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The Government of Canada will be providing assistance to the families of the victims of last week’s tragic plane crash in Iran.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that the government will be giving $25,000 per victim to help the families cover travel and funeral expenses.
"What happened last week is nothing short of a national tragedy," said Trudeau at a news conference today.
Additionally, the government will be waiving or reimbursing all fees for visas and other required travel documents, and expediting requests for the families.
“This means that while regular application screening still applies, we can issue visas to families in a matter of hours instead of weeks,” explained Trudeau. “Other needed status documents such as permanent resident cards and permits are also being processed much more quickly than they usually would in these particular circumstances.”
“This is a unique and unprecedented situation because of the international sanctions placed on Iran and the difficulties that that imposes on these families,” he said.
“I want to be clear. We expect Iran to compensate these families. I have met them. They can't wait weeks. They need support, now.”
He also announced that the government is working with various partners, such as the Canadian Bankers Association, Air Canada, and the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association in order to further assist the families.
A national hotline for pro-bono legal aid has also been set up for the families.
A number of initiatives are further supporting the families financially across the country. Trudeau said that he encourages Canadians to make a donation, and that the government is looking for ways to further support those initiatives as well.
Canada continues to call for a thorough investigation of the plane crash.
Working with key regional partners is a critical part of de-escalating tensions in the region. Today when meeting with Kuwait's Minister of Defense, we discussed the situation in Iraq & the region, and steps we can take together to increase peace & stability of the area. pic.twitter.com/w3P5mL04Uv
— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) January 16, 2020
A total of 57 Canadian citizens were aboard the plane, which was taken down by an Iranian missile in Tehran. All 176 people on the flight were killed.
On Jan 14, 2020, Iran announced that they had made arrests in relation to the downing of the aircraft.
The country originally denied that they had anything to do with the incident, however, days later, Iran’s president admitted that they were at fault.
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