OTTAWA—The federal government is considering interim compensation for families of the 57 Canadians killed when the Iranian military shot down a commercial airliner last week, according to the Liberal MP tasked with supporting relatives of the victims.

Omar Alghabra, the MP for Mississauga Centre and parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the government may compensate victims’ families as Canada continues to push for a more active role in the Iranian-led investigation into how and why Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was — by Iran’s own admission — shot from the sky on Jan. 8.

“We are actively exploring these options and we hope a decision will be made in short order,” Alghabra said Wednesday at a press conference on Parliament Hill, when asked about interim compensation while families wait for the investigation to play out.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not elaborate on Alghabra’s statement when asked by the Star for further information.

Alghabra joined federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau and high-ranking officials from the departments of defence and foreign affairs Wednesday, as they repeated Trudeau’s pledge to stop at nothing to achieve justice, accountability and closure for relatives of those killed in the deadly incident.

Garneau confirmed that two Canadian investigators from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) have visited the crash site in a suburb of Tehran, the Iranian capital. He said they will also “examine the wreckage” of the plane, while a second team of two investigators stands ready to assist in the downloading and analysis of data from the flight recorders that could include information from the final moments before the plane crash.

He called on Iran to “formalize” the investigators’ participation in the crash probe, which Garneau said would give them a deeper role in determining what happened beyond the observer status they have been granted so far.

Garneau said many questions remain to be answered about the crash, including whether Iran’s claim that the plane was shot down by accident is true, and whether — as video reported by the New York Times indicates — the plane was struck by two missiles.

And while a spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary reportedly said Wednesday that “some individuals” had been arrested in the wake of the incident, Garneau said Canada’s priority remains the completion of a “thorough” investigation before the question of justice — and compensation from those responsible — can be properly addressed.

“What we want to do is find out exactly what happened, and when we know exactly what happened and who was involved and what decisions were made, then we will be in a position to speak about what we feel needs to be done to achieve justice,” Garneau said.

“One of the requirements from Canada’s point of view, along with justice, is compensation, compensation to be provided by those that stand guilty of playing a role in this tragic accident,” Garneau added. “But let’s do the homework first.”

On Thursday, Canada’s foreign affairs minister is scheduled to meet in London with his counterparts from Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom — countries with citizens killed in the crash — to discuss the need for a full investigation and to press for co-operation from Iran.

Garneau and Alghabra said the government is still calling for Iran to allow victims’ families to bring the remains of their loved ones to Canada. So far, no bodies have been returned, Alghabra confirmed.

“There is a great sense of urgency to help families repatriate their loved ones. In Iranian culture, they bury their loved ones quickly, if not the same day. And I understand that this has been a very difficult process for families,” said Alghabra, describing how the process to identify the bodies is ongoing.

“We will support families, whatever challenges or needs they have, to repatriate their loved ones,” he said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Asked whether there are concerns Iran won’t acknowledge the Canadian citizenship of victims who were dual nationals, Garneau said the government will do its “utmost” to ensure their rights as citizens are recognized and protected.

“A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian, as you’ve heard us say perhaps a thousand times, and we believe very strongly in that,” Garneau said. “The 57 Canadians that lost their lives tragically are Canadian citizens, and they are entitled to all the rights that Canadian citizens have.”

Read more about: