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Global News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
Canada, allies warn Iran working to ‘kill, kidnap and harass' people abroad
Canada joined the United States and 12 European allies Thursday in condemning what they said is a 'growing number of state threats' by Iran's intelligence services against people abroad, including dissidents, journalists and Jewish citizens of their countries. The joint statement issued by the U.S. State Department called attempts by Iran to 'kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America' a 'clear violation' of those nations' sovereignty. 'These services are increasingly collaborating with international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials in Europe and North America,' the statement said. 'This is unacceptable.' The countries said they are committed to working together to prevent such attacks and called on Iran to 'immediately put an end to such illegal activities in our respective territories.' Story continues below advertisement 2:07 'The world would be a better place': Iranian-Canadians hope for end to Islamic Republic rule Iran has long been accused by the U.S., Canada and European nations of conducting transnational repression operations against Iranian dissidents abroad, as well as critics of the regime in Tehran. Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler, a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, told Global News last year his security detail was temporarily increased to its 'highest level' due to an imminent assassination threat. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Cotler said he was first told Iran was behind an 'imminent and lethal threat on my life' in November 2023 — shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas — and has been under RCMP protection ever since. 'I see this as a phenomenon not related to me personally, but to the larger threatening concern of transnational repression and assassination,' he said. Story continues below advertisement 'This has to be seen as a wake-up call for the community of democracies because this is a direct threat to our security, to our democracy and to our human rights.' Iran has been accused of hiring Hells Angels members in Canada to carry out killings, and immigration officials have found over a dozen senior Iranian regime members illegally living in Canada to date. Documents released by the public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada revealed Iranian Canadians are increasingly concerned about former officials from the Iranian regime targeting diaspora members and community organizations. Canada 'is known as a safe haven for Islamic regime officials and their families,' Tehran-born human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay said in her presentation to the Hogue Commission during public consultations last year, according to the documents. 11:12 Canada is 'a haven for Islamic Republic agents' warns Iranian human rights activist Canada listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization last year, and declared senior Iranian government and security agency officials inadmissible to Canada due to involvement in terrorism and human rights violations. Story continues below advertisement Yet the government has also had difficulty removing former regime officials from the country, with deportation orders issued to just three individuals out of 12 ongoing cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board, officials said in June. The FBI and U.S. prosecutors last year revealed multiple alleged Iranian plots to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to November's U.S. presidential election. A threat on Trump's life from Iran prompted additional security in the days before a July campaign rally in Pennsylvania where Trump was shot in the ear, according to U.S. officials. But officials at the time said they did not believe Iran was connected to that assassination attempt. The U.S. Justice Department announced in November that an Iranian plot to kill Trump in the weeks before the presidential election had been thwarted. 1:35 FBI thwarts alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump Trump ordered a U.S. military strike on Iran during his first term that killed Qassem Soleimani, who led the IRGC's Quds Force. Iran vowed revenge against Trump and members of his first administration, including his former national security advisor John Bolton and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Story continues below advertisement The criminal complaint that revealed the alleged plot against Trump also said two people were arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in a plot to murder an American-Iranian journalist and critic of the Iranian regime in New York. The FBI also said during the U.S. election that Iranian hackers sought to interest then-president Joe Biden's campaign in information allegedly stolen from Trump's campaign last summer. There's no evidence that any of the recipients responded, officials said at the time. —With files from Global's Stewart Bell and the Associated Press
24-06-2025
- Politics
Minister 'concerned' about Iranian terrorist cells in Canada after U.S. airstrikes
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she's deeply concerned about foreign interference by Iran's regime and the possibility of Tehran activating terrorist sleeper cells on Canadian soil after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Anand was asked about a Globe and Mail report quoting former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler, who warned Iran could use these cells to commit acts of violence in Canada against critics of Iran's regime like himself. In addition to Mr. Cotler's remarks, we are very concerned about foreign interference including the types that were highlighted by him, Anand told Canadian media while in the Hague for the NATO summit. And we're very concerned about the Iranian regime, generally speaking. Cotler, a human-rights advocate, revealed last year he was under police protection for his own safety (new window) . He said the RCMP told him it thwarted a plot by agents of Iran's regime to assassinate him. In the U.S., FBI officials are on high alert for Iranian sleeper cells made up of terrorists or spies who often go undetected, living normal lives in Western countries until they are called on for service, CBS News reported. Iran sent private messages to the U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his Saturday strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities warning that they would respond with terrorist attacks in the U.S. carried out by sleeper cells in the country, NBC reported. WATCH | What comes next in the war?: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? What's Iran's next move? Hours after Tehran launched a missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar, President Donald Trump declared Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. CBC chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault breaks down Iran's capabilities and what to watch for next. The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism advisory on Sunday telling the public that if Iran's leadership called for retaliation, the likelihood would increase that violent extremists could independently mobilize to commit violence. 