Harper Government Releases Air India Inquiry Action Plan

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Harper Government Releases Air India Inquiry Action Plan
Roadmap to help ensure terrible and senseless act is never repeated

OTTAWA, December 7, 2010 — The Harper Government today released the Air India Inquiry Action Plan. The Air India Inquiry Action Plan is the Government’s response to the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182. The Plan was announced by the Honourable Vic Toews, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

“In appointing Commissioner Major to scrutinize the institutional failings that led to the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history, our Government has listened and has acted in the interests of victims when no other government would,” said Minister Toews. “The Air India Inquiry Action Plan is a roadmap to help ensure that such a terrible and senseless act does not happen again.”

The Air India Inquiry Action Plan responds to Commissioner Major’s Report by highlighting six themes where additional action was required before, during and after the time of the terrorist attack in 1985. In ongoing work to address the remaining concerns raised in the Report, the Air India Inquiry Action Plan calls for:

Streamlining of criminal trial processes to better manage the unique complexity of terrorist prosecutions;
Modifying the federal Witness Protection Program to ensure it is appropriately suited to the types of witnesses who need protection in terrorism cases;
Strengthening Canada’s framework for combating terrorist financing;
Enhancing cooperation among Canada’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies in particular information sharing for national security purposes;
Examining ways to improve how security intelligence is collected and retained, and exploring the process of disclosure and the obligations of security intelligence agencies; and
Strengthening aviation security while always focusing on the areas of highest risk.

“Our government would like to thank the families of the victims in the bombing of Flight 182, which was truly an act of unconscionable cruelty, for their ongoing efforts and consultation with our government on this Action Plan." said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. "This Action Plan demonstrates our government’s ongoing commitment to combat the evil of terrorism so that other families will never suffer the same loss. As we move forward, our government commits to an ongoing consultative role for victims’ families throughout the Plan’s implementation.”

As part of its response, the Government is also committing to an ongoing consultative role for victims’ families throughout the Action Plan’s implementation and to deliver regular updates on the progress being made on implementation of the Action Plan. That progress will build on to the significant work that has already taken place since 1985, including the Harper Government’s tabling of Mega-trials legislation, and the $1.5 billion investment to significantly strengthen air security made in 2010.

In September 2006, the Government of Canada launched an inquiry and commissioned retired Justice John Major to scrutinize without limit the investigation of the bombing of Air India Flight 182. In June 2010, the Commission’s final report, Air India Flight 182: A Canadian Tragedy, was released. The report examined Canada’s national security systems, policies and actions related to this atrocity.