At an international conference on February 21, 2026, held ahead of International Women’s Day, Member of Parliament and former Canadian minister of citizenship and immigration Judy Sgro stated that the Iranian opposition’s women-led movement has entered a decisive phase, telling Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, “The finish line is close. We can feel it.”
Sgro said the visibility of late-arriving political actors reflected the movement’s momentum, asking where they had been “for 47 years” while, in her view, the Iranian Resistance carried the struggle for equality. She framed her remarks around women’s leadership, saying Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s work had benefited “women around the world,” and singled out the courage of Iranian women in recent protests, including scenes of women “on the motorcycles, carrying that flag,” which she said moved her deeply. Sgro added that the leadership now visible in the uprising “came from NCRI, MEK, and the PMOI women,” and from years of organization that outsiders often fail to acknowledge.
Sgro also tied that women-led leadership to a concrete political program and stronger international pressure. She said Iranians had made clear they reject “all forms of dictatorship,” adding, “Whether it be the Shah … or the mullahs,” and demand a “democratic and secular republic.” She described Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan as “a constitution ready to go,” urged recognition of the Resistance Units’ role in organizing protests, and called for wider action against the IRGC, citing Canada’s listing and sanctions and pressing Britain and other European governments to follow with full terrorist designation and tougher measures.
The full text of Judy Sgro’s speech follows:
#IWD2026 Conference – Women’s Leadership, an Imperative for a free Iran, a Democratic Republic
.@honjudysgro, MP and Former Minister of Citizenship and Imigration, Canada: "the finish line is close. As we are here to acknowledge International Women’s Day, it not only in the… pic.twitter.com/bJG0Sl1tM4
— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) February 21, 2026
Good afternoon, my dear Madame Maryam Rajavi, to friends and my colleagues. It’s a great honor to be here again. But the next time, I hope it’s somewhere else. That’s what we all want.
As a Canadian parliamentarian who’s been coming for many years, it’s such an honor for me to be here with so many distinguished people.
When you feel alone, Madame Maryam Rajavi, think about the thousands and thousands of people, not just women, who love you, respect you, and pray for you, for your strength to carry all of us across the finish line.
The finish line is close. We can feel it. Hence [that is] the reason you have people who had nothing to do with any of it suddenly wanting to be part of it. It’s not unusual. [With] success, usually, there [are] other people who show up quickly and say, “I was part of it.”
Well, where were they for 47 years? At some resort somewhere, enjoying their money or the Iranians’ money, and certainly not helping the Iranian Resistance move forward for equality.
As we are here to acknowledge International Women’s Day, we also have to recognize the work that you have done was not only to the benefit of the Iranian people; it was to the benefit of women around the world. You have shown such leadership around the world.
All of us in different countries—Canada is no different—we have our things to move forward in equality for women. But you have done more in the last several years to ensure women’s equality as we move forward than any of us have done with the multitude of work we do to advance women’s rights.
The last couple of years, with the speeches you have given, you have done major work on that behalf. On behalf of all of the women of our world, I thank you very much for that.
Recognizing the extraordinary courage of the Iranian women, seeing the women on the motorcycles, carrying that flag, I almost started to cry while I was sitting there. The courage that it took those women to do that. I can’t imagine it.
We come here, we give you our support, we say the right words. You know where our hearts are. But who has that courage? It’s more Iranian women that continue to show the world who they are, which is very, very strong women, very powerful women.
But that leadership came from NCRI, MEK, and the PMOI women, and the many women that are part of your organization that give up so much and work so hard with such a commitment that it is remarkable, and [we do] not acknowledge that [enough].
Through powerful and inclusive slogans that we continue to hear, with freedom and “down with the dictator” and “down with Khamenei,” the people of Iran have made something unmistakably clear: they reject all forms of dictatorship, no matter from where or from whom.
Whether it be the Shah, who suddenly appeared, or the mullahs. And they demand the establishment of a democratic and secular republic.
