Air India revelations leave Canadians dismayed

Toronto Sun ^ | 2007-05-20 | Sheila Copps

[Clive]

With the bombshells being dropped on the Air India inquiry, the biggest question is why the answers have taken so long.

The reality is that successive governments resisted a real examination of the most massive loss of Canadian life in history.

Would this stonewalling have happened if the majority of Air India passengers had been white? Would police and politicians have minimized the gravity of the situation?

The answer is no. As a country, we like to consider ourselves as colour blind and take pride in the harmony in cultural diversity of Canada.

REVELATIONS

But the stunning revelations from the Air India inquiry should leave all of us with a sense of acute dismay. Why has it taken 22 years for Canadian citizens to get to the bottom of a complete breakdown in justice. From the police to the political class, from the courts to the media, we swept this tragedy from our collective memories too quickly.

As an opposition member, I supported an inquiry, but when I joined the government, I was only too happy to wait until the outcome of the criminal trials. Successive Conservative and Liberal governments claimed nothing could be done until the course of justice had been exhausted.

Government and police organizations feared an inquiry would expose major flaws in the system. Those flaws are now being outlined in excruciating detail. With little pressure outside the Air India families, it was easier to leave it up to the courts.

But one of the most expensive trials in Canadian history yielded no convictions so the families again asked the politicians to get the answers.

The Liberals, who had long promised action, back-pedalled when Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan publicly stated she could not see the benefit of a public inquiry. That comment caused an uproar among families so the Grits relented and named former Ontario premier Bob Rae as an "eminent person" to determine whether an inquiry was necessary. Most of Rae's information seeking was done in private and did little to assuage the families' plea for information.

Rae's November 2005 report set the stage for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to launch a public inquiry last May. Rae cited a number of unanswered questions but no one expected the inquiry to produce the barrage of new revelations, which paints a dismal picture of failure in the Canadian political and legal systems.

No information will bring their loved ones back but at least the families finally have a chance to discover what went wrong.

Why did the police and Canadian intelligence organizations ignore the persistent and growing concern about the possibility of a bomb on a specific weekend?

Why did authorities, including key government intelligence officers, misread or downplay information about a potential bomb threat?

The startling revelation of Ontario lieutenant governor James Bartleman last week begged a number of questions. Why did Bartleman wait almost 22 years to reveal his incredible experience? Who was the other government official he cited and why did no one act?

Whatever the reasons, Bartleman's courageous testimony prompted others to come forward. Subsequent witnesses reinforced the same theme. From the repeated communication breakdowns between organizations to the absence of airport security, Air India has all the makings of Canada's own 9/11. A gulf between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, an absolute chasm between the Canadian security establishment and the department of Foreign Affairs, and so on.

It would be funny if it weren't so heart-rending to learn that Canada's five bomb-sniffing dogs were on a cross-country training session the day of the attack.

For more than two decades, hundreds of Canadians lost wives, husbands, sons and daughters have lived in an information vacuum. All they have sought is an answer to the simple question, "What happened?"

Recent revelations must be doubly painful to those who have suffered a private hell for years. The truth must hurt more than they can bear. The inquiry is confirming their worst fears.

Outrage won't bring those plane crash victims back. At least the inquiry is finally providing some of the answers to questions that Canadians have been seeking for 22 years. Those answers should prompt more questions for us all.

[Clive]

The horsemen and the spooks and foreign affairs not communicating effectively.

Sounds familiar.

Canada set up a separate intelligence organization and took the job away from the horsemen. Information was compartmentalized just as it was in the US between the fibbies and the Company and Foggy Bottom.

[CremeSaver]

Sometimes I think the worst enemies that we the people have are our own bloated governments. This is sad.

[buccaneer81]

Third worlders brought their fight to a “civilized” nation. Imagine that.

[packrat35]

It would be funny if it weren't so heart-rending to learn that Canada's five bomb-sniffing dogs were on a cross-country training session the day of the attack.

A country the size of Canada had only 5 bomb-sniffing dogs??

