Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. The federal government has formally banned the top echelons of the Iranian regime from entering the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Canada’s federal government has formally banned the top echelons of the Iranian regime from entering the country.
Federal ministers have confirmed that a new designation is now in place under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that allows border agents to deny access to Canadian territory.
The government had announced an intention to pursue the measure about a month ago, along with funding to better implement economic sanctions it has levied against Iran amid its crackdown on human-rights protesters.
Public Safety Marco Mendicino says he is working to ensure that Canada Border Services Agency officers receive advice on how to implement the designation as soon as possible.
He says that by Tuesday, thousands of Iranian officials in the upper echelons of the regime will be deemed inadmissible if they try to enter Canada.
Mendicino says the measure also means that any officials who are found to already be in Canada will be investigated.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2022.
