On June 23, 1985, the bombing of Air India Flight 182 killed all 329 passengers and crew.

In November 2005, former Ontario Premier Bob Rae recommended further inquiry into the Air India bombing. The federal government accepted Rae’s recommendation and appointed him to lead a "focused inquiry."

Victims’ family members continued to meet with government officials advocating for a public inquiry.

On June 21, 2006, the Canadian government launched the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182. The public inquiry was led by retired Justice John Major.

One of the documents prepared for the opening session of the public inquiry includes the question: “Do you wish to make a statement?” This question is the catalyst for this digital exhibition.

The Public Inquiry Exhibition brings together materials from the Air India Flight 182 Archive, tracing the public inquiry’s 2005 beginnings to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2010 apology. These documents reveal perspectives of family members, government institutions, and the general public. Crucially, they show family members denouncing the failures of Canadian institutions to prevent the tragedy, care for the victims’ families, and conduct a thorough investigation.

This archival exhibition reveals family members’ profound love for those they lost, but also their care and empathy for fellow Canadians. Most importantly, it shows their call for a shared humanity that rejects hate in all its forms. Perhaps Lata Pada said it well in her public statement for the Public Inquiry:

“We must seize this opportunity to make fundamental and lasting changes in our legislation and policies that will affect all Canadians. We must commit ourselves to ensuring that no Canadian ever experiences what the victims of the Air India bombing underwent. We must create a Canada that provides a safe home for all its peoples.”

The 2010 judicial public inquiry deemed the bombing “the largest mass murder in Canadian history.” Within days of Justice Major’s public inquiry report, the Canadian government issued a public apology for its “institutional failings and the mistreatment of families.” But the 1985 Air India bombing and its aftermath continue to be little remembered in Canadian public memory. Public response, which is key to understanding Canadian society’s engagement with the tragedy has been marked by a troubling indifference. It is therefore vital to centre the voices of family members in memorializing these events to honour the incommensurable pain they continue to carry.