“The Liberals claim they cannot do this, even though CSIS has reported that the IRGC is responsible for shooting down PS752, killing 50 Canadians.”
The total death toll from that tragedy was 176, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was formed on the heels of the Islamic revolution in 1979 as a means for the ruling clerics to have a loyal fighting force distinct from the regular armed forces.
While the IRGC in its entirety is not designated as a terrorist entity by Canada, its elite Quds Force (QF) has been listed since December 2012.
Public Safety Canada (PSC) describes the IRGC-QF as the “clandestine branch” of the IRGC “responsible for extraterritorial operations, and for exporting the Iranian Revolution through activities such as facilitating terrorist operations.”
PSC says the Quds Force is involved in providing support to groups like Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.
Flight PS752
There are many questions left unanswered when it comes to the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 on Jan. 8, 2020, by the IRGC air defences.Iran blames the incident on human error, but a group representing the families of the victims says it was an intentional act, adding that it’s “Iran’s responsibility to provide evidence that it did not intentionally target the aircraft.”
“Iranian civilian and military authorities–through their actions and omissions–directly put Flight PS752 and other civilian aircraft in danger by creating conditions in which a SAM operator could launch missiles at them and by failing to take adequate preventative measures to reduce this high risk,” the report says.
Iranian air defences were on high alert after the country retaliated against the U.S. in Iraq.
Lifting Sanctions
The recent bout of anti-regime protests in Iran were sparked by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody on Sept. 16 after being detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.Poilievre called the protests “nothing short of inspiring.”
“The Conservatives, including my deputy leader [Melissa Lantsman], have been proud to join in these protests,” he said.
“We’ve seen Iran disregarding human rights time and time again, now we see it with the death of Mahsa Amini and the crackdown on protests,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
Then-foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion had defended the move, saying the United Nations had asked countries to lift sanctions.