Canada 'unequivocally' stands against terrorism: PM Carney on Kanishka bombing anniversary

Ottawa: Canada’s new government "unequivocally" stands against terrorism, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday and described the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka bombing terror attack 40 years ago as the "deadliest attack in our country’s history." The Montreal-London-New Delhi Air India 'Kanishka' Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was supposed to land at UK's Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985, due to a bomb planted by Canada-based terrorists, killing all 329 people on board. At least 280 were Canadians, with most of them of Indian descent.

“Forty years ago, innocent civilians, including 268 Canadians, were killed in the bombing of Air India Flight 182. This terrorist attack remains the deadliest attack in our country’s history – one we must never forget," the prime minister said in a statement.

“As we mark the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, we remember the victims of the Air India bombing and all others who have lost their lives to terrorism," it added.

The National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism was first observed on June 23, 2005, with the day chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Kanishka tragedy.

“Canada’s new government unequivocally stands against terrorism, and we will deliver on our mandate of change to keep communities safe.

"Canada will continue to work with our allies and partners, at home and around the world, to better detect, prevent, and respond to the threat of terrorism and violent extremism," the statement added.

Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in March triggered hopes for a reset of India-Canada relations, which hit rock bottom following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case.

India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

Earlier in the day, Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree joined Union Minister Hardeep Puri and Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheal Martin to pay tribute to the Kanishka victims at the Ahakista Memorial in Ireland.

Puri urged for deeper collaboration between India and Canada through intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation efforts, and the disruption of terror financing.

“India stands ready to do more. Our security agencies, intelligence apparatus, and diplomatic channels are fully committed to partnering with the world to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated,” he said.

Prominent Canadian opposition leader Chandra Arya took to X to say: "The bomb, planted on Canadian soil by Khalistani extremists, exploded mid-flight, shattering families and leaving a legacy of grief that still echoes today." "This horrific act stands as a stark reminder of the devastating toll of terrorism—and of our collective responsibility to reject violence in all its forms," he added.

"On this solemn day, and every day, we stand together against hatred, intolerance, and division. We stand in solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones and pause to remember and honour every Canadian whose life was taken or irreversibly altered by an act of terrorism," he said further in the post.