Iranians in Edmonton applaud federal government response to plane crash

The president of Edmonton's Iranian Heritage Society praised the Canadian government's decision to offer $25,000 each to family membersof people who died in the UIA Flight PS752 crash.

The support was announced Friday morning.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the monetary support a "first step" that could be used to cover families' immediate needs, such as funeral and travel expenses.

Ministers from Canada and five other affected countries also shared a list of demands of Iran during a meeting on Thursday.

"This help is certainly significant," Reza Akbari said Friday in an interview with CBC's Radio Active.

"Every Canadian should be proud of how we are approaching this case."

Akbari, the current president of the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton (IHSE), knew many of the 13 Edmonton victims in the crash, including Nassim Rahmanifar, with whom he played basketball.

"I still can't admit and can't accept that she's not among us anymore," he said.

The IHSE has also announced financial support for victims' families.

Despite problems posting campaigns on GoFundMe, the society raised more than $12,000 for a memorial service and plans to donate extra funds to a University of Alberta scholarship.

• Iran plane crash victim's family struggles with aftermath
• Canada's victims of Flight PS752

Even right-leaning members of the communitysay they appreciate how the prime minister has responded to the disaster.

Payman Parseyan, a member of Edmonton's Iranian-Canadian community who identifies as conservative, said he does not support the Liberal Party's policies but was impressed by Trudeau's "genuine" response and commitment to support Canadian families caught up in the crisis.

Other Iranian-Canadian community leaders, including vocal Trudeau critics, have told him they feel the same way, Parseyantold CBC News on Friday.

"I have not heard one negative opinion about the way Justin Trudeau has dealt with this issue," he said.

"My viewpoints on Justin Trudeau have shifted ever so slightly as an Albertan."

Accountability for Iran

Trudeau said the federal government expects Iran to compensate the families as well.

"They can't wait weeks. They need support," he said during a Friday morning news conference.

Akbari, who left Iran and came to Canada when he was a 19-year-old undergraduate student, said he has no trust in the Iranian governmentbut urges countries like Canada to apply "persistent and political" pressure on Iran in the coming weeks.

"Let us be a model and act as a leader of how we can approach justice," he said.