text: Hon. Pablo Rodriguez - 19:09
  2020-01-27 19:11 [p.533]
  Mr. Speaker, earlier today we had moving tributes from all parties to the victims of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752, which was shot down when leaving Tehran. It is important that, as members, we honour the victims, reflect on this terrible action and also call for accountability.
  I asked a question back in December that dealt with the IRGC, which is the entity responsible for shooting down this aircraft. The question was about a motion that passed in this House a year and a half ago, which called for the listing of the IRGC as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. The opposition put forward that motion and the entire Liberal benches, all the members of the government, supported our motion regarding the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an agent of Iranian regime-backed terror inside of Iran and beyond. All members of the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party voted in favour of that motion. Subsequent to that, the then minister of public safety, Ralph Goodale, said that the issue was being studied. It has been over a year and a half since that motion passed and we have not seen any action from the government in terms of actually following through on what Liberals voted to do.
  I asked the Prime Minister in December whether he still intends to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. Amazingly, the Prime Minister offered no response to that question. In fact, he talked about another country, Iraq, and the government's view of what was happening in Iraq. I accept there are two countries in the Middle East that start with the letters "Ira", but my question was about Iran. It was not a question about Iraq. In particular, it was a question about the listing of the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The government has refused to act despite Liberals voting to list the IRGC and they have also refused, more recently, to even respond to questions about whether it is their policy to list the IRGC.
  Subsequent to that question being asked in December, we all know what happened. The IRGC was responsible and acknowledged responsibility for shooting down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 killing many Canadians and others who were en route to Canada and many Iranian nationals as well. This event was responded to by the Iranian regime saying it was an accident and it was trying to pass blame off on somebody else. What happened in this instance shows a capricious disregard for human life by that regime. It follows shortly after over 1,000 peaceful protestors were killed by the same IRGC. We see so many instances in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere where IRGC terror is spreading throughout the region and is causing a significant loss of civilian life. We have seen the impact on many people and communities and we see now, in particular, how Canadians have not been immune from the impacts of this capricious disregard for human life that we have seen from the IRGC.
  Canadians expect answers from their government, so I will ask the question again, a question that was not answered before and should be answered. Does the government intend to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity? Liberals voted to do it immediately a year and a half ago and they have not done it. If they have changed their minds, we should know that. If they are still studying it a year and a half later, we should know that, too.
  It is time for the government to answer the question. Does it intend to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity? It should answer now, yes or no.