Exporting rivalry to other shores

Vappala Balachandran 

ON June 23, 2018, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau described the 1985 Air India Kanishka 182 bombing as the “single-worst terrorist attack” in Canada’s history. This was perhaps the strongest condemnation of terrorism by any Canadian PM. Was this a direct result of Trudeau’s meeting with Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on February 21 in Amritsar when the continuing problem of Khalistan extremism from Canada was discussed? 

No doubt, Canada has been observing the Kanishka bombing anniversary as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism through a Justice Department order dated July 13, 2005. However, it took 20 years for them to acknowledge that this was a national tragedy although it had killed 268 Canadian nationals. 

It is not that Canada had not experienced ravages of terrorism earlier. It has been observing December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women from 1991. That day in 1989, 25-year-old Marc Lepine entered an engineering class in Montreal’s “Ecole Polytechnique” armed with a 223 calibre Strum-Ruger rifle, separated men from women, harangued against “feminists” and killed 14 women before killing himself. 

Also, Canada had suffered different types of terrorism. These were from Cuban rebels, Quebec separatists, Armenian-Turkish rival bombers, anarchist-environmental terrorists, Jehadis, far right rebels and anti-abortion activists. All these were taken seriously and investigated. But the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing with maximum deaths was treated differently. In the beginning it was not even acknowledged as a “terrorist act” although most of the killed were Canadian nationals. 

It was only on May 1, 2006, that a Commission of Enquiry under former Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice John C Major was appointed to probe failures by government agencies in preventing this mass murder. This delay led to allegations of “racism” in handling this grave issue. It took another four years for Justice Major to submit his report listing the glaring failures by Canadian government agencies. Although he rejected charges of racism, he remarked that “both the government and the Canadian public were slow to recognise the bombing of Flight 182 as a Canadian issue”. 

Dr Chandrima Chakraborty from McMaster University has given another reason. She says that Canada failed to realise that it was a Canadian problem. The attack took place outside Canada and it was an Indian airline. She says that Canadian PM Brian Mulroney had telephoned Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi after the tragedy and expressed condolences for India’s loss although majority victims were Canadian nationals. She also says that this was the attitude of the media and general public too. Some Canadian families even told her that Canadian diplomatic missions did not render help to them at Cork (Ireland). She says: “You had help from Air India, the Indian High Commission but there were no Canadian officials. There was no grief counseling. The Irish jumped in and helped out but the Canadian government, officials and agencies were missing”. 

Another reason was official bungling and the attempts to cover up their errors. Justice Major’s inquiry report on the crash, released on June 17, 2010 says that Canadian intelligence agencies and investigating agencies did not share information. The inquiry found that a great deal of information was available with Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but was never acted upon. 

CSIS, a civilian agency was created only on June 21, 1984, just one year before the Kanishka bombing. They were chartered to take over the responsibility of national security intelligence from the RCMP by an act of Parliament. This change was necessary since Justice David McDonald Commission, which was asked to probe RCMP’s alleged illegal activities, had recommended in 1981 that national security function should be separated from the police. As is always the case, a turf war ensued between the CSIS and RCMP during the initial handing over period. Unfortunately, Kanishka happened during that time. 

John Major says dramatically in Air India Flight 182-A Canadian Tragedy- Volume One-The Overview: “This remains the largest mass murder in Canadian history, and was the result of cascading errors”. He says that Air India’s June 1, 1985, telex about the danger of luggage bombs was not shared by the RCMP. The report made harsh comments on both the CSIS and RCMP for not cooperating during investigation, battling over sources, neglecting witnesses and indulging in turf wars. The report should be studied by all intelligence and investigating agencies to avoid such conflicts. 

The report also castigates higher levels, including the Prime Minister’s office. After the tragedy, the strategy for coordinating the government response was taken over by the Prime Minister’s Office which was keener on “defending the reputation of the government and its agencies in order to protect them from criticism and from any possible finding of liability or any obligation to compensate the families of the victims”. 

He says these attempts resulted in diluting the gravity of the crime. First, instructions were issued to avoid describing the incident as “bombing”. Then the Canadian representative maintained even at the Coroner’s Inquest in Ireland that there was no evidence of a bomb aboard Flight 182. “Based on this argument, the Coroner instructed the jury that they should make no recommendations about the cause of the crash”. 

Also, the Canadian Aviation Safety Board was prevented from filing a separate brief with the Kirpal Commission, which was instituted by the Indian Government. He concludes that the purpose was to ensure “a consistent and positive portrayal of the safety and security arrangements that were in place in Canada at the time of the bombing. In the result, Canada succeeded in keeping any conclusions about responsibility for the crash out of the Kirpal report”. 

Things have improved considerably between India and Canada since then. But it is better to keep in mind the advice of that sagacious Indian ambassador, the late Dr Abid Hussain, to Indian Americans not to carry their Indian quarrels to America and vice versa. This has not happened. Will this tendency increase with the Modi government’s decision of empowering the 25 million-strong NRI population with voting rights in India?

Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat