Statement for the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism: Remembering Air India Flight 182

On June 22, 2023 Senator Omidvar gave a statement to mark the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Watch her speech:

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I first want to thank Senator Boisvenu for his relentless advocacy on behalf of victims of sexual crimes. I wish I could rise after that with somewhat more elevating words, but I can’t because tomorrow is June 23. It is a day that is seared in our national memory by a profoundly solemn and horrifying day in our past.

Thirty-eight years ago, on June 23, Air India flight 182 was brutally torn apart by a bomb explosion over the coast of Northern Ireland. All 329 passengers on board, including 82 children, 6 babies and 29 entire families, lost their lives in this heinous act. This devastating event remains the most atrocious act of terrorism in the history of Canada.

The families of the victims remember this tragic day every year. Most Indo-Canadians — and I look around to my colleagues; they’re nodding their heads — remember exactly what we were doing at that moment when we received the news.

We recall the phone calls we made to sons and daughters, mothers and sisters, fathers and brothers, and wives and husbands as we wrapped our arms around them.

Just last month, I was with a friend whose uncle was the pilot on that ill-fated flight. Subsequently, inquiries and criminal investigations were launched. Miscommunication and competition between Canada’s security agencies were disclosed, and justice was not done. The Canadian Indian community of victims organized and agreed to memorialize June 23 as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. I commend them for being inclusive of other victims.

But this inclusion has come at a cost to them. Angus Reid released a poll today that said that 9 out of 10 Canadians know little or nothing about the largest successful terrorist attack against Canadians, and those who were lost are likely to be forgotten.

In 2018, I wrote to Canada Post, requesting them to memorialize the Air India victims, in particular, through a stamp. I received a note back from the Director of Stamp Services saying they would bring it to the Stamp Advisory Committee. It has been radio silence since then.

I have undertaken to rise as many times as I can to mark this day. In this chamber, at least, colleagues, let’s remember, let’s honour and let’s keep their memory alive.