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January 8, 2026 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, today issued the following statement:
“Six years have now passed since the lives of 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 Canadian permanent residents, were taken in the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.
“Canada remains unwavering in its commitment to justice, accountability, transparency and solidarity with the families of those who were lost. The government reaffirmed this commitment during a call this morning to honour and remember the victims of flight PS752 with their loved ones.
“For the past six years, Canada has worked with its partners in the International Coordination and Response Group [Coordination Group]—Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom—to hold Iran accountable for the unlawful downing of Flight PS752.
“In the pursuit of justice, Canada and its Coordination Group partners filed cases against Iran at both the International Court of Justice [ICJ] in 2023 and the International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO] in 2024.
“In the ICJ case related to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971 (known as the 1971 Montreal Convention), Canada and its partners are currently waiting for the ICJ to set a date for the oral hearing of preliminary objections filed by Iran in January last year. The Coordination Group had filed its reply to these preliminary objections in May.
“In the ICAO case under the Convention on International Civil Aviation (known as the Chicago Convention), the ICAO Council voted overwhelmingly this past March to reject the preliminary objection filed by Iran and accepted jurisdiction over the case. Iran has appealed the decision to the ICJ, a decision that the Coordination Group is prepared to defend.
“Canada also remains focused on the prevention of similar tragedies and continues to work with international partners to keep civil aviation safe over or near conflict zones.
“In April 2025, Canada and Morocco co-hosted the fourth Safer Skies Forum, which brought together more than 200 participants from five continents to share best practices and regional approaches to conflict zone management. At the event, 50 countries and five international organizations signed a renewed Safer Skies Commitment Statement confirming their shared goal to strengthen international cooperation, improve national procedures and encourage active participation from air operators.
“Canada is also pushing for updates to ICAO’s accident investigation rules to make investigations more transparent and credible after an aircraft is shot down. In addition, we are working in Canada and at ICAO to help ensure that we—and countries worldwide—are ready to support victims and their families after an air disaster.
“Lastly, the Flight PS752 Commemorative Scholarship Program, which was launched in 2023 to honour the victims’ memories, has now awarded 104 scholarships out of a total of 176. These students are continuing the legacy of the victims through their studies in fields that align with one of the victims’ academic or professional backgrounds or that focus on the prevention of air disasters.”
