The June 23, 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 resulted in the longest and most expensive criminal investigation in Canadian history. A 2010 judicial public inquiry deemed the bombing “the largest mass murder in Canadian history,” following which the Canadian government issued a public apology for its “institutional failings and the mistreatment of families.” And, yet, the Air India bombing of 1985 and its aftermath continues to be little remembered in Canadian public memory. 

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." On June 21, 2006, John Major began the Air India Inquiry. Victims’ family members met with government officials and advocated for a public inquiry. 

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, to care for the victims’ families, and conduct a thorough investigation. 

Public response, key to understanding Canadian society’s engagement with this event, has been marked by a troubling indifference. It is therefore vital to center the voices of family members in memorializing these events – honoring the incommensurable pain they continue to carry. 

The archival exhibit reveals the family members’ profound love for those they lost, but also their care and empathy for fellow Canadians. Most importantly, they call for a shared humanity that rejects hate in all its forms. Perhaps Lata Pada said it better at here 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.”