'Unprecedented' call When asked what action the government is taking to protect Canadians from any potential Iranian terrorism, Anand said Canada listed Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization last year and cut diplomatic ties over a decade ago. We will continue to take any possibility of foreign interference extremely seriously, and that is underscored by the work that we will advocate for here at NATO, as well as the work that we were doing at the G7, Anand said. Anand also said she had an unprecedented call with her Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Saturday before the U.S. airstrikes. Her office believes it's the first call of its kind since François-Philippe Champagne did so years ago. He held the foreign affairs portfolio until January 2021. WATCH | Anand shares topics discussed with Iran: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Anand speaks about 'unprecedented' call with Iranian foreign minister Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she spoke with her Iranian counterpart to help ensure Canadians' safety in Iran, push for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with Israel and advocate for the victims of flight PS752. Canada has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 2012. On that call, Anand said she urged Iran to allow Canadians to leave the country safely, de-escalate the conflict with Israel and return to the negotiating table. She also reaffirmed that Canada is still seeking accountability for Iran's downing of Flight PS752 that killed 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents in 2020, she said. Growing concerns about Iran's regime in Canada Vancouver human rights lawyer Mojdeh Shahriari also shares Cotler's concerns about sleeper cells being activated in Canada. She said like any other terrorist organization, their members blend into the community and have regular jobs like anyone else. They're ready to go when needed so that will be based on instructions that they might get from the regime directly from IRGC commanders, she said. WATCH | Trump declares ceasefire: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Trump unilaterally declares Iran-Israel ceasefire U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally announced an unexpected ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday, hours after Tehran fired missiles at an American military base in Qatar. But the future of any deal is uncertain with Iran saying Israel must comply. Shahriari is the co-founder of StopIRGC, a grassroots group that tracks suspected Iranian regime members in Canada. She says they have passed on more than 90 names to national security agencies to investigate since 2022. She fears that more senior Iranian officials will flee Iran because of the conflict with Israel and seek safe haven in Canada. She says there are already hundreds of regime affiliates and IRGC members she believes have settled in Canada. She calls this a slow-moving monster that's only going to speed up. My concern is as the regime weakens, they are going to use Canada as their future home more and more, she said. This has already happened. It's going to accelerate. 3 Iranian officials issued deportation letters After years of pressure to act, in 2022 the federal government designated the Islamic Republic of Iran as a regime that engaged in terrorism and systemic and gross human rights violations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. That designation made some Iranian regime members inadmissible to Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it has cancelled the visas of more than 130 suspected senior Iranian regime members trying to come to Canada since the 2022 designation. WATCH | CSIS investigating alleged death threats from Iran : Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? CSIS investigating death threats from Iran against people in Canada CSIS is among a group of international spy agencies investigating 'credible' death threats originating from Iran against people abroad — including in Canada. To date, out of the 20 people CBSA reported inadmissible to Canada for being a senior official in the Iranian regime, only one has been removed from the country. Three people in total have been issued deportation letters after Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada rulings. Majid Iranmanesh was one of the senior Iranian officials given a deportation order last year. A transcript of the Immigration and Refugee Board's hearing said Iranmanesh was a director-general in the vice-presidency of information and technology, just a few levels away from Iran's president. The board concluded he fell within the top 50 per cent of the hierarchy of the Iranian regime, the transcript said. The board also expelled Seyed Salman Samani, Iran's former deputy interior minister, from Canada, Global News has reported. Six other cases are ongoing. CBSA would not provide the identity of the individuals citing privacy concerns. Ashley Burke (new window) · CBC News
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Beloved 1970s TV Actress, 59, Is Unrecognizable in Rare Outing
If you grew up in the 1970s, chances are you were a huge fan of the TV show, The Waltons. The show centered around a family living in the Appalachian mountains during the Great Depression and World War II era. One of the key cast members was recently spotted out and about shopping in Los Angeles with her husband, and she was nearly unrecognizable wearing a floppy, white sun hat. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Actress Kami Cotler, now 59, played Elizabeth Walton, the youngest daughter on the series. She's pictured here with the braids, on the left, and actress Mary McDonough, who played her on-screen sister, Erin Walton, is on the right. On the shopping trip, Cotler blended in perfectly with passersby in Los Angeles, so it's unlikely most people would've noticed her. . After starring on The Waltons, Cotler joined the cast for various reunion shows, and she also shifted away from acting and became a Waltons aired from 1972 to 1981 and will go down in history as a timeless family classic.
