On June 29, 2024,  at the Free Iran 2024 World Summit hosted at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) headquarters in Paris, former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird delivered a speech. He called for unwavering moral clarity in confronting the Iranian regime.

Former Canadian FM @Baird: "I think we’re all proud coming from different political parties that #Canada was one of the first countries to break off diplomatic relations to Iran and say it will not be business as usual."#FreeIran2024 https://t.co/0VzcTvBark

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 30, 2024

The full text of former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird’s speech follows:

You know, today is a day for moral clarity. I hope the courage of the resistance units, the courage that the women of Iran have shown over the last two years, I hope it inspires Western governments around the world to resist the pressure to simply go along, to get along. That is a wrong approach. We have known one thing for the last 50 years, accommodation and appeasement are a recipe for failure in containing the mullahs in Iran.

If we truly want to confront this regime, if we truly want to tackle the problem of its nuclear program, the problem of its export of terrorism in every part of the region and even in other parts of the world, if we want to first and foremost to tackle its brutal repression of democracy activists, its brutal human rights record in Iran, we must be vocal, we must be clear morally and we must stand up aggressively.

That means no business as usual. In Canada, I’m so proud, I think we’re all proud coming from different political parties that Canada was one of the first countries to break off diplomatic relations with Iran and say it will not be business as usual.

Every year, successive governments of Canada confront Iran’s abysmal human rights record at the UN and make it very, very uncomfortable for the mullahs, henchmen, and spokespeople at the UN to sit aside and hope no one is watching.

And we’re also very, very proud that after many, many years, Canada has finally designated the IRGC as an international terrorist organization.

With strength and determination, we can win. I want to again say how inspired we are of all of you outside of Iran and particularly the people inside Iran who have shown such courage and such determination to break off the shackles of the mullahs. It truly is inspiring.

This regime is teetering on its last legs and the end is near. Keep up the fight.