Lantsman Presses Government On IRGC Presence In Canada During Heated Exchange In Parliament

OTTAWA — Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman sharply criticized the Liberal government’s national security record during question period, warning that Canada has become a “safe haven” for members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“The Iranian regime is collapsing and its thugs are already eyeing Canada,” Lantsman said in the House of Commons. “Hundreds live here. They operate here. They fundraise here. They intimidate Canadians here. And they do it all without consequence.”

Addressing the government’s delay in implementing a foreign agent registry, which was passed into law last year but has yet to be enacted, Lantsman demanded, “How many more terrorists have to come to Canada before they introduce the foreign registry?”

Responding on behalf of the government, MP Vince Gasparro, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, acknowledged the concern and affirmed Canada’s legal stance.

“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a designated terrorist organization,” Gasparro said. “If there are people here connected to that terrorist regime, they are here illegally, which means we are going to find them, we’re going to arrest them, and we’re going to deport them.”

Why does Canada's government say it has to find the countless IRGC terrorists before deporting them?

How did they get into Canada?

How does intelligence not know where they are — especially when they broadcast it?

Is CSIS too busy fighting Islamophobia?

🎥 @MelissaLantsman pic.twitter.com/ir7gccFM77

— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) June 20, 2025

The exchange highlights growing concern over Iran’s influence in Canada and the government’s enforcement of its June 2024 decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. That designation makes it a criminal offence to support or affiliate with the group, and paves the way for legal measures against individuals connected to it.

Security analysts and Jewish advocacy organizations have repeatedly called on Ottawa to take more decisive action against IRGC-linked individuals operating in Canada.

This article is based on verified information from official House of Commons video footage and public statements made during question period.