News

Mr. Baird told the 1,400 participants from more than 125 parliaments that Iran “foments hatred against the Jewish people and it incites genocide,” calling its intolerance towards religious minorities within its own borders unacceptable. “Canada won’t stand still in the face of these egregious actions,” he said.

“It [Iran] provides aid, comfort and support to terrorist organizations, and it is guilty of widespread and massive oppressions of the human rights of its own people, including the oppression of religious minorities,” Mr. Baird said. “This regime stands for everything we parliamentarians should stand against.”

He added that this is why Canada recently suspended diplomatic relations with Iran.

“Sometimes the truth hurts,” Mr. Baird said. “I know that staying silent is never an option when people stone women, when they hate gays, when they incite genocide, when they say they want to wipe the Jewish people, the Jewish state off the map, when they dishonour the U.N. obligations, when they spread hateful and racist rhetoric. … It is extremely important that as an international community we speak with one voice.”