What do Liberals, including Doug Ford, really think about Iran?

<p>One answer is about the Iranian people — especially the Persians who fled the ayatollahs and built new lives in Canada. Toronto and Vancouver are full of them. Many came here after the Islamic Revolution turned a modernizing U.S. ally into a brutal theocracy. Most are secular. Most despise the regime. Most dream of seeing their country free again.</p>

<p>That Iran is worth sympathizing with.</p>

<p>The other answer is about the regime.</p>

<p>The Islamic Republic is not just another dictatorship. It is a fascist theocracy built on anti-Americanism, anti-Israel hatred, terrorism and religious fanaticism. It arms proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. It targets civilians on purpose. It wants nuclear weapons. And unlike secular tyrannies, it is not constrained by ordinary ideas of deterrence or mutually assured destruction.</p>

<p>That regime is now on everyone’s mind as Israel and the United States strike Iranian military assets, missiles and nuclear facilities. But Iran’s response is never limited to the battlefield. It lashes out asymmetrically — through terrorism, proxies, intimidation and soft targets.</p>

<p>That includes the West.</p>

<p>Jewish institutions in Europe and North America have been attacked. Synagogues in Canada have been shot at. A U.S. consulate was targeted. And yet even now, Canada’s political class cannot bring itself to speak clearly about what Iran is — or what it is doing here.</p>

<p>Take Mark Carney.</p>

<p>It has now come out that a Canadian military installation was attacked by Iran two weeks ago. Thankfully, no Canadians were hurt. But Carney kept it quiet. And when finally asked about it, his answer was not outrage, not retaliation, not even a serious condemnation. His answer was that Canada would not take part in “offensive actions.”</p>

<p>Offensive actions?</p>

<p>Canada was attacked.</p>

<p>Retaliating against an attack is not “offensive.” Keeping it secret and then scolding reporters for asking about it is not leadership. It is weakness.</p>

<p>And Carney is not alone.</p>

<p>Gregor Robertson, now a federal Liberal, managed to invoke the war with Iran not to condemn terrorism, not to denounce the regime, but to explain away Canada’s housing crisis. Apparently Iran is now to blame for home prices too.</p>

<p>It was absurd. It made no sense. But it revealed something important: to these people, Iran is not chiefly a terror state. It is a political talking point, a prop to excuse their domestic failures.</p>

<p>Evan Solomon was no better. More vague talking points. More mush. More attempts to fold Iran into a generic Liberal message about affordability and “plans.” Not a word of seriousness about the regime itself, or the fact that Iran has agents operating in Canada.</p>