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Parliament feels Kanishka heat
A-I case had its echo as the House recommended a public probe, writes Gurmukh Singh in Canada Diary.
There was a lot of Indian news in Canada this week.
In the nation's parliament, the Air-India case had its echo once again when the House debated and then okayed a motion seeking a public inquiry into the 1985 bombing. The motion, moved by Indo-Canadian MP Gurmant Grewal, generated so much heat in the House that at one time the leader of the Opposition Conservative Party, Stephen Harper, had to say that the government would have reacted differently if the victims had been white Canadians.
A defensive Prime Minister Paul Martin shrugged off these accusations.
Outside the House, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan met with some of the relatives of the Kanishka bombing to know what more could be done to satisfy them after the British Columbian Supreme Court in Vancouver last month acquitted the two suspects --Ripduman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri-- for lack of evidence.
On the other hand, the Crown or prosecution counsel in Vancouver, who are sifting through the 600-page verdict and had till April 16 to appeal the verdict, got more time till May 13 to appeal against the acquittals.
Amid all this, it is surprising that no one raised the issue of compensation for the victims. Aren't victims around the world compensated by governments? Even in the Lockerbie case, Libya has given millions of dollars to the families of the victims. Is it because of the fear of huge compensations that the Canadian government is reluctant to order a public inquiry? One cannot say anything for certain.
It is springtime in this cold country. Though Baisakhi celebrations, including parades, are a permanent feature in many cities across North America, Vancouver created history this year by organising the biggest parade involving more than 70,000 people. It was a sunny bright day in the otherwise cloudy weather as the long procession wound its way through Surrey which is home to the largest South Asian population in North America.
Floats depicting different aspects of Punjabi rural life and the Sikh religion were the most attractive part of the parade. Virtually every home had set up a free kitchen or langar in front of it. One could see whites and Chinese joining in the feast. Televisions featured the parade prominently as did the newspapers.
