Islam Times - Canada embassy closure, shocking

Islam Times - A Canadian daily says Ottawa’s severance of ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran has shocked the Canadian and international communities.

A report published by The Vancouver Sun on October 1, 2012, said many experts and diplomats have criticized Ottawa for its “imprudence,” including former Canadian ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, who stated his disagreement with the suspension of diplomatic ties between two countries.

Canada announced on September 7, 2012, that it is closing its embassy in Iran and asked the Iranian diplomats to leave the Canadian soil within five days.

Stephen Harper’s government has also frozen the bank accounts of many Iranian nationals living in Canada and banned money transfers to Iran.

According to the report, many believe the mass bank account closure can be a violation of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which clearly forbids discrimination based on origin and ethnicity.

Canada’s last ambassador to Iran John Mundy also criticized his government’s decision to sever ties and close its embassy in Tehran, saying “When the going gets rough you really need your diplomats. Canada's tradition is to be one of the last countries to leave in a crisis, not the first.”

Although the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird publicly listed the federal government's reasons for severing diplomatic ties with Iran, none of them explains the timing or severity of the decision, the report said.