Life
Canadian Apology
| Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has apologized to the families of those killed in an Air India terrorist attack for governmental and administrative failures.
“I stand before you therefore, to offer on behalf of the government of Canada, and all Canadians, an apology for the institutional failings of 25 years ago and the treatment of the victims’ families thereafter,” Harper said.
The Air India flight from Montreal to London exploded off Ireland on June 23, 1985, killing 278 people. The attack has been blamed on Sikh militants avenging a 1984 raid by Indian security forces on the Golden Temple. A public inquiry led by former Supreme Court Justice John Major excoriated the government for security lapses and for mistreating the families, who charged that because they were mostly immigrants, the government did not view them as real Canadians. In his mea culpa, Harper acknowledged: “This atrocity was conceived in Canada, executed in Canada, by Canadian citizens, and its victims were themselves mostly citizens of Canada. We wish this realization had gained common acceptance earlier.’’ |
