The day was largely spent fretting over the state of the investigation into downed flight PS752 – particularly given the news that Iranian officials had already bulldozed the site before international investigators could arrive, ensuring a cover-up was underway. The Ukrainian government was insisting to the Iranians that Canadians be involved, and we got word that a mere two visas had been issued for Canadian consular officials so far (though François-Philippe Champagne did say that he was expecting more to be approved soon). Champagne later announced the creation of an international working group, comprised of the countries whose citizens were all killed aboard the flight, to press Iran for answers, while in the back channels, there is talk that Canadian officials are telling the Americans that they should have been informed of their plans to kill the Iranian general, given that we’re coalition partners. Amidst all of this, mourning continued across the country. (The National Post compiles profiles of the victims here).

And then, something surprising happened – Iranian officials, including their president, admitted publicly that it was indeed one of their missiles that shot down the aircraft accidentally, and that it was human error that they plan to prosecute those responsible, as well as profound apologies and expressions of regret (while taking a swipe at American “adventurism” in the process). It was a marked change of tone after days of denial, insisting that it was “impossible” that they could have shot it down, and what looked to be a cover-up in the making. One suspects that this will have a profound shift in the narrative in the days ahead, and that Iran will be prepared to pay some kind of compensation, just as what happened in 1988 when the Americans admitted they accidentally shot down an Iranian airliner.

Statement from Trudeau on the Iranian admission that they shot down PS572. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/ODAAMFBWdW

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) January 11, 2020

Meanwhile, Adnan R. Khan walks through how the accidental missile strike could have happened, while Colby Cosh offers more parallels and reminders to the 1988 incident of the Americans shooting down the Iranian plane then, how it is remembered differently in the West than it is in Iran, and how our amnesia to is affects the reactions – particularly from those who are howling about “murder” and demanding the prime minister be angry about it. As if to prove the point, Heather Scoffield demands some righteous indignation from Trudeau, and for some of that to be directed to Trump for what his recklessness has cost us – as though that would help the situation or not cause even more problems for Canada down the road.

Good reads:

• Good news for the Canadian economy in that job creation in December outstripped expectations, which blows up the Conservatives’ “made-in-Canada recession” line.
• CIBC has hired former Conservative deputy leader Lisa Raitt as their new vice-chair of global investment banking.
• Former Newfoundland and Labrador lieutenant governor and Mulroney-era Cabinet minister John Crosbie died at 88.
• Kevin Carmichael artfully stiches together some new economic data with concerns of the Bank of Canada governor on the reliability of current data sets.
• Stephen Maher pens a paean to the late John Crosbie.
• Susan Delacourt notes that managing the unexpected consequences of Trump’s actions continues to occupy Trudeau’s time, when he’d rather focus domestically.
• My weekend column puts some context around the demand for more reforms of the Senate’s ethics regime, and why those demands are being made.

Odds and ends:

Here is more context on just what has been happening behind the scenes with the Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, plans to head to Canada.

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