U of W remembers community members year after Iran shot down airliner

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On Dec. 30, the Iranian government announced on state television that it would give $150,000 to each family of the victims.

But Ralph Goodale, a former federal public safety minister who is acting as Canada’s special advisor on the case, rejected the offer and said the Iranian government has no right to make a unilateral decision on compensation.

“There is a negotiating process that has yet to take place,” Goodale recently told the Canadian Press.

“But it hasn’t yet begun. So, it’s a bit premature for a number to be circulated in the public domain, because none of the other parties involved in this process have had any input whatsoever.”

Of the 176 deaths, 55 were Canadian citizens. Another 30 were permanent residents of Canada, and 53 were travellers bound for Canada.

Many of those on the flight were students.

In a private virtual event on Thursday, Goodale, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and other government members met with families and loved ones of those who perished.

Trudeau has spoken to all of them recently, Goodale said, and the prime minister has reaffirmed his commitment to declare Jan. 8 a national day of remembrance for the victims of airline disasters.

There will also be discussion on building a national memorial, Goodale added. The Canadian government wants the full input of families on how it might look and where in Canada it could be located.

Meanwhile, the push continues for Iran to reveal the exact details of how the tragedy occurred. What prompted a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to fire on a civilian jet?