Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion said on Monday that his government isn't about to stop calling the Iranian regime a state sponsor of terror. The previous Canadian government severed ties with Iran's fundamentalist regime in 2012. One of the reasons why relations were cut was the Iranian regime's inclusion on the then-Conservative government's newly created list of state terrorist sponsors, which opened the door to terrorism victims or their families launching lawsuits against the Iranian regime in Canadian courts, the Ottawa Citizen reported on Tuesday. The only other country on the list is Syria. The designation makes re-engagement with Iran's regime more difficult as it effectively accuses Tehran of "aiding and abetting terrorist groups," but removing it could be difficult politically, the report said. On Monday, the opposition Conservatives asked whether the Liberal government is planning to remove the designation. The questions coincided with the launch of what the Conservatives are calling Iran Accountability Week, during which they plan to urge the Liberals not to re-engage with the regime. "Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas," Conservative foreign affairs critic Tony Clement said during question period. "Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?" "We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act," Mr. Dion replied. "(It's) inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government." Speaking earlier in the day on Monday, as he launched Iran Accountability Week, Mr. Clement said Canada should "be a voice in the international discussions that are going on to ensure we are taking the go-slow approach to lifting sanctions."
