Iran policy has emerged as a defining issue in the North Vancouver-Capilano byelection, with the Liberal and Conservative candidates offering different approaches to enforcement, diplomacy and engagement with Iran’s opposition.
The Aug. 31 vote will not determine who governs Canada, but Conservative candidate Stephen Curran argues it gives Iranian Canadians on the North Shore an opportunity to send Ottawa a wider political message.
“We have a bit of a spotlight here. We have the microphone that we can speak into,” Curran said.
Liberal candidate Braeden Caley says he is hearing many of the same concerns — repression in Iran, the presence of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked individuals in Canada and intimidation of Iranian Canadians. He acknowledges measures already taken by Ottawa but says pressure should continue to increase.
The North Vancouver byelection’s focus on Iran policy is due to years of political mobilization by Iranian Canadians on issues including the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, the downing of Flight PS752 and the January 2026 crackdown in Iran. More recently, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s invitation to exiled former Iran crown prince Reza Pahlavi to visit Canada has brought the question of Canada’s relationship with Iran’s opposition directly into the local campaign.
Both candidates agree that Iranian Canadians in the riding are also concerned about issues much closer to home.
Curran, a business lawyer who ran for the Conservatives in the 2025 federal election, said affordability, housing and the cost of doing business are the most talked about issues in the riding. Many Iranian Canadians on the North Shore own businesses and are facing pressure from increasing taxes, regulation and costs.
“I think Iranian Canadians are not a single-issue population,” he said. “This is a community that is not just driven by what’s going on back in Iran.”
Caley, who served as deputy chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney before putting his name forward for election, said he organized a roundtable discussion in early August with Iranian-Canadian community leaders on the North Shore. The U.S. tariffs issue, the need to protect workers and businesses, as well as concerns in Iran were part of the conversation.
He said he can trace his understanding of the effect of Iran policy on local Iranian Canadians to 2009 when he attended a Silent Scream for Iran rally in Vancouver.
The Silent Scream for Iran events were a series of candlelight vigils held at the Vancouver Art Gallery in June 2009 in solidarity with protesters in Iran following the country’s disputed presidential election. The protests were followed by a violent crackdown.
The Iranian-Canadian population makes up a substantial part of the riding. Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census counted 12,415 residents reporting Iranian ethnic or cultural origin within the current North Vancouver-Capilano boundaries, representing 10.8 per cent of the population.
Both candidates spoke about Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752. The IRGC shot down the aircraft shortly after it took off from Tehran on Jan. 8, 2020, killing all 176 people aboard, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
Caley said Canada should continue pursuing accountability through international forums, while Curran said Ottawa should work with its allies to pursue justice for the victims.
One clear difference between the candidates is whether Canada should eventually restore a diplomatic presence in Iran.
In June, the prime minister said that Canada was at a disadvantage in countries such as Iran where it had no diplomatic presence.
Curran said he would not support reopening the Canadian embassy in Tehran under current conditions.
“This would be a new pipeline of agents and money that would come in to influence the lives of Canadians and the expansion of transnational violence, and that’s something that I cannot support,” he said.
Caley said he would focus on using Canada’s international relationships to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic.
“Ultimately, Canada needs to stand with the Iranian people,” he said.
A local vote and a wider message
Curran says the byelection offers Iranian Canadians an opportunity different from a general election.
“In a byelection, it’s not going to decide the government,” he said.
Curran said people in the Iranian community have asked him what guarantee they have that campaign commitments will turn into action after years of hearing promises from politicians. He said he makes those commitments not only to voters but to people he considers neighbours and friends.
“This is only one of three byelections. It’s the only one in Western Canada. And so we have a bit of a spotlight here.”
Caley said that Canada has already taken significant steps against the Islamic Republic but should continue increasing pressure.
“There are important steps that have been taken, but there’s just so much more that needs to be done.”
A Vancouver B.C based journalist who writes about the Iranian community in Canada, art, culture and social media trends.
