Trudeau to attend University of Alberta vigil for staff, student victims of downed Flight PS752
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Jason Kenney and other dignitaries will attend a public memorial service at the University of Alberta this afternoon to remember victims of this week’s air crash outside Tehran.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 crashed Wednesday, killing 176 passengers and crew on board, including 57 Canadians. The plane was struck by a missile or missiles launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the missiles were fired due to «human error.»
The death toll included a number of people bound for Alberta, most with connections to Edmonton. Initial reports from multiple sources and community members indicated that as many as 30 people connected to the Edmonton community died in the crash. So far, CBC News has been able to confirm 15 names of Alberta victims.
Sunday’s memorial service is being organized by the University of Alberta in collaboration with the local Iranian-Canadian community and the City of Edmonton. Vigils have been held across Canada to remember the victims.
Trudeau, along with Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne, will be in Alberta’s capital to attend the vigil. The prime minister is expected to deliver remarks at the event, according to a news release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
- Public invited to memorial service for Iran crash victims Sunday in Edmonton
- Trudeau says Iran must take ‘full responsibility’ after admitting its missiles brought down PS752
The two-hour service will be held in the main gym at the Saville Community Sports Centre, 11610 65th Avenue.
Doors will open at 2 p.m. MT and the service will begin at 3 p.m. MT
CBC News will provide live coverage of the event beginning at 3 p.m. MT
The Edmonton service is one of many being held across Canada this weekend.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among several hundred people who attended a vigil today at the University of Toronto to remember six students killed in the crash of a Ukraine plane in Iran. An emotional Freeland, who is of Ukrainian background, declared the loss of life a loss for all of Canada.
«Nothing will ever replace these brilliant lives that have been cut short,» Freeland said. «We will always bear these scars. Now, though, is the time for all of us to come together in our loss.»
Iranian community leaders are also planning a rally in Toronto Sunday. Organizers are calling for supporters to condemn the shooting down of the plane and to call for justice.
Vigils are also planned for Winnipeg and Calgary. The University of Calgary will also hold a memorial on Sunday afternoon. Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides and the university’s chancellor are expected to speak, as are supervisors and friends of the victims.
Close to 1,000 people packed into a Halifax auditorium Saturday to honour the victims from Nova Scotia.
«Today is the day of grief, for losing our loved one, for missing them, for not seeing them anymore, for not hearing their voice, not seeing their smiles,» Alireza Nafarieh, president of theIranian Cultural Society of Nova Scotia, said during the vigil.
Even in small, northern communities, many share connections to Iran crash victims.
A small group of people gathered at Iqaluit’s Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum for a candlelight vigil on Saturday. In Yellowknife’s small Iranian community, many were only one or two degrees of separation from victims of the crash.
«It was another [piece of] terrible news in a series of terrible news from the region,» said Ramin Mostmand, an Iranian-Canadian who lives in Yellowknife. «This news is really taking a toll on everyone.»