[-YYZ-]

Wow, this is from Sheila Copps? It makes sense and I agree with her - is the end of the world nigh? Anyway, she’s right - despite the fact that this flight originated in Canada, the bombers were citizens or landed immigrants in this country, and many of the victims were also Canadian citizens or landed immigrants, we really didn’t see this as a Canadian problem, largely due to the race/ethnicity of the victims, IMO. It also exposed the colossal incompetence of our law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. It’s a stain on Canada’s reputation and self-image.

[GMMAC]

I thought about posting this one, decided not to, and certainly wouldn't have without an accompanying major "BARF ALERT".

Given Copps was Deputy Prime Minister for roughly half of the 22 year time-frame she cites, the above article can hardly be categorized as anything other than opportunistic, self-serving, hypocritical, typically guilt-driven Liberal spin.

It would be tough to come up with a top ten list of culprits responsible for arguably the worst terrorist outrage in Canada's history going largely unpunished which didn't include that habitual practitioner of racist 'ethno-politics' and dispenser of brain dead political correctness Sheila Copps.

[Clive]

I read this article as, to some extent, a mea culpa.

Sheila is not one of my favourite pols but I have been watching her columns and have especially enjoyed them when this former member of the Grits' rat pack turns on her own party as she has done in some of her columns.

Recall how Sheila was elbowed aside during the change of leadership.

“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,
nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”
-- From "The Mourning Bride" by William Congreve

This column is reasonably balanced. Especially coming from the pen of a former Chretien cabinet minister.

Besides, I tend to avoid using "Barf Alerts", preferring to let the readers decide for themselves just how much they are prepared to stomach.

[GMMAC]

Aside from what I've already stated, I'd be more inclined to write any possible mea culpa off as internal Liberal Party 'Chretienista carping' not unlike the never-ending anti-Libranos sniping from the former Martinite - now pro Ignatieff - gang over at the Globe & Mail.

Also, rather than accepting Sheila's self-entitled view that she "was elbowed aside during the change of leadership", it seems more believable to conclude that lesser-of-evils merit coupled with Martin's chicanery trumped her feminist card.

[AZLiberty]

What’s a good source on what “really” happened?

[Clive]

What really happened is the subject of a Commission of Inquiry which has been appointed by Prime Minister Harper.

This is a judicial inquiry conducted by the appointed Commissioner who is retired Supreme Court Justice John Major. Such an inquiry is in an inquest or inquisitorial mode with evidence taken on oath advanced and cross examined by the Crown and by lawyers for interested parties. Although inquisitorial, the proceedings take on an adversarial characteristic as that is the only way that common law lawyers know how to conduct hearings

We will have to wait for Mr Justice Major's report but the evidence coming to light is beginning to disclose a cascade of screw-ups and procedural failures in the RCMP, CSIS, Air India, Foreign Affairs and probably Transport Canada and who knows what other agencies.

[Clive]

Further to my Reply 11, here is a link to the announcement of the Commission of Inquiry as posted on the site of the Prime Minister's Office.

Prime Minister Harper announces inquiry into Air India bombing

Articles have been posted in Free Republic on this inquiry. Try using searc term "Air India".

[Clive]

OOPS, formatting error.

Here is the link:

Prime Minister Harper announces inquiry into Air India bombing

[design engineer]

There are only third world nations. I would agree if you refer to India as a “third world” nation because it is not as rich as western europe.

But the people are not “third worlders”.

Infact, there are NO nation is entirely made up of “third worlders” since the degree of civilization among people depends to a significant extent on their upbringing by their parents. There are good people everywhere - even in Afghanistan.

Consider this - in a third world country like India, 50 year old men dont storm into schools, brutally rape little girls and shoot them dead.

That happened only in US, Russia (Beslan) and probably tribal nations of Africa.

It doesnt mean all Americans are “sexually depraved”.. does it ?

[mimaw]

Sheila wants to know why it took 22yrs. for this inquiry. At what stage of the initial criminal investigation was a conservative gov. in power? I think the Canadian government has pretty much been infested by liberals and we all know they don’t want to recognize terror exists.

[buccaneer81]

Consider this - in a third world country like India, 50 year old men dont storm into schools, brutally rape little girls and shoot them dead.

You're right. They just blow up airliners over some stupid religious crap. Much better. /sarc