Canada gets it. They understand how big a threat Iran really is and they are brave enough to do something about it.

In a surprise announcement at the APEC summit last week, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird discussed his country’s suspension of diplomatic ties with Iran, saying Canada was designating Iran as a sponsor of terrorism. As a result, Canada will close its embassy in Tehran and expel Iranian diplomats from Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper added that his government suspended ties with Iran in part due to an increasing risk to his country’s diplomats.

“This is a regime that, among its many wrongs, does not respect normal practices of diplomatic immunity,” Harper told reporters. “The risks to our diplomats just keep going up, so ever since last year, we have been scaling down our presence and I think this is the best decision in terms of our ability to protect our people and conduct foreign policy.”

But that was not all. In a rare display of bluntness in the diplomatic arena, Harper and Baird pointed out Iran’s military assistance for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its refusal to comply with United Nations nuclear resolutions, its genocidal threats against Israel and its support for terrorist groups.

Reacting to Canada’s decision, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Canada’s move “sends a clear message to Iran and the entire world.” He continued, “Canada’s determination is very important in showing the Iranians that they can’t continue the race for atomic weapons.”

Contrast Canada’s bold stance with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s limp statement on Sunday that the U.S. would not set deadlines for Iran and still considers negotiations and sanctions the best way to halt it from developing nuclear weapons.

What is going on? Is Canada the leader of the free world or is America?