians safe, and that privacy laws prevented him from commenting on an individual case. The exchange remained on this back-and-forth, with Conservatives pressing for an explanation and the minister repeating that he could not discuss the specific case.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

6 statements

Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The immigration minister let Mehdi Taj come to Canada with a special permit, even though he was a commander in Iran's terrorist regime. The government has already let hundreds of other Iranian officials into the country. Why did the minister let this terrorist in?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, when someone has been denied entry into Canada, a temporary resident permit is their last resort. The Minister of Immigration recently issued one of these permits to Mehdi Taj, and he landed in Toronto this week. Anybody who knows how to google can quickly figure out that this man is a former commander of the murderous Iranian regime, which is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada. The immigration department has already let in hundreds of other IRGC officials, who are roaming free in Canada, leaving Canadians feeling unsafe. Why did the minister give a terrorist who is part of a murderous death cult the green light to come to Canada?

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“Privacy laws stop me from talking about this specific person. But senior Iranian officials and members of their military are not allowed into Canada. We are working with border and police officers to keep Canadians safe.”

  • A repeated line

    “We will continue to work with our border, immigration and law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.”

    Said 7 times by 3 members since April 30.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, ensuring the safety and security of Canadians is our top priority. We cannot comment on an individual case due to privacy laws, but I want to assure all Canadians that Canada has rigorous admissibility requirements, and we have been very clear that IRGC members and senior Iranian officials are inadmissible to Canada. We will continue to work with our border and law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The immigration minister gave a permit to a known terrorist. The government refuses to talk about it. Canadians need to know how this happened and how the government will fix it.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, they “cannot comment” on it. Is that the best they could do for a QP line? Here is the reality: The Minister of Immigration issued a permit. She would have had to have done it for a known member of a listed terrorist organization. The Minister of Immigration did that, and now the Liberals cannot comment on it. It is literally all over the news. Everybody in Canada needs to know how this happened and how the government is going to fix it. You cannot just say you are not going to comment on it.

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“Members of Iran's military and top Iranian officials are not allowed into Canada. We work with border and police forces to keep Canadians safe. I cannot speak about this one case.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

    See full analysis

  • A repeated line

    “We will continue to work with our border, immigration and law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.”

    Said 7 times by 3 members since April 30.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I will make this is very clear. IRGC members are inadmissible to Canada. Senior Iranian officials are inadmissible to Canada. We will continue to work with border and law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of Canadians. Having said that, I am unable to comment on one particular case.

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The immigration minister gave a special permit to let a member of a terrorist group enter Canada. She needs to explain why she let this happen.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not even letting the immigration minister answer a question that is directly in the purview of her department. Here is what happened: At some point, the Minister of Immigration said that it is totally in the best interest of Canada to have a member of a listed terrorist organization, an actual terrorist, get a special permit to land in this country. The only reason they caught it was an independent journalist organization. She needs to get up and explain to Canadians how she let this happen.

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“Top members of Iran's military and government are not allowed into Canada. Canadian safety comes first. I cannot talk about this specific person because of privacy rules.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

    See full analysis
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, let me once again repeat what I have said already. Senior members of the IRGC and those who are part of the Iranian regime are inadmissible to Canada. The safety and security of Canadians is of paramount importance to the government. Having said that, on the individual case in question, I am unable to comment due to privacy concerns.

View on ourcommons.ca Grade B View analysis

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