Canada: Haven for Islamic Republic Agents

"This happened exactly one hour after people had gathered here to deliberate the death of the oppressive leader of the Islamic Republic."

"Imagine, if families and children had still been here when those shots were fired. The consequences could have been catastrophic." 

"It shows that it's no longer safe here for Canadians themselves, it's not just about Iranians. They've created a place where Canadian citizens cannot live comfortably."

"According to the Supreme Leader ... they had said this themselves before, that we will punish those who organize rallies and demonstrations abroad, and this is part of the IRGC policies."

"It’s concerning because the gym was hit with 17 bullets, which means it was meant for 17 bodies. [Intimidation of Iran’s critics] could become a real problem for Canada … and they are going to have to stop that." 

Salar Gholami, business owner, anti-Iranian regime activist 

Broken glass and bullet holes in the window of Saliwan boxing gym, draped with an Iranian lion and sun flag. The flag is outlawed in Iran by the Islamic Republic. Supplied photo

"We've had to re-prioritize our operations to counter the actions of Iranian intelligence services and their proxies who have targeted individuals they perceive as threats to their regime."

"In more than one case, this involved detecting, investigating and disrupting potentially lethal threats against individuals in Canada."

Daniel Rogers, director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service

 

"The motive behind the shooting is unknown and there is no suspect information at this time."

"Investigators from our Firearms Investigations Team continue to canvass the area for any security camera footage around the time of the shooting."

"The premise shows evidence of gunfire directed at the building. The building was unoccupied at the time of the incident. There were no reported injuries. Damage is limited to property."

York Regional Police

 

"The motive behind the shooting is unknown and there is no suspect information at this time."

"Investigators from our firearms investigations team continue to canvass the area for any security camera footage around the time of the shooting."

Const. Kevin Nebrija, York Regional Police 

In fact, it is not all that difficult to put two-and-two together and come up with four. It is well known that IRGC operatives are in Canada. Some of their identities are known to Canada's intelligence services. Yet little is done to remove them, despite that the Islamic Republican Guard Corps is listed as a terrorist organization in Canada. Canadian Iranians have reported to police the presence of IRGC- and Iranian-government operatives living openly in Canada. Elite Iranian government officials have sent their families to live in Canada as a safe haven.

 

While the two disparate Iranian groups live in the country; Iranian-Canadian citizens increasingly uneasily in the known presence of agents of Iran, their lives complicated by harassment by those agents, the Liberal government does nothing to deport those living illegally in Canada, as a presence of the Islamic Republic in a country with which there are no diplomatic relations. 

 

Since the aerial invasion of Iran by the Israeli and American militaries in response to Iran's governing body's intransigence over demands it abandon its nuclear program, amidst concerns that its increasingly sophisticated ballistic missiles that are more powerful and reach intermediate distances pose a direct threat to Israel, and to U.S. military bases in the Gulf States, exacerbated by the brutality of the regime in dealing with internal dissent by Iranians attempting to free themselves from the regime's oppressive hold on their lives when the IRGC and the Basij police outright murdered thousands civilians taking to the streets, Iranians in Canada have organized massive demonstrations.

 

A bullet hole is seen in the door of Saliwan Boxing at 7027 Yonge St. in Thornhill. (Simon Sheehan/CP24)

 

The owner of the Thornhill, Ontario boxing gym targeted by gunfire on Sunday, Salar Gholami, has been key in organizing those demonstrations across the Greater Toronto area. His business was riddled with bullet holes at the gym's entrance. And while investigators are of the opinion that the shooting was targeted, no 'motive' has yet been established. Mr. Gholami has no problem identifying the motive. It is related directly to his activism. And behind the shooting up of his establishment was a warning by agents of the Islamist regime.

 

There were two massive protests organized in recent months in Toronto; on February 1st, downtown Toronto saw 150,000 protesters peacefully march in a gathering meant to highlight the plight of Iranian protesters across Iran whose protests erupted in all the country's cities only to be met with gunfire from the regime. Tens of thousands were arrested, thousands injured in the violence committed against the civilians, and the figure of those killed by regime forces range from 3,000 to 30,000 people.

 

Toronto police said the Global Day of Action Rally in Toronto saw crowds estimated at 350,000. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press)

 

A follow-up February 14 solidarity for Iran protest saw over 350,000 people attending the event. The date and the immense size of the protest was not confined to Canada; this was an internationally-organized event with protesters coming out in droves in Canada, the United States, Germany and elsewhere across the globe in a well-publicized Global Day of Action. The Toronto rally, which brought out 350,000 people was the largest of all the rallies.

 

A Persian restaurant in Melbourne Australia where an Iranian flag with the lion and sun -- a symbol outlawed in the Islamic Republic -- was displayed in its window was sprayed by gunfire, quite like the situation in the boxing gym's window in Toronto. Its window too was shattered. Sunday morning two people were killed, 14 others injured when a gunman attacked at a bar in Austin, Texas, wearing a sweatshirt with the legend e. 

