Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre visited an Iranian-Canadian-owned boxing gym that was hit by gunfire earlier this year, and said the owner shares the party’s call to take more action to remove Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents from Canada.
Poilievre sparred at Saliwan Boxing which was struck by 17 bullets in an early-morning shooting in the early hours of March 1. No one was injured. Owner and cruiserweight boxing champion Salar Gholami said he believes the gym was targeted after he held an event there celebrating Iranian leader Ali Khamenei being killed as part of the U.S.-Israeli strikes that began on Feb. 28.
Poilievre said Canada has been “besieged” with terrorist attacks, fire bombings, and two separate gun attacks on the U.S. Consulate in 2026. The Tory leader said Canada’s Jewish and Persian communities feel “afraid because of the ugly terrorism that has spilled onto our streets,” which he attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Poilievre said Canada has been “besieged” with terrorist attacks, fire bombings, and two separate gun attacks on the U.S. Consulate in 2026. The Tory leader said Canada’s Jewish and Persian communities feel “afraid because of the ugly terrorism that has spilled onto our streets,” which he attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“We’re going to fight the terrorists, we’re going to fight for Canada,” Poilievre said as he trained with Gholami.
Poilievre cited a Global News report that indicated there are 700 IRGC agents operating in Canada and that only one had been deported so far, while the rest are “roaming freely.” Poilievre said many of the agents are former members of the Iranian regime.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in April that IRGC members are prohibited from entering Canada and that several screening measures have been effective at keeping them out. “The core assurance to Canadians is members of the Revolutionary Guard rightly have been prohibited from entering this country, and they will not enter this country,” he said.
Carney’s comments came after a senior Iranian soccer official with ties to the IRGC was granted documents to travel to the country ahead of a pre-FIFA World Cup gathering in Vancouver, before he was turned away after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Poilievre noted that while the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been listed as a terrorist organization in Canada for 22 years and the federal government designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity in 2024, Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah has yet to be listed. He called on the government to add the group to Canada’s terrorist list.
The Conservative Party has said that Kata’ib Hezbollah, an IRGC-backed group based in Iraq, has been “implicated in directing attacks against Canadian targets,” including the U.S. Consulate in Toronto and a Canadian synagogue. Poilievre has sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree requesting that the group be added to the list. The Liberal government has not publicly responded to Poilievre’s request.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in April that IRGC members are prohibited from entering Canada and that several screening measures have been effective at keeping them out. “The core assurance to Canadians is members of the Revolutionary Guard rightly have been prohibited from entering this country, and they will not enter this country,” he said.
Carney’s comments came after a senior Iranian soccer official with ties to the IRGC was granted documents to travel to the country ahead of a pre-FIFA World Cup gathering in Vancouver, before he was turned away after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Poilievre noted that while the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been listed as a terrorist organization in Canada for 22 years and the federal government designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity in 2024, Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah has yet to be listed. He called on the government to add the group to Canada’s terrorist list.
The Conservative Party has said that Kata’ib Hezbollah, an IRGC-backed group based in Iraq, has been “implicated in directing attacks against Canadian targets,” including the U.S. Consulate in Toronto and a Canadian synagogue. Poilievre has sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree requesting that the group be added to the list. The Liberal government has not publicly responded to Poilievre’s request.
Ottawa has said the IRGC’s listing as a terrorist organization requires financial institutions to freeze its properties, and makes it a criminal offence for Canadians to “knowingly deal with property owned or controlled” by the group. Back in 2019, the federal government also added the Iran-backed Al-Ashtar Brigades, Harakat al-Sabireen, and Fatemiyoun Division to the list.
Poilievre said Gholami was an “incredible athlete” and a “courageous voice in defence of a free Iran.” He said that despite shots being fired through his gym’s window, Gholami is “determined to fight back against the terrorists.”
Gholami, who was born in Tehran, said that from a young age he had dreamed of coming to Canada and joining its “beautiful land, beautiful people.” He said Canada has “opened the gate” to IRGC members and others who, in his view, do not respect the country.
Poilievre said Gholami was an “incredible athlete” and a “courageous voice in defence of a free Iran.” He said that despite shots being fired through his gym’s window, Gholami is “determined to fight back against the terrorists.”
Gholami, who was born in Tehran, said that from a young age he had dreamed of coming to Canada and joining its “beautiful land, beautiful people.” He said Canada has “opened the gate” to IRGC members and others who, in his view, do not respect the country.
“This is our last chance, maybe, to keep Canada safe. We must do everything for Canada as we do everything for our Iran and our country too,” Gholami said.
Shahrzad Ghanei contributed to this report.