Montreal Gazette
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Liberal Anthony Housefather elected to fourth term in Mount Royal riding
Canadian Politics By First there was the silence, then came the worried anguish, and in the end Anthony Housefather held on to his seat to be elected to a fourth term in the Mount Royal riding. CBC declared he had won the race around 12:30 a.m., but Housefather still said he was 'cautiously optimistic.' Polls closed at 9:30 p.m., and the nervous Liberal incumbent retreated to a back room where he spent most of the night either alone or with a small number of staffers in the office converted from a former Bétonel paint shop on Décarie Blvd. at the corner of Bourret Ave. He emerged for about a minute during the night as volunteers watched the results come in on a television that was set up. He said a quick 'thank you' to his campaign staff and then returned to his back office. Information coming from the poll observers was bad at first, with Côte-St-Luc and Hampstead polling stations voting overwhelmingly for the challenger, Conservative Neil Oberman. If successful, it would have been the first time the riding went Blue in 90 years. In the time since, the riding was held by six MPs, including Pierre Trudeau, Sheila Finestone and Irwin Cotler. With the second-largest plurality of Jewish voters in the country, the question of rising antisemitism was identified as one of the key issues by many voters. While some voters harboured resentment toward Housefather and the Liberal party for perceived inaction against rising antisemitism, others applauded the longtime MP for standing up for the community. He was the lone MP to vote against Bill C-13, a major revamp of Canada's Official Languages Act in 2023. He was also among three Liberal MPs to vote against an NDP motion last year recognizing Palestinian statehood. After the vote, Housefather said he was reflecting on his future with the Liberal party, but he ultimately decided not to cross the floor to join the Conservatives. Households were divided, including that of former MP Cotler, who supported his successor, while his wife, Ariela, publicly supported the Conservative. In an interview granted during the campaign, Cotler said he, too, lost the Jewish vote in Côte-St-Luc and Hampstead, but ended up winning the riding twice with strong showings in Town of Mount Royal and Côte-des-Neiges. It appears that is how Housefather's votes also played out in this campaign. Oberman, a local lawyer, was thrust into the spotlight in January 2024 when he represented a Concordia student who sent a letter to the university's administration to demand it take immediate steps against antisemitism and violence directed at Jewish students. In March 2024, he represented the Jewish community at large in its quest to have a court order an injunction against protesting outside schools and synagogues. He declared his candidacy for the Conservatives early — having campaigned since June 2024. With just an hour before polls closed, a Hampstead resident took the time to cast the first ballot in his life, and he voted for change. 'I'm happy I did it,' said Ben, 18, who declined to give his last name, standing outside Hampstead School. 'The biggest issue that drew me was crime and how crime is going to be reduced. I like Poilievre's three-strikes policy that he's proposing.' Ben added that he also voted with antisemitism in mind. 'I'm a Jewish person, and I see what's going on in Montreal,' he said. 'There hasn't been a change, and Poilievre has said he would advocate for that.' Both Ben and his father, Michael, said they held Housefather in high esteem, but said they were angry with how the party as a whole handled several issues. 'My vote is against the Liberals because (Housefather) was very poorly treated by the Liberals,' Michael said. 'He's an excellent candidate, and he stood up for us, and he was treated like garbage. That's the reason my vote was anti-Liberal.' At the campaign headquarters for Oberman, there was a party atmosphere in the last minutes of the voting process. 'I'm very proud of everyone who has worked with me,' Oberman said. 'I'm very honoured to have been in a race with people who stood up and did something. When you get out onto the street, knock on the doors and meet people, you realize how privileged we are in Canada to be able to do this.' Volunteers reported that there were more than 30 teams walking on the streets to get out the vote and several dozen working the phones throughout the course of the day. Speaking to The Gazette in the minutes after the victory, a visibly exhausted Housefather said he was frustrated by a dirty campaign waged by his Conservative opponent. 'It was the nastiest election campaign I ever faced,' Housefather said. 'It was a tough election to deal with that, and I will do my best to serve all people in my riding with the conviction they are used to from me.'
CBC
06-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Former Liberal justice minister endorses Bloc Québécois's Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe
Former Liberal justice minister and internationally renowned human rights expert Irwin Cotler says Bloc Québécois candidate Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe deserves support this election, regardless of his political affiliation. In a social media post endorsing the incumbent MP on Friday, Cotler said that Brunelle-Duceppe has been "an outstanding member of Parliament, a leading voice for the struggle for human rights domestically and internationally and one who works across party lines in search of the common good. "His candidacy deserves our support, regardless of political affiliation," Cotler said. Cotler served as justice minister under former prime minister Paul Martin. In 2020, he was named as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. Brunelle-Duceppe was first elected in the riding of Lac-Saint-Jean in 2019 and won his second race in 2021. Before Parliament was dissolved in late March, Brunelle-Duceppe was the Bloc's citizenship and immigration critic. On social media, Brunelle-Duceppe said in French that Cotler's endorsement "warms my heart." The two men share some history. In November 2024, Cotler was informed by the RCMP that police had foiled an Iranian plot to kill him. The former Liberal minister told Radio-Canada at the time he had been under police protection for over a year. After the news came out, Brunelle-Duceppe told the House of Commons his party will never accept that anyone's life should be endangered over their opinions. "We unreservedly condemn the death threats against Mr. Cotler and we condemn the growing temptation of foreign powers to commit political assassinations on Canadian and Quebec soil," Brunelle-Duceppe said last November. "Mr. Cotler, you are not alone." Brunelle-Duceppe, son of former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe, also introduced a motion to the House asking all MPs to condemn the death threats against Cotler and recognize his work to promote human rights. The motion was accepted by unanimous consent.
