A senior representative for Iraq's Kurdish region is defending her people's plan to hold a referendum on independence, saying they simply want to exercise the same right to self-determination as Quebecers.
The comments from Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurds' top diplomat in Washington, comes with preparations for the controversial Sept. 25 referendum in full swing.
Canada has remained relatively quiet on the planned referendum, which is in contrast to the U.S., the European Union, Iraq's neighbours and the central government in Baghdad, all of which have expressed their opposition.
Rahman says she believes that's because Quebecers held their own referendums on independence, though she says the two sovereignty movements are very different.
Unlike in Canada, where Quebecers are largely treated as equals, she says, Iraqi Kurds have been discriminated against and even oppressed by Baghdad.
Rahman says she's confident Kurds will vote for independence, and that rather than simply standing by and watching, Canada could help oversee a peaceful split.