Canadian Parliament Votes to Halt Negotiations for Resuming Relations with Iran

On Tuesday, June 11, the House of Commons of Canada approved a proposal to halt all negotiations with Iran for the resumption of diplomatic relations. According to this resolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will also be placed on the 'list of terrorist groups.' This proposal was introduced by Garnett Genuis, a Conservative MP. During the vote, which was conducted by rising, Conservative representatives initially rose in support of the proposal. Reports indicate that Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, was the first from the Liberal side to rise in favor of this proposal. The Toronto Sun described Trudeau's support for the proposal as unexpected, noting that last month the Liberal faction in the Senate caused a similar proposal to fail, and the Conservatives in the House of Commons did not expect the Liberals to support this proposal. Canada severed diplomatic relations with Iran in September 2012 during the government of Conservative Stephen Harper. John Baird, the Foreign Minister at that time, referred to Iran's 'opaque nuclear program and military assistance to Syria,' stating that the Islamic Republic is 'the greatest threat to global peace and security' in today's world. However, following the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, known as the JCPOA, in 2015, and the coming to power of Justin Trudeau's government after the Liberal Party's victory in the Canadian parliamentary elections, his government announced that it was ready to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic. Garnett Genuis welcomed the House of Commons vote and stated that the government must now implement Parliament's demand. In this context, Trudeau said Canada is in no hurry to lift sanctions on Iran.