Poilievre Promises to ‘Cripple’ Iranian Regime With Sanctions on Anniversary of Downing of Flight PS752

A woman places a placard with the photo of a person killed on Flight 752 during a protest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 4, 2022. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to “cripple” the Iranian regime with sanctions on the third anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a Jan. 8 statement, Mr. Poilievre called the 2020 IRGC killing of 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents, an “evil act of mass murder.”

“The IRGC has been given a safe harbour in Canada,” he added, noting that a Poilievre government will list the IRGC as a “banned terrorist organization.”

“We will seize the assets of the Iranian regime in Canada and give them to the families of Flight PS752; we will impose broad and sweeping sanctions to cripple the regime and help pave the way for Iranians to bring home freedom and democracy for their people.”

The IRGC is an armed military force, separate from Iran’s army, that was established by decree in 1979 by then-leader Ruhollah Khomeini, tasked with defending the country shortly after the Iranian Revolution. A subgroup of the organization, the “Qods Force” (IRGC-QF), is the paramilitary organization responsible for its foreign operations.

The IRGC-QF has been listed as a terrorist organization in Canada since December 2012.

According to Public Safety Canada, the IRGC-QF is known for supplying weapons, financial support, and paramilitary training to various extremist organizations. These groups include the Taliban, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

The Canadian government, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2012, closed its embassy in Iran, citing the country’s ongoing ties to terrorism.

Jan. 8, Canada’s “National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters,” saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meeting with families of the victims of the tragedy and giving related remarks in Toronto.

The downing of Flight PS752 “shocked the world,” said Mr. Trudeau in a Jan. 8 statement.

“We are taking concrete action, along with our international partners, to hold Iran accountable for this senseless tragedy. We continue to fight for justice and accountability for families as members of the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752.”

“Today, we are announcing our next step in holding the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for violating international law by jointly filing our case before the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council pursuant to Article 84 of the Chicago Convention.”

Iran has acknowledged that the IRGC fired two surface-to-air missiles that led to the downing of Flight PS752. Canada attributes the actions of the IRGC, being a part of the Iranian state, to Iran.

In cases of disputes related to the interpretation or application of the Chicago Convention that cannot be resolved through negotiation, Article 84 allows for referral to the ICAO Council, which is then obliged to make a decision on the matter.