The stupid burns on both sides of the border.

Via CBC:

Canada is signalling its willingness to re-engage with Iran by lifting a broad ban on financial services, imports and exports, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion announced today.

“We’ll keep sanctions to be sure the proliferation or nuclear will not happen in Iran, the same for ballistic missiles,” said Dion. “We’ll engage with Iran, step-by-step, open eyes, because we still have a lot of concerns about the role of Iran in the region including for allies like Israel and also the record of Iran on human rights is very questionable to say the least.

“That’s why we’ll continue to champion a resolution in the United Nations to make sure the government oif Iran will respect human rights of the people of Iran,” he said.

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it had amended its “broad-reaching autonomous sanctions against Iran to allow for a controlled economic re-engagement, including lifting the broad ban on financial services, imports and exports,” and had also updated regulations to conform with recent changes to the United Nations sanctions regime.

The UN Security Council approved the lifting of sanctions last month after confirming that Iran had complied with promises it made under an international deal struck six months ago.

“I think it’s good for Israel that Canada will be able to speak with Iran,” Dion said. “It was a mistake to think that isolation is better than engagement. And engagement is not agreement.

“When you disagree with a regime you need to engage in a way that may give positive results. It has been the case when the United States and the other engaged with Iran in a very firm way,” he added.
Step by step

Canada broke off ties with Iran in September, 2012, closing the embassy in Tehran citing concern for the safety of Canadian diplomats and staff. Iranian diplomats in Canada were expelled. Dion said today Canada is considering the restoration of diplomatic contacts.

“That will be done step-by-step, it cannot be done overnight,” Dion said. “We need to engage with the country that we have a lot of suspicions about. So we’ll do it step-by-step.”

The statement, issued by Dion and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, says: “Canadian companies will now be able to position themselves for new trade opportunities, but we will also maintain rigorous controls on any exports that raise serious proliferation concerns.”

Speaking to reporters Dion said many areas of the Canadian economy stand to benefit in a renewed relationship with Iran.

Keep reading…