You may have seen the large demonstrations in Canadian cities recently, led by Iranian Canadians. If you’re wondering why this matters beyond the Iranian community, the short answer is: It directly concerns Canada’s people, security, and values.
Iran is in the grip of a profound humanitarian crisis. Nationwide protests that erupted in late December 2025—sparked by economic collapse and long-simmering grievances—have met with brutal state violence. Security forces have used live fire, mass arrests, and widespread repression. Independent human rights monitors have documented hundreds of confirmed deaths (with some estimates far higher amid information blackouts), alongside torture, arbitrary detentions, and killings of civilians. The exact toll is hard to verify due to censorship and restricted access, but the pattern of extreme repression is undeniable and demands global attention on humanitarian grounds alone.
For Canadians, the stakes are even more personal and immediate.
First, Iran has already claimed Canadian lives. In January 2020, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board—including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. This was the deadliest foreign military action against Canadian civilians in modern history. For grieving families, the Iranian regime is not a distant issue—it’s the source of irreplaceable loss, incomplete accountability, and an ongoing fight for justice.
Second, the threat has reached Canadian soil. Canada’s own security and intelligence agencies, including CSIS, have publicly documented Iranian state interference here: surveillance, intimidation, and threats against journalists, activists, and members of the Iranian diaspora. Recent CSIS assessments warn that such transnational repression—sometimes involving proxies like organized crime networks—continues and could intensify. In response, Canada listed the entire IRGC as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code in 2024, underscoring its role in terrorism and cross-border threats.
Against this backdrop, the protests by Iranian Canadians are more than expressions of solidarity with brave people in Iran risking everything for freedom. They are acts of Canadian civic responsibility: demanding justice for PS752 victims, pushing back against foreign intimidation on our territory, and defending the democratic space that Canada guarantees for all its residents.
This isn’t about importing a foreign conflict or elevating one group’s concerns above others. It’s about core Canadian principles:
Our citizens have been directly victimized by the regime’s actions.
Foreign repression has spilled into our communities, threatening safety and free expression.
Our laws, security agencies, and international commitments are already engaged in holding Iran accountable.
Justice, public safety, and resistance to authoritarian overreach are shared responsibilities, not optional sympathies.
In today’s interconnected world, authoritarian violence doesn’t respect borders—and neither should our commitment to human rights, accountability, and security. Supporting these protests—by attending rallies, amplifying calls for justice, or simply staying informed—isn’t just empathy. It’s a practical way to protect Canadian lives, uphold our values, and ensure that threats abroad don’t erode freedoms at home.
Canada has already taken strong steps, from the IRGC designation to ongoing international efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the PS752 tragedy.
Now is the time for all Canadians to recognize the connection: What happens in Iran doesn’t stay in Iran. It affects us here.