More than 16 months have passed since a passenger jet was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile in Tehran - but for the families of the 176 people who died on that flight, the grief and anguish are real and continuing.  

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, bound for Kyiv, went down just minutes after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. Everyone on board was killed in the crash. 138 had ties to Canada – including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

They were dentists and doctors, families with small children, newlywed couples and students returning from holidays. They had roots across the country. Seven of those killed were cherished members of our North Vancouver community. Several others lived elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.

At the time of the tragedy, I wrote that “…our community and our hearts are shattered by the loss of our friends and neighbors.  They touched many lives. They were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. They worked in many capacities to enrich our city. They contributed to our community and our country. They helped us in our ongoing mission to build a more vibrant, respectful and peaceful society. They will be greatly missed.” 

The path to justice for the victims of Flight 752 and for their families since that time has been challenging and emotional. The Government of Canada has worked to support the families and to seek transparency and justice from the Government of Iran.

Canada’s priority has been and is to provide the families and loved ones of the victims with the support they need.

As we all know, Iran originally denied responsibility for the downing of Flight 752. In response to international pressure, it later admitted that its armed forces shot down the plane, claiming it was an accident caused by human error.

Canada continues to work with international partners to ensure a thorough and credible investigation into this tragedy and to hold Iran accountable for its violations of international law.

An International Coordination and Response Group to support families of victims of Flight 752 was formed by Canada, Afghanistan, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, to ensure a full and transparent investigation into the causes of the fatal crash and coordinate legal efforts to pursue accountability and reparations from Iran, so that families and loved ones get the answers they deserve.

And earlier this month, Canada took another step to try to help heal some wounds.

Canada’s Immigration Minister, my colleague Marco Mendicino, announced a policy to allow family members of those lost, who are already in Canada, to apply for Permanent Residency.

This new pathway to Permanent Residency meets an important request made by family members of Flight 752 victims, who came to Canada after the disaster — to grieve with family, organize funerals, handle finances, clear out homes — and who remained after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Still other family members fled to Canada as refugees, or to seek asylum after facing threats and intimidation from Iranian authorities for demanding answers in the wake of Flight 752's destruction.

Minister Mendicino has stated that the Government of Canada is also looking at ways for family members who are not currently in Canada to obtain permanent residency, and he is encouraging them to apply for asylum if they fear for their safety.

The introduction of this new policy on Permanent Residency underlines Canada’s continuing responsiveness to, and solidarity with the families in their efforts to seek truth and justice for all the victims – and for those who grieve them still.

Canada will not rest until the families get the justice and accountability they deserve.