Statement By The Prime Minister Of Canada

June 23, 2010

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following on the 25th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 atrocity:
 
“I stand before you 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.
 
“The protection of its citizens is the first obligation of government.
 
“The mere fact of the destruction of Air India Flight 182 is the primary evidence that something went very, very wrong.  For that, we are sorry.  For that, and also for the years during which your legitimate need for answers and indeed, for empathy, were treated with administrative disdain.
 
“Ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner Major has made many important recommendations.  We are in the course of reviewing them and have already begun the vital work of improving safety and security at our airports.  It is a matter of the utmost importance to our government that such a thing never happens again.
 
“Sadly, we have no way of knowing when, if, or how we may once more be attacked, or by whom.  We know only that terrorism is an enemy with a thousand faces, and a hatred that festers in the darkest spots of the human mind.”