Q&A: Terrance Nelson and Nazanin Afshin-Jam debate his trip to Iran

Less than a month after Canada cut off diplomatic relations with Iran, former First Nations chief Terrance Nelson says he will meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejads regime in Tehran next week as part of an exploratory mission to discuss resource development and human rights abuses in Canada.

The announcement sparked widespread condemnation and concerns about Irans intentions.

The Posts Kathryn Blaze Carlson spoke Thursday to Terrance Nelson and Iranian-born activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam, who is also wife of Defence Minister Peter MacKay, about Nelsons planned visit:

Terrance Nelson, former chief of Manitobas Roseau River First Nation, lost his bid to lead the Assembly of First Nations this summer.

Q: The Iranian regime has a brutal human rights record. Do you acknowledge that? A: The United Nations, Amnesty International, all the Jewish press and western media have always talked about that kind of stuff. The Iranian government cant do anything or not do anything without it being reported here in the west. The same cant be said of Canada; none of the so-called allied countries, like the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Britain, ever make comments much less condemn the human rights violations here in Canada.

Q: So do you acknowledge there are human rights abuses in Iran? A: Of course, but there are human rights abuses over here, too. There are 600 missing women in this country.

Q: Whats been the reaction from the First Nations community? A: The western media has influenced a lot of the First Nations people. Theres no question about that. But what the western media says is not always true. Nobody gave a damn about half-a-million children dying in Iraq in 1998 [because of economic sanctions], because gasoline was 88 cents a gallon in the United States. A lot of our people are saying, Its your choice. And as far as Im concerned, its a personal choice.

Q: What are you willing to do for the Iranian regime? A: One of the things we want to be able to do is try and humanize the Iranian people. The western media has very clearly demonized the Iranian people. We know what demonization is all about because weve been demonized in our own land.

Q: The Iranian regime has been accused of monitoring Iranian-Canadians in Canada. Some people are concerned the regime will try to get you to keep an eye on dissidents here. What do you say to that? A: We have no intentions of monitoring anybody.

Q: What do you say to concerns the regime will enlist First Nations to perpetrate violence against Canada? A: Thats a pretty big stretch. When have First Nations people ever bombed anything? The worst weve ever done is make the white man late for lunch when we do our protests in the city street. Im 59 years old. If I was going to bomb something, I would have bombed it a long time ago. Peter MacKays wife is constantly pushing the Conservative agenda and talking about human rights violations. [Iranian-Canadians] might not like the Iranian government, but does that mean they support the deaths of millions of their people [because of the economic sanctions]?

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Q&A: Terrance Nelson and Nazanin Afshin-Jam debate his trip to Iran