They Just Have The Wrong Target, They Need To Aim At Themselves
The right-wing of the conservatives are on the attack using the Iranian jet tragedy as an excuse to go after their favourite target, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On social media, the Liberal government is being attacked for not having proper diplomatic ties with Iran and also urging them to “demand” the Black Boxes from the aircraft that went down in Iran earlier this week.
A quick review of history shows that it was Stephen Harper’s Conservative government who cut ties with Iran on September 7, 2012, due to attacks on international diplomats in Iran by government agents and abuses of Human Rights by the Iranian government. Since then not much has changed.
“This regime has been killing, executing, torturing, over hundreds and thousands of people, both students, intelligence and other members of the community in the country and abroad. It’s terrorism. It does not stay in the country — Iran only — but also it’s been exported to other countries,” said Vahideh Khorram-Roudi of the Iran Democratic Association as quoted in a Globe and Mail article.
Since 2015, the Liberal government has been trying to slowly re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, but the Iranian government has been reluctant.
Under international agreement, Canada has very little control over the airplane investigation. No Canadian company owned the airline or aircraft. The crash also did not occur on Canadian soil. While Canadians were aboard that does not allow Canada to “demand” anything.
In the Globe article former diplomat Ken Taylor, who served as Canada’s ambassador in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian revolution, says having a presence on the ground in a country is important. If the country’s government won’t interact, he said, there’s still intelligence to gather. Diplomacy is required.
Prime Minister Trudeau held a press conference where relevant information was shared and is continuing to be diplomatic in his governments’ approach to getting things done. Iran has currently invited Canadian investigators to participate.
About The Author
