NDP STATEMENT ON REVELATIONS ABOUT THE UKRAINIAN FLIGHT 752 TRAGEDY

Today, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made the following statement on the most recent revelations about the Ukrainian Flight 752 tragedy:

"It’s hard to imagine what the families who lost their loved ones on Ukrainian Flight 752 are going through. It is an unspeakable tragedy and the shifting of the stories about how the plane was downed raises more questions than answers and brings more pain than comfort.

"Our hearts break for them. Through the shock, sadness, and anger it is moving to see how people from across the country are coming together and grieving together.

"I am glad the Prime Minister has assembled a working group with international partners who agree on the need for a full and transparent investigation.

"All Canadians – especially the loved ones of the victims – deserve answers and all of the support that we can give them. I was also encouraged to learn that the government has managed to gain access for some Canadians to assist on the ground in Iran.

"Again, I want to extend our support to the government for any work that is taking place to help assist those who lost so much when the plane was taken down.

"While we remain focused on the needs of those who mourn, we cannot forget our responsibilities to Canadians and to the international calls for peace. Canadians have served bravely and proudly in the Middle East, working to deescalate the violence and build toward that peace. Now, with tensions so high in the region and the unpredictability and President Trump’s actions, it will not be easy to get back to that work, but we have a responsibility to make sure that we do. Canada can be a leader in making the horrific tragedy of Flight 752 the end of the latest increase in violence and not the beginning of another misguided and disastrous war.

"As the Prime Minister has said, beyond the grieving, Canadians and the global community are looking for accountability and justice. He also acknowledged that there are many remaining questions about how other countries will react and what justice and accountability look like to the international community and to Canadians. He said that we need to work though those questions with our global partners to find the answers. I agree that those discussions have to happen at the international level. They also have to happen here in Canada. We must find those answers for ourselves and take a strong stand of our own.

"While we thank the Prime Minister for the briefings that he, his Minister of Foreign Affairs, and their officials have given us so far, Canadians deserve to have their voices heard and questions answered out in the open. That can’t happen when these decisions are being made behind closed doors in the Prime Minister’s office. We will be looking for increased openness and availability as we take the next steps to helping the loved ones of the victims."