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The prime minister faces calls to investigate how the son of Iran’s former vice president won millions in government contracts while security agencies investigate his alleged role in the Islamic Republic’s missile program.
In a letter to Mark Carney, four Iranian-Canadian organizations said the case of Mohammad Reza Ghafouri Fard, who lives in Alberta, shows that government agencies are not sharing information.
Ghafouri is the son of a conservative Iranian politician and allegedly worked on military projects for the Iranian military and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps before arriving in Canada in 2013.
Although government records show Ghafouri was flagged by Canada’s national security agency in 2017, the RCMP, Department of National Defense and other agencies later awarded him contracts.
“The facts reported in this case raise concerns that go beyond immigration enforcement,” the group, as well as an Iranian-Canadian academic and former Ontario lawmaker, wrote in a letter to Carney on Wednesday.
“They demonstrate the potential for serious disconnects between Canada’s national security, immigration, law enforcement and government procurement systems.”
The letter was signed by Iranian Canadian Legal Professionals, the Canadian Society for Democracy in Iran, the Iranian Justice Collective and the Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario, as well as seven people.
They called on Carney to launch an independent investigation into how Ghafouri “was able to obtain necessary security clearances, approvals, contracts or access despite reported concerns regarding his alleged ties to the Islamic Republic regime and its missile program.”
“The investigation should examine whether information was shared properly between government agencies, whether existing screening and security protocols were followed, and whether any deficiencies, omissions or violations occurred.”
Global News revealed last week that the Iranian national lives in Edmonton, where he runs a business under the name “Sal Ghafouri” who has worked for the federal, provincial and local governments.
Through his lawyer, Ghafouri denied government claims that he was a security threat, denied the allegations against him and said he intended to pursue “all available legal avenues” to resolve the matter.
But according to government records, before coming to Canada under the government’s skilled worker program, he allegedly worked as an engineer for a Tehran company that developed weapons for the Iranian regime.
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The weapons were given to the Iranian military and Revolutionary Guardwhich controls the country’s ballistic missiles and drones, conducts operations overseas, and sponsors regional terror groups such as Hamas.
A Canadian Security Intelligence Service report alleged that Ghafouri also helped Iran evade sanctions by using front companies in Malaysia to illegally obtain materials for military projects.
Upon arrival in Canada, he founded two Alberta companies, Melanite Group Ltd. and Radian Group Ltd, which bid on government procurement contracts.
The RCMP confirmed it had awarded a contract to the Melanite Group in 2019 to purchase borescope devices and provide training but said there were “no security requirements associated with the contract.”
“Prior to the award of the contract, the RCMP completed the required integrity verification. The contract has been completed and closed. Since the award of the contract in 2019, the RCMP has not entered into any other procurement transactions with Melanite Group.”
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada also confirmed it awarded a 2021 contract to Melanite Group “for scientific equipment used for type approval testing of measuring instruments and services provided,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“ISED can also confirm that $15,000 has been awarded to Melanite Group in the form of a grant under the Canadian Digital Adoption Program, Increase Your Business Technology Flow by 2024.”
After allegedly working on projects for the Iranian military and IRGC, “Sal” Ghafouri came to Canada under a skilled worker program in 2013.
Federal Court
The Canadian military has not responded to questions about several contracts awarded to Ghafouri’s company. Global Affairs Canada also did not answer questions about why it invited him on an official Canadian trade mission.
But the Toronto-based Abraham Global Peace Initiative called for an investigation, saying it was “appalled” by “the failure of government agencies to share security information.”
“Canada cannot condemn the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while allowing individuals allegedly connected to its military infrastructure access to sensitive government procurement.”
“We demand an immediate independent investigation, full public accountability, and reform of Canada’s screening system and security contracts,” said the group, led by activist Avi Benlolo.
In May, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Ghafouri that it had begun the process to deny him citizenship on the grounds that he posed a security threat to the country.
The agency declined to comment, citing privacy reasons.
Canada launched a crackdown on Iranian regime officials living in the country in 2022, and is seeking to deport them along with others who have helped Tehran because the country has oppressed its citizens and sponsored terrorist groups.
But Ghafouri’s case stands out because of the seriousness of the allegations regarding his alleged role in Iran’s weapons proliferation, the length of time it took the government to act, and the breadth of his employment contracts with Canadian agencies.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre also voiced his concerns about the case, writing on social media, “Why is he still in Canada? Get active agents of the IRGC regime out of our country.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
