OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has invited the former crown prince of Iran, who is pitching himself as the best option to lead Iran back to democracy, to visit Canada. Poilievre told a crowd at an event in British Columbia on Saturday that in addition to extending the invitation, he would also be meeting virtually with Reza Pahlavi, whose father ruled over the country as Shah until the 1979 Islamic Revolution pushed the family into exile. Poilievre did not say he was endorsing Pahlavi. Instead, speaking at a “Persian Town Hall” organized by the Conservative candidate in an upcoming byelection in North Vancouver-Capilano, Poilievre said it is a chance to discuss democracy and safety for the Iranian diaspora. “It is not the role of the Canadians or any foreign government to tell Iranians who should run their country, but there should be a free and democratic Iran that is in the hands of the Iranian people,” Poilievre said in a recording of the Aug. 15 event, shared by his office. The announcement prompted a loud applause from the crowd. ‘Democratic, unifying, and nationally recognized leader’ On Thursday, Poilievre posted a screenshot of a virtual video call with Pahlavi. “I shared with him the tremendous support I saw from Canada’s Persian community in Vancouver and their hope for freedom and democratic change in Iran,” the Tory leader wrote, adding Canada should seize Iranian regime assets to support Iranian people. Pahlavi, 65, lives in the Washington area and has argued he would be the best figure to replace the Ayatollah and oversee a transition to democratic elections. “Prince Reza Pahlavi has emerged as a democratic, unifying, and nationally recognized leader for Iran’s transition period,” former Ontario MPP Goldie Ghamari argued in a petition tabled this spring in the House of Commons. But his critics say his father ran a western-backed dictatorship and charge that Pahlavi hasn’t managed to build a viable governance platform during his years in exile. In a March commentary, Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Kaveh Shahrooz argued Pahlavi is not advancing a vision of Iran that reflects its ethnic and political diversity. “Despite his professed respect for Iran’s ethnic minorities, Mr. Pahlavi refuses to even discuss federalism or language rights. When Kurdish parties recently formed a coalition, his response was to threaten sending in an army he does not yet command,” Shahrooz wrote. “The illiberal, thuggish behaviour of the movement he has cultivated contradicts his polished speeches.” Supporters and detractors have mounted ferocious social media campaigns against each other for years, and the efforts have grown since the U.S. joined Israel in declaring a war against Iran in February. ‘Future of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people’ Pahlavi has previously attended events in Toronto, including one held by an Iranian group and another by a Jewish group advocating for Israel. Iran is run as an Islamic theocracy, with Mojtaba Khamenei taking the reins of Supreme Leader in March after his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by Israel. The country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, listed by Canada as a terror group, has vast control over the state. Iran has been emboldened by U.S. President Donald Trump’s failure to end the war, with Tehran exercising increasing control over the Strait of Hormuz which hosts vital global shipping lanes. Pahlavi’s office did not immediately reply to a request for confirmation of the virtual meeting with Poilievre, whose office would not say when the meeting will occur or if it has already happened. The Canadian Press has asked the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand whether she will seek a meeting with Pahlavi if he visits Canada and has not yet received a response. In June, Anand’s parliamentary secretary Rob Oliphant tabled a response to Ghamari’s petition, which had called for Canada to recognize Pahlavi as “the legitimate representative of the Iranian people,” opting against that move. “Canada does not support any opposition figure in Iran and it stands with the Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against the regime’s oppressive rule. The future of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people and the government calls on Iranian leadership to listen to the voices of its people,” Oliphant wrote. Iranian Canadians have expressed anguish as Tehran has repeatedly cracked down on protesters and reportedly targeted diaspora in Canada for mounting large protests against the regime. Protests erupted in late December as Iranians expressed anger over the rising cost of living and water and electricity shortages. The protests escalated into mass demonstrations calling publicly for Khamenei’s resignation, before his death. In response to the protests, the regime killed thousands and detained tens of thousands more. As videos showing the brutal repression spread around the world, Iran cut off access to the internet and most foreign phone calls. ‘Transnational repression’ Ottawa cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012, but Canadians of Iranian origin say Iran has continued to send out agents to repress those in the diaspora who challenge the regime by threatening their relatives back home. In 2022, Ottawa sanctioned senior Iranian military official Morteza Talaei months after he was spotted working out at a gym in Richmond Hill, a suburb near Toronto where many Iranian Canadians live. In January 2025, the foreign interference inquiry found in its final report that Iran “focuses on transnational repression to prevent criticism of its government. Iran relies on criminal groups to carry out its activities and conducts psychological harassment online.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2026. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
