TORONTO — Grieving families today held ceremonies in 12 major cities across Canada and 26 countries around the world to mark the third anniversary of Iranian forces shooting down Flight PS752.
Families attend a rally from Vancouver to Toronto to St. John’s to mark the anniversary of the plane crash that killed 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
A Ukrainian International Airlines jetliner en route to Canada via Ukraine was shot down shortly after taking off from Tehran in January 2020.
The main commemorative event in North Toronto begins with an 11:00 am reception and art gallery viewing, followed by an official ceremony hosted by the PS752 Flight Victims’ Families Association.
Several senior federal ministers will attend a closed-door ceremony at 2:00 p.m., which will include remarks from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, followed by a public candlelit memorial service at nearby Mel Lastman Square.
Associations, families and other supporters have also joined rallies across Canada calling on Ottawa to take a tougher stance on Iran.
On December 28, Canada joined peer countries in beginning the process of submitting the PS752 flight case to the International Court of Justice to force Iran to compensate the victims’ families.
Proponents argue that the move should have happened sooner and the RCMP should have launched a criminal investigation while Ottawa was negotiating with Tehran.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with families on Friday and said Ottawa will fight relentlessly for truth, justice and accountability.