The women and young people stand at the forefront as we have seen in the past. The bravery of the Ashraf 3 women has inspired the world as you have. Yet the cost has been devastating. To see all of those photos of so many beautiful people who went to fight, to stand, to fight for freedom and democracy in Iran.
They must never be forgotten. I [saw] a book yesterday that one of your wonderful people shared with me with a listing of over 20,000 people who had lost their lives in the past. I am sure by now there are many, many more that would be added to that. But the cost of those lives has been devastating.
When we see young women here together with their mother and their grandmother that are fighting for the freedom of the Iranian people, we all must do more. We think we’ve done a lot, maybe we have, but more needs to be done as we move forward.
When we think of those thousands of people on January 5th and 6th in particular that lost their lives, and the fact that Iran’s head of the judiciary ordered what he described as decisive and swift action against protesters—a directive widely interpreted as a call for mass arrest and executions, which is what we did see.
.@honjudysgro: I call on @GOVUK and remaining European partners to adopt a full terrorist designation and take decisive measures: close regime-linked diplomatic fronts, expel its agents, and cut off its financial lifelines. Sustained, coordinated pressure is essential.…
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 21, 2026
Those actions are not the behavior of a government confident in its legitimacy. They are the actions of a regime that is afraid of its own people. Today we pay tribute to the courage and determination of the Iranian people, especially the women and youth who, despite those grave risks, continue to stand up for democracy.
What we get to enjoy every day, we often take for granted because we don’t feel it’s threatened. I’m not so sure that we should feel so safe anymore. I think democracy around the world is being threatened.
And so what we have, we need to pay close attention. All of us who are out there along with Madame Maryam Rajavi and others who fight for human rights have to keep a very tight watch that that doesn’t disappear on us.
Accountability of course means solidarity, and that’s what you feel today in this room. “We can and we must” is a symbol that needs to be up there more because we’ve seen 47 years of work coming to a point where, with God’s help and our help, we’re going to see democracy in Iran.
Some of the things that Canada has done is that we took an important step at the end of [20]24-[20]25 by finally listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. It was a long time coming.
But we finally got it done in recognizing its central role in repression at home and the destabilization abroad. I also welcome the European Union’s recent decision to formally designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
These actions send a clear message that systemic repression, regional aggression, and the brutalization of protesters will not be met with silence anymore. But more must be done.
I call on the United Kingdom and all remaining European partners to adopt a full terrorist designation and to accompany it with decisive measures, including closing regime-linked diplomatic fronts, expelling its agents, and cutting off its financial lifelines. Sustained and coordinated pressure is essential to ensure that those responsible for violence and repression face real consequences.
We also recognize that the path forward must be rooted in a clear democratic vision. The Ten-Point Plan presented by opposition leader Madame Maryam Rajavi, supported by thousands of parliamentarians around the world, outlines principles that resonate universally: free elections, gender equality, separation of religion and state, abolition of the death penalty, and respect for human rights. It’s a constitution ready to go.
We strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s repression and its ongoing human rights abuses and call for the immediate release of all detainees. The aspirations of the Iranian people are legitimate. Their demand for freedom is legitimate.
The right of Resistance Units, which have played a leading role in organizing protests, must be recognized as part of the broader struggle for democratic change.
On February 14th, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs announced new sanctions against seven individuals under Canada’s Special Economic Measures regulations. These targets are linked to Iranian state bodies responsible for intimidation, violence, and transnational repression.
Canada continues and will do more to address harassment, surveillance, and planned violence against dissidents in Europe and North America. We’ll work to end the use of proxy agents and criminal networks, and the repression of protesters inside Iran.
To date, 222 individuals and 256 entities have been sanctioned. Regulations have been expanded to include gross and systemic human rights violations.
Canada is making its move to show support and do what it can as a government. I ask all governments to take these things seriously, to move forward, and to help ensure the Iranian people have a right to freedom and democracy. Thank you all very much.