Former Canadian politician emerges as key cheerleader for new Iranian revolution

Millions of Iranian citizens have taken to the streets since Dec. 28 in an unprecedented, widespread revolt against the Islamic Republic’s regime. Watching events closely from Canada is Iranian-born Goldie Ghamari, who was just a year old when her family fled for Canada in 1986 – seven years after another revolution deposed the Shah of Iran and installed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The former Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP — she was removed from caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2024 for what he described as “serious lapses of judgment” and did not run again — now hosts a daily podcast and livestream, The Goldie Show, with 800,000 followers across several platforms. She is an explicit supporter of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah who has encouraged the protests and hopes to return to Iran. Ghamari has appeared on Glenn Beck’s show, as well as with Piers Morgan, Erin Molan and other broadcasters. Senator Ted Cruz and author J.K. Rowling have retweeted her messages. Estimates vary, but dozens of protesters have been killed and more than 2,200 arrested. Authorities in Iran have imposed an internet blackout. Dave Gordon interviewed Ghamari on Friday for National Post. Can you describe the scenes on the ground, in the videos that you’ve been able to acquire?   There are things that I have never seen in the last four decades. The bravery of the Iranian people is incredibly inspiring. However, at the same time, we’re also seeing footage of Iranians being slaughtered by the Islamic Republic. So, it’s very emotional. We know that the Islamic Republic is incredibly vicious. They’ve been oppressing us for the last 47 years. And so we knew that the closer it gets to the end, the more vicious and more brutal the Islamic Republic is going to be. Despite all of this, Iranians are more determined than ever to overthrow the Islamic Republic. It’s literally now or never. It’s life or death. So we are right now in the middle of the Iranian revolution, and the fight is not over yet. We still have a long way to go, but Iranians are mobilized. They’re determined. We’re seeing millions of Iranians out in the streets chanting “Death to the dictator, Death to the Islamic Republic.” They’re also chanting, “this is the final battle. Pahlavi will return.” Pahlavi, of course, is his royal highness, the crown prince of Iran. And the reason that they’re calling for Pahlavi to return is because Pahlavi is the only person that Iranians trust to transition them from a totalitarian Islamic dictatorship into a functioning secular, democratic society. At the same time, we’re also seeing horrific footage of Islamic regime terrorists who are literally just opening fire, shooting into crowds of unarmed Iranians. But, we’re also seeing videos of Iranians who are fighting back. Some of them are using homemade Molotov cocktails. I don’t condone violence, but when you have a population that’s unarmed and being brutally murdered, this is how Iranians are fighting back. At this point, Iranians have nothing left to lose, and these are the true freedom fighters of the 21st century. How are these protests different from anything prior? We’ve never seen these numbers in the past. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that for the first time in 47 years, we’ve had a president of the United States who is siding with the Iranian people. This has never happened before in past protests. Obama, for example, in 2009 when he had the opportunity to stand with the Iranian people, he instead chose to stand with the Islamic terrorists and threw them a lifeline, and then he sent planes full of cash to the Islamic Republic. President Trump, however, with his statement where he says that he’s standing with the Iranian people, we’ve never seen anything like that. That has encouraged Iranians to go out and demonstrate even more and to fight for their rights, because now they know that the leader of the free world is standing on their side. What do you think it’ll take for the regime to fall? No totalitarian dictatorship has ever fallen by just people going out. Totalitarian dictatorships have always fallen when there has been a military coup d’etat. On top of that, no revolution has ever been successful without outside interference. We need to see, I would say, some sort of assistance from the United States. What President Trump has said so far has been really helpful, but Iranians right now are being slaughtered, and President Trump promised Iranians if the slaughtering continues, then America will respond, and that America is locked and loaded. The other aspect is military defection. So we’re already starting to see military defections continuing, and so that just needs to continue. How has Israel affected what’s going on in Iran now?   The only reason that Iranians are now able to have a fighting chance against the Islamic dictatorship is because of what Israel did back in the summer during the 12-day conflict (in a joint effort with the U.S. bombing military installations and nuclear factories). They severely weakened the Islamic regime. And so it’s a large reason for why Iranians have been so successful right now, and are continuing to fight back.   How much of the protest has to do with the economy? The protests were sparked by the failing economy. That is true. On Sunday, Dec. 28, it was the collapse of the rial that sparked the merchants in Tehran to go on strike. However, within two hours that spread like wildfire, not just around Tehran, but it spread around the country. The collapsing economy is the straw that broke the camel’s back. It’s about the complete and total oppression of Iranians for the last 47 years. It’s about the fact that Iranians don’t want sharia law. It’s about the fact that there’s no water, there’s no electricity. It’s about the fact that people are just done with this Islamic dictatorship. Why do you believe this is a point of no return?   Because the Islamic Republic has never been weaker, and Iranians are also putting their names and faces out there. That in itself is treason. The reason they say it’s now or never, is because the situation is so bad and they have put everything on the line. We are never going to have another opportunity like this to free Iran, where, you know, all the stars seem to have aligned. Thanks to Israel, thanks to the president of the United States, who is standing on the side of the people. If they don’t win, it’s pretty much game over. Iranians have also never been more determined, so that their determination is something that is just incredibly inspiring. What can you say about what countries, if any, are supporting the regime during these protests? Maduro was definitely a big ally of the Islamic Republic. However, when President Trump liberated Venezuela from the dictator Maduro, that actually was a huge blow for the Islamic Republic. Venezuela actually holds billions of dollars of assets from the Islamic regime. Venezuela has also been a base where the Islamic Republic has built drones, and has military factories and trains Islamic terrorists there. And, of course, Hezbollah. So by President Trump going after Venezuela, that has eradicated one of the strongest allies that the Islamic regime had. Russia still, however, maintains as a player, but, what’s interesting is that no country has actually come out in support of the Islamic Republic, not even Russia or China. Everyone’s remaining silent because, again, like the allyship of these rogue states, it’s very tenuous. You know, there’s no honour amongst thieves. There is a rumour circulating that Khamenei has a plan of escape now, to go to Russia. It’s more just, you know, a place that terrorists might be able to escape to, similar to how Bashar Al Assad escaped Syria and went to Russia. What would you like the Canadians, and the Government of Canada, to say or do in response to the protests?   I would say the best thing that Canadians can do right now is to keep all eyes on Iran and to, you know, pressure Mark Carney to speak out, and support the Iranian people. The Iranian national revolution is anti-Islam, anti-Islamic, anti sharia law. It’s pro-revolution, pro-shah. -This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.