A Global News investigation has found evidence that Canada has become a safe haven for affiliates of the Islamic Republic of Iran who are allegedly threatening the lives of Iranian Canadians, and other dissidents in this country.
Critics of the regime are renewing their calls for the Canadian government to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
During an appearance in Maple Ridge, B.C., on Tuesday, Global News asked Trudeau if Canada would make that designation, just like the United States did in 2019.
“We continue to watch and make sure we’re able to do everything we can that is responsible against the impact of the IRGC,” Trudeau said Tuesday.
“As I have said many many times, the Iranian regime responsible for the shooting down of PS752, killing of its own citizens and killing of Canadian citizens, its sponsorship of terror around the world, means that we will continue to do everything necessary, both to hold that regime to account, to limit its impact around the world and to protect Canadians.”
The IRGC is the regime’s powerful paramilitary organization that is behind many human rights violations in Iran.
On Jan. 8, 2020, the IRGC shot down Ukraine Airlines flight 752 over Tehran, with two surface-to-air missiles.
It killed all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have said they will refer Iran to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the incident.
The investigation on Global News’ current affairs program The New Reality this weekend reported an alarming number of regime affiliates are allegedly living and operating in Canada.
Ramin Joubin is a B.C. immigration lawyer who has been identifying and investigating the alarming number of people in Canada with ties to the regime.
“We have about 700 names, right now, that either have temporary residence, permanent residence or citizenship, that are in Canada, and are somehow regime affiliates,” Joubin told Global News. “And some of them had this pre-planned already and they came to Canada knowing that this is going to be their safe haven.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been promising to deal with the problem. He stood with the families of the victims of PS752 in Ottawa on Oct. 29, 2022. He was passionate in his empathy and his rhetoric: “We know there are people in Canada now who have benefited from the corrupt, horrific regime in Iran and who are hiding amongst … this beautiful community.”
Trudeau was emphatic on taking action: “We will be working with all the tools at our disposal to make sure Canada is never again a haven for killers, murders, and those responsible for the repression of Iranian people,” he said last October.
On Tuesday, Trudeau defended the actions of his government. “One of the steps we have taken, as a government just last year was using a tool has rarely been used in Canada…where we have used measures to list the senior members of the IRGC as being permanently banned from Canada. Even if there is a regime change and a vast improvement of the way the Iranian regime treats not just its people but people around the world, those people will be banned for the rest of their lives from Canada.”
But that wasn’t enough to prevent Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi from entering Canada this summer.
Hashemi was a senior Minister for the same Iranian administration at the time PS752 was shot down from the sky.
Just this August, Hashemi was spotted in Montreal — in the background of a Radio-Canada news report about Quebec tourism. He was also captured on social media visiting Casa Loma in Toronto.
During his Canadian vacation, he reportedly threatened Canadian citizen Hamed Esmaeilion, whose wife and daughter were killed on PS752.
On Aug. 28, Immigration Minister Marc Miller posted on X that Hashemi’s application for temporary residence was denied and that Hashemi was being barred for three years, due to “Iran’s disregard for human rights.”
All of this has raised new questions about how regime affiliates like Hashemi can get into Canada in the first place.
“There are major gaps in the system, gaps that a lot of regime officials are falling through,” says Canadian human rights lawyer Kaveh Shahrooz. “They’re able to come to Canada without being stopped or able to bring their money here, bring their family here and live comfortably.”
Immigration lawyer Joubin agrees, and in response to Trudeau’s remarks on Tuesday, says the government needs to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, or explain why it won’t.
“If you don’t want to do it, give us a reason. The lack of transparency and straightforwardness on this straightforward issue; of course it’s upsetting and it’s not something I want to see in Canadian politics,” Joubin said.
Global News asked Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc for answers. In a statement, a spokesperson for Minister Leblanc said: “Foreign interference by state and non-state actors targets numerous facets of our society – and those first and most impacted are often diaspora communities.
“Any attempts by foreign agents to intimidate or coerce of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil is simply unacceptable. Our government has a series of tools to combat foreign interference. We are continuously looking at ways to adapt our measures in light of evolving threats.”
“It’s really a mystery as to what else the IRGC needs to do to be listed as a terror group,” Shahrooz told Global News. “I mean, we had organizations like The Proud Boys, a racist organization that within days of being examined by Canadian authorities, were listed as a terror group. The IRGC has a documented record of killing Canadians and killing people of other nationalities besides the repression at home.
“Part of the problem is that the government of Canada isn’t taking these steps (to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity), but I think equally bad is that the Government of Canada refuses to tell activists and stakeholders in the Iranian Canadian community why it’s not taking action,” Shahrooz added. “It says all the right rhetoric about wanting to stand with the Iranian people, but doesn’t actually take the steps or explain why it doesn’t adopt the policies that we need.”
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
Critics of the regime are renewing their calls for the Canadian government to list 
