Recognize Iranian transitional government

AI summary

Petitioners ask Canada to declare Iran’s regime illegitimate, recognize Reza Pahlavi and the Iranian Transitional Team as interim government, and begin transition talks. The government responds… it condemns abuses and does not support opposition.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Canada and the Islamic Republic of Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations since 2012; The Islamic Republic of Iran has ruled through systemic repression, widespread human rights violations, political violence, and the denial of fundamental freedoms; The political, moral, and legal legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been irreversibly eroded; Prince Reza Pahlavi has emerged as a democratic, unifying, and nationally recognized leader for Iran’s transition period: He has repeatedly and unequivocally affirmed that he does not seek permanent power and is committed solely to a time-limited transitional role enabling the Iranian people to freely determine their future; and In recent weeks, the scale and clarity of public expression by Iranians have been unmistakable, including a rally of over 150,000 people in Toronto, peacefully calling for the end of the Islamic Republic and confirming the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi to lead the transition to a democratic, secular Iran. We, the undersigned, citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Declare that the Islamic Republic in Iran is not a legitimate government and is a foreign occupying entity with no support in Iran; 2. Recognize Prince Reza Pahlavi, the Leader of the Iranian Transitional Team, as the legitimate representative of the Iranian people; 3. Recognize the legitimacy of the Iranian Transitional Team as Iran's temporary transitional government and support its plan outlining a transition to a secular, democratic government in Iran; and 4. Begin engagement with him and the Iranian Transitional team in discussions on Iran's future governance and transition planning with the goal of reaching a free and democratic election.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Signed by Rob Oliphant The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for raising concerns regarding systemic repression, widespread human rights violations, political violence, and the denial of fundamental freedom committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as the interest in seeing free and democratic elections in Iran. Canada strongly condemns the Iranian regime’s entrenched pattern of excessive and unlawful use of force against Iranians, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, severe restrictions on access to information, and other serious human rights violations. Canada has consistently and unequivocally condemned violence against protesters and all forms of repression of human rights in Iran, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. For the last 23 consecutive years, Canada has led a United Nations General Assembly resolution on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which condemns the regime’s serious and ongoing violations, urges improvement, and calls on Iranian authorities to cooperate with human rights mechanisms. On December 18, 2025, this resolution was adopted with 78 votes in favour at the General Assembly. In response to the recent actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime against its own citizens, the Government of Canada: Led a joint statement condemning the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protests, alongside Australia and the European Union on January 9, 2026; Participated in the Group of Seven statement condemning Iran’s latest wave of brutal suppression and urging Iran to respect its human rights obligations on January 14, 2026; Cosponsored a statement by the Freedom Online Coalition on February 4, 2026, condemning the Iranian authorities’ repression of protesters, internet shutdowns, and other measures aimed at silencing dissent, and calling for respect for human rights both online and offline; Issued multiple statements unequivocally opposing the death penalty, arbitrary arrests and detentions, forced confessions, unfair trials and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in Iran. The Government of Canada also continues to hold perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses accountable. To this end, Canada is supporting international partners to pursue independent investigations and accountability through multilateral mechanisms, including through the efforts of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and relevant independent investigative mechanisms, including the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the United Nations Human Rights Council on January 23, 2026, Canada intervened to condemn Iran’s entrenched impunity and violent repression of legitimate and peaceful demonstrations. Canada also engaged constructively in support of the Special Session’s associated resolution, which mandated the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to specifically document and preserve evidence of Iran’s violent response to these protests to support future accountability processes. On March 16, 2026, Canada delivered a joint intervention with Australia and New Zealand at the Human Rights Council condemning Iran’s violent response to protests, demanding accountability, and reaffirming the need for sustained international scrutiny. Canada supports the Session’s associated resolution mandating the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to specifically document and preserve evidence of Iran’s violent response to these protests to support accountability. In addition to actions taken internationally, Canada continues to leverage domestic legal and policy tools to impose consequences on Iranian individuals and entities responsible for nuclear and weapons proliferation activities, gross and systemic human rights violations, and regional and global destabilizing activities. Since July 22, 2010, Canada has imposed sanctions on nearly 500 Iranian individuals and entities across all levels of Iran’s security, intelligence, and economic apparatus pursuant to theSpecial Economic Measures Actand the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law). On December 15, 2025, Canada sanctioned four additional senior Iranian officials for their direct roles in implementing repressive policies to violently suppress protests and/or for serious violations of the rights of prisoners, including arbitrarily detained protesters and political opponents. On February 14, 2026, Canada announced new measures on seven individuals linked to Iranian state bodies responsible for intimidation, violence and transnational repression targeting Iranian dissidents and human rights defenders. These measures build on Canada’s broader efforts to maintain pressure on Iran, including: Listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Codeon June 19, 2024. Canada has also listed the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations under theCriminal Code; Designating the Government of Iran as a regime engaged in terrorism and systematic or gross human rights violations under theImmigration and Refugee Protection Act, rendering any senior official who served since June 23, 2003, inadmissible to Canada; Designating Iran as a state supporter of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The Government of Canada reconfirmed this designation on December 4, 2025. Canada does not support any opposition figure in Iran and it stands with the Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against the regime’s oppressive rule. The future of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people and the Government calls on Iranian leadership to listen to the voices of its people.