Two years after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down Flight PS752, brutally killing 176 passengers and crew, Canada is still denying justice to grieving families by refusing to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. And just as Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was questioned about her government’s refusal to label Iran’s IRGC a terrorist group, a chilling scene unfolded. Rebel News journalist David Menzies was arrested for simply asking why the IRGC can freely recruit and fundraise in Canada.
This crackdown on press freedom casts a dark cloud over Canada’s PS752 memorials.
While Trudeau and Freeland offer hollow words, their inaction in the face of terror speaks volumes.
The arrest of a journalist for questioning this double standard makes the hypocrisy impossible to ignore. When will Canada take real action against state-sponsored terror and finally provide closure to the victims’ families?
Two years after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps callously shot down Flight PS752, Trudeau’s government has still not recognized it as a terrorist organization.
And just as Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was leaving after the ceremony commemorating the victims, Rebel News journalist David Menzies was brutally arrested for simply asking why the IRGC can freely recruit and fundraise in Canada.
The arrest happened as Menzies was physically blocked by an unnamed plainclothes officer, apparently with the RCMP, who accused Menzies of assaulting a polices officer as he questioned Freeland. The man deliberately walked into David and stood in his way to prevent him from asking questions.
Video shows the situation escalating, with Menzies surrounded by officers then taken away in a police car. Menzies asked the arresting officer twice for his name and badge number but didn’t get an answer. He obviously knew what they were doing was wrong.
Police are supposed to be there to uphold the law and public safety, not to prevent politicians from being asked questions by journalists who the government will not permit to ask questions in official settings. The entire incident happened as Freeland swiftly moved away from the scene, ignoring the situation entirely.
This recent arrest marks the second time journalist David Menzies has faced obstruction for trying to question the Trudeau government.
Just two years ago, Menzies was confronted by Justin Trudeau’s bodyguards while attempting to ask questions on a public street in Toronto.
This heavy-handed suppression of press freedom displayed by the Prime Minister and his entourage echoed again in the way Menzies was obstructed and arrested for questioning Deputy Prime Minister Freeland at the memorial event.
Both incidents raise troubling concerns about deteriorating transparency and treatment of journalists under Trudeau’s leadership. A pattern seems to be emerging where scrutiny of those in power is met with crackdowns rather than accountability.
It’s clear to see that the state of the press in Canada is disturbing. And we’re not the only ones who think that.
Back in 2022, Trudeau posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, highlighting the principles of journalistic independence and transparency, claiming that “no journalist should ever be threatened for doing their job.”
Yet the arrests and restrictions imposed on journalists like David Menzies tell a different story. Trudeau’s promises seem emptier than ever when his government actively seeks to suppress legitimate scrutiny and questioning from reporters.
This hypocrisy reveals yet another area where Trudeau’s pretty words fail to align with real actions. His claim to stand for media freedom now appears to be just another broken promise, exposed by the crackdowns on press under his leadership.
Trudeau seems content to preach about democratic principles when convenient. But when journalists like Menzies take him at his word and attempt to report freely, they are punished rather than protected.
The media landscape under this government is looking increasingly hostile, despite Trudeau’s assurances. His failure to live up to stated ideals erodes public trust. It reflects a worrisome tendency to pay lip service to democratic norms while undermining them in practice.
As politicians gather on the solemn anniversary to offer hollow words, the Trudeau government’s inaction in the face of this terrorist act speaks volumes. The arrest of a journalist for questioning this double standard makes the hypocrisy impossible to ignore.
The second anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752 serves as a solemn reminder of the 176 innocent lives lost at the hands of the IRGC.
As friends and families of the victims gather to memorialize their loved ones, Canada’s government stands accused of failing to deliver justice.
The January 2020 tragedy saw 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents killed when the commercial airliner was shot down shortly after taking off from Tehran’s airport.
Iran initially denied involvement but later admitted the plane was mistakenly targeted by the IRGC amid tensions with the US.
For families of the victims, the lack of action from the Trudeau’s government must be incredibly disturbing. Many are calling on the Canadian government to fulfill its promise to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization – a designation that would allow sanctions against those involved.
The Liberals seem to be stalling and attempting to appease Iran’s regime rather than prioritize justice.
At the memorial ceremony, Trudeau said that “we know there is more to do to hold the regime to account and we will continue our work, including continuing to look for ways to responsibly list the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” yet his inaction speaks louder than any carefully crafted speech his team writes for him.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre highlighted the government’s inaction in a recent video released on social media, sending a direct message to Justin Trudeau.
At least we know that someone in Canada’s parliament has some sort of common sense.
Even world-renowned businessman, Elon Musk, went to X to claim that the Trudeau Liberals won’t make it past the next election, as well as criticizing the so-called officer’s claims that Menzies deliberately assaulted him.
What an absolute embarrassment.
The lack of closure from Canada’s government, despite its rhetoric about human rights and vows to families of the PS752 victims, is simply a betrayal. With no end to their injustice in sight, the grieving families feel abandoned in their quest for closure.
Two years on, the question remains: will Canada’s leaders step up with meaningful action? Or will they continue to ignore the cries for justice from the very citizens they claimed to stand with?
The choice facing the Trudeau government is clear. The only path forward in good conscience is to finally designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Until Canada is willing to call out the perpetrators of this horrific act, its words of sympathy will ring hollow for those still mourning loved ones lost on PS752.
Justice has been denied long enough. For the families of PS752 victims, Canada’s integrity is on trial. After two years of patience and entreaties for action, they deserve more than empty speeches and condolences from politicians.
Trudeau and his government often speak loftily of human rights, diversity, and the rule of law. But his lack of action as well as the suppression of press freedom paints a far different picture – one of an administration wary of transparency, addicted to control, and threatened by dissent.
This is yet another one of those moments.