 

In Richmond Hill, Salar Gholami, despite the threats he and others within the Canadian-Iranian community face, is determined to continue his activism. "The police told me not to go there (his business that had just been vandalized) , but I was the first person there this morning. I'm a Kurdish-Iranian, and I would be proud to die for my country". 

 

Repairs continue after a shooting that damaged the building housing Saliwan Boxing Club in Richmond Hill, Ont., on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Photo by Supplied

 

Beyond Suspicion : The Racism Shield

"The National Microbiology Laboratory scientists Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng essentially used Canada's highest-security biohazard laboratory as a lending library for Chinese military interests."

"During her time as head of vaccines and antivirals in t he NML's zoonotic diseases and special pathogens division, Qiu repeatedly acted on China's behalf, including by transferring knowledge and materials from the NML to Chinese institutions."

Peter Shawn, senior features editor, C2C Journal

"Conduct the interviews in a respectful and professional manner."

"Care will be taken to avoid any comments or behaviours that could intimidate or be perceived as badgering or threatening the interviewees."

NML interview instruction

Xiangguo Qiu wears a biocontainment suit while working in the containment lab at the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg.  (CBC)

Simultaneous to the time that two bio-researchers of Chinese origin who were Canadian citizens were held in suspicion of releasing Canadian intelligence out of Canada's only high-security biohazard laboratory, two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were being held on trumped up charges of espionage presenting a danger to Chinese security, in retaliation for Canada responding to a U.S. request to hold Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei for indictment under U.S. state secrets law. They were held for over two years before their release back to Canada.

 

China plays rough, its detainment diplomacy signals that they do not take kindly to imposing uncomfortable penalties on Chinese nationals, groups, or businesses for behaviour harmful to host countries. Canada, on the other hand, treads lightly for fear of offending those involved in clear conduct of espionage threatening Canada's intelligence interests. Just how lightly Canada treads has been revealed with the 600-page release of classified documents related to NML security breaches.

 

Canada's national security interests were subordinated and contorted by diplomatic delicacy in efforts to avoid being labelled racist. The new values-driven concerns surrounding victimology that has been integrated into the federal bureaucracy, instructs those involved in these sensitive issues to be very, very careful. Leading to spies like Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng treated with kid gloves even when the extent and seriousness of their actions injurious to Canada's interests were fully revealed.

"During the grievance hearing, you described the significant emotional toll that you and your family have experienced as a result of this process. I understand this and sympathize with the feelings you expressed."

"I appreciate that this may be a stressful time, and remind you that the Employee Assistance Program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

Official denial of racism claim

A routine "insider threat briefing" at the National Microbiology Lab conducted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in 2018 began to reveal reasons to suspect Qiu and Cheng's activities with respect to China. Their electronic devices had been tapped by CSIS and what was then amassed was a troublesome brief of their activities, including violations of security protocols, along with revelations of links to researchers with connections to the Chinese military.

Following an anodyne disciplinary letter forwarded to them in 2020 fully one and a half years after their suspected activities were verified, the federal government was satisfied they could return to the lab. However, at that point CSIS discovered new information that showed their involvement in China's many 'talent' programs; disguised espionage schemes whose purpose was to purloin knowledge from other countries; research-time-and-talent saving short-cuts for Beijing.

Mid-2020 with ample evidence at hand, the duo was called to return for follow-up interviews. Offered the opportunity to refute the conclusions reached by CSIS related to their actions, Qiu responded with a facade of the brilliant, but naive scientist."It was only during the investigative interview that I started to know some new words to me, such as 'NATO', 'spy' and 'espionage'", she claimed, all innocent sweetness and concerned light.

Both Qiu and Cheng claimed racism was at work trying to ruin their reputations as reputable scientists. they launched a grievance through their union, claiming to be victims of "racial profiling" making use of their Chinese backgrounds. The entire case being brought against them should be discarded, they

contended. It was well known in the intelligence community that Qiu and Cheng deliberately and repeatedly lied to investigators.

Qiu had been working actively in favour of transferring data to the Wuhan Laboratory; in 2019 she arranged the shipment of 30 vials of deadly virus samples that included Ebola and Henipah, fron NML's stockpile to go to China, without permission from the National Microbiology Lab, withholding news of the event from her superiors. Her husband had a three-year research project at his NML lab that benefited China's Centre for Disease Control, unknown to NML authorities.

Canadian citizens involved secretly  as foreign agents harming Canada's national security. While authorities at the Winnipeg Lab as well as government political figures went about on tiptoes wary of being held to account with accusations of racism and riling Beijing, should they act on the knowledge that Canadian intelligence agencies had been informing them about and warning them of, for years.

Intelligence documents detail why Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng were fired from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg in 2021.  Still from Video, CBC