NDP statement on plane tragedy condemns Trump, not Iran

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s late response to Friday’s news of Iran admitting to accidentally shooting down the Ukranian plane that killed 176 was released Sunday evening. The statement condemns “Trump’s actions” without once mentioning Iran shooting down the plane.

“While we remain focused on the needs of those who mourn, we cannot forget our responsibilities to Canadians and to the international calls for peace. Canadians have served bravely and proudly in the Middle East, working to deescalate the violence and build toward that peace,” said part of the statement attributed to Singh and released Sunday.

“Now, with tensions so high in the region and the unpredictability and President Trump’s actions, it will not be easy to get back to that work, but we have a responsibility to make sure that we do. Canada can be a leader in making the horrific tragedy of Flight 752 the end of the latest increase in violence and not the beginning of another misguided and disastrous war.”

Iran initially falsely claimed the plane crashed due to an engine failure, but after the Pentagon and others with intelligence announced the plane was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles, the country’s regime admitted its military accidentally shot down the plane.

The NDP are just the latest to place blame on U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran shooting down the Ukrainian plane that resulted in 57 Canadians being killed. Over the past few days, Canadian journalists have also been suggesting Trump is at fault for Iran shooting down the passenger plane because he increased tensions after giving the greenlight for a drone strike that killed terrorist Qasem Soleimani.

These same critics of Trump also fail to mention the injustices and lack of freedom in Iran’s theocratic dictatorship.