Conservative nomination candidate Kaveh Shahrooz (Richmond Hill, ON) said he was withdrawing from the race because of significant foreign interference led by Iran. “No political campaign anywhere in this country has ever had to overcome the degree of foreign interference and intimidation that I have faced in just the last two weeks,” said Shahrooz in a Thursday statement. “Regrettably, my appeals to the Party for support and for additional time to fight back were unheeded.” .With Shahrooz’s campaign, he said it was focused on pursuing the Conservatives’ vision of a better economy, lower crime and an end to foreign interference. He added his large, talented team of volunteers built an agile, professional operation in a short time. His campaign launched last week. After the launch, it began to receive significant support from the Richmond Hill community. He alleged disinformation about him was amplified by Iranian regime cyber accounts. He added he was physically monitored and threatened. His campaign volunteers said they were afraid for the safety of their families in Iran. While he wished the Conservatives well, he said he “would be lying if I said I was not disappointed with their approach to this issue.” If the Canadian government does not stop foreign interference now, he predicted there will be no Canada left to fight for. When Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre becomes prime minister, he said it is imperative he “recognizes and addresses the full nature and degree of this threat of foreign interference to Canada’s democracy.” Shahrooz concluded by saying he wishes the best to the candidate the members select at the nomination meeting. “Richmond Hill and the Conservative Party must reject and defeat Majid Jowhari once and for all, and I’m committed to supporting their efforts to accomplish that objective,” he said. Shahrooz was among a group of Canadian conservatives on a panel at the Canada Strong and Free Network National Conference in March who said the country should develop better foreign policy to allow it to stand strong against dictatorships. READ MORE: Canadian conservatives say country needs to combat hostile foreign actorsHe said the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal is a mistake. With the deal, he said it happened because of a misguided view from the American government. He acknowledged the Middle Eastern vote can be presented as a monolith. Therefore, Conservatives should not worry about pandering to Muslims over Jews about the Middle East, as some of them will never vote for it.
