QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Granting of Temporary Visas
April 30, 2026
Senator Moreau, the facts are clear and very disturbing. Mehdi Taj was a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, a designated terrorist organization, which should make him inadmissible from entry into Canada. A temporary resident permit circumventing his inadmissibility to Canada was issued by your immigration minister. Luckily, our front-line officers, who seemed to have heard our exchange a couple of days ago, had more common sense at the border than your government in making sure to turn this terrorist away.
Why does the government go out of its way to welcome these terrorists into our country while Iranian Canadians live in fear of repression, with more than 700 IRGC officials still living and working in Canada? How can they have any trust in the government’s ability to keep them safe and far away from transnational repression?
Senator Housakos, you know very well that I cannot comment on specific cases.
That being said, the government takes the security of Canadians very seriously. That includes who is invited here, the security of our border and the issuing of permits concerning temporary residents or people who are allowed to be welcomed to Canada. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to comment on any specific case, but I can reassure Canadians that their security and safety and the international values of Canada are respected by the government.
Senator Moreau, Canada has long been a place of refuge for people fleeing oppression and regimes of this nature. Canada should never be a place where friends of these regimes feel safe. Iranian Canadians and all Canadians are increasingly frustrated and demanding accountability.
It’s strange, government leader, that you say you can’t comment on this issue when, over the last 24 hours, we’ve had a number of cabinet ministers not only comment but also contradict themselves, so which is it?
You know very well that, for security purposes, I’m not able to comment on those issues, but I can reassure all Canadians that we are taking safety measures very seriously. I agree with the premise of your question. Terrorists should not be welcomed here in Canada.
Government leader, now you should do something about it. Yesterday, Minister Anand had this to say when pressed about IRGC commander Mehdi Taj being denied entry at the border:
. . . my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission. It was unintentional, but I’ll leave it to the minister to indicate.
A number of government officials are speaking about this. Your immigration minister doesn’t talk to the media, and by now I think we all understand why. If I were the Prime Minister, I wouldn’t want her talking to anybody.
Canadians deserve clarity, Senator Moreau. Maybe you can answer what exactly was unintentional. Was it the permission to allow the terrorist into our country, or was it unintentional to revoke his entry?
I will certainly not comment on Minister Anand’s answer, but I’ll repeat what I’ve already said. I cannot comment on specific cases. There are security measures related to your question. I will reiterate that terrorists are not welcome in Canada and that the Government of Canada takes the security of our borders seriously, as well as the inquiry of people requesting access to Canada.
Senator Moreau, two senior cabinet ministers from your own government said quite differently over the last 24 hours. We’re just looking for clarity: What was unintentional? Was the minister’s issuance of the visa to this terrorist unintentional? Was its revocation unintentional?
This is somebody the U.S. government would not allow into their country, but the Government of Canada thought it wise to embrace them, give them a visa and allow them access to Canada. We need clearer answers: How did this happen, and which part was not really intentional?
The answers were quite clear, even though you are obviously not accepting them. I cannot comment on those specific issues for security reasons.
I will reiterate once again that the Government of Canada is taking very seriously the fact that terrorists should not be welcome here in Canada. Our borders should be secure, and Canadians should feel safe with respect to these issues.
