Close X
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada Must Guard Against Terrorism: PM Harper

IANS, 24 Jun, 2015 12:56 PM
    Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism and so "continued vigilance is essential", Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said.
     
    Harper made the remarks on Tuesday while laying a wreath in the Hall of Honour to mark the "National day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism" observed to honour those killed in the 1985 Air India bombing.
     
    An Air India flight flying from Toronto to London crashed off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board. Most of the dead were Canadians of Indian origin. 
     
    Sikh extremists were blamed for the bombing.
     
    Harper said he cannot "help but cast his mind back to the Canadians who perished in Air India Flight 182 and in the World Trade Centre attacks... and to the many terrorist activities foiled by the vigilance of Canadian security agencies.
     
    "The recollections serve as a reminder that Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism and that continued vigilance is essential."
     
    Addressing a gathering in parliament building here, he said it was a terror attack that killed the 329 passengers and crew members aboard Air India. 
     
    "On this sombre anniversary, we stand in solidarity with the friends and families who lost loved ones in that heinous attack and honour those lost.
     
    "We were deeply moved by this solemn tribute as well as by our meeting the kin of the victims," he added.
     
    Among the kin of the victims present was Susheel Gupta, whose mother Ramvati died in the bombing. Gupta said he regretted that his children would not be able to meet their grandmother.
     
    Meanwhile, a memorial service in Ireland was attended by India's Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan and Canadian Minister of Justice Peter MacKay.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Cheaper Energy Prices In April Churn Out Weakest Inflation Rate Since 2013

    The weight of low energy prices slowed the country's annual inflation rate to just 0.8 per cent last month — its weakest reading since October 2013, Statistics Canada said Friday.

    Cheaper Energy Prices In April Churn Out Weakest Inflation Rate Since 2013

    Centre Says LG Has Last Word In Postings, Arvind Kejriwal Attacks Modi

    Centre Says LG Has Last Word In Postings, Arvind Kejriwal Attacks Modi
    In a hurriedly-convened press conference following the home ministry's decree on the lt. governor's powers, Kejriwal likened Modi to "London" and Lt.Governor Najeeb Jung to "viceroy."

    Centre Says LG Has Last Word In Postings, Arvind Kejriwal Attacks Modi

    Saskatchewan Wrestles With Controversial Issue Of Farmland Ownership

    Saskatchewan Wrestles With Controversial Issue Of Farmland Ownership
    CALGARY — Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart expects to catch an earful when the province's residents start to weigh in on who should and shouldn't be allowed to own farmland in Canada's breadbasket.

    Saskatchewan Wrestles With Controversial Issue Of Farmland Ownership

    Yosef Gopaul Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Death Of Surrey Hockey Mom Julie Paskall

    Yosef Gopaul Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Death Of Surrey Hockey Mom Julie Paskall
    Yosef Gopaul admitted to manslaughter in the death of the woman who went to a Surrey, B.C., arena to pick up her 16-year-old son, who'd been refereeing a minor hockey game.

    Yosef Gopaul Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Death Of Surrey Hockey Mom Julie Paskall

    White Rock Man's Elephant Selfie (or 'Elphie') In Thailand Garners Worldwide Attention

    White Rock Man's Elephant Selfie (or 'Elphie') In Thailand Garners Worldwide Attention
    The University of British Columbia student Christian LeBlanc and his girlfriend  was feeding an elephant when the animal grabbed his GoPro camera, set to continuous shooting, and snapped a photo with its trunk

    White Rock Man's Elephant Selfie (or 'Elphie') In Thailand Garners Worldwide Attention

    Family Struggles With Gruesome Killing Of Man In Upscale West Vancouver Neighbourhood

    Family Struggles With Gruesome Killing Of Man In Upscale West Vancouver Neighbourhood
    VANCOUVER — A British Columbia lawyer says his clients are trying to comprehend why a family member was the victim of an alleged gruesome murder in West Vancouver's upscale British Properties.

    Family Struggles With Gruesome Killing Of Man In Upscale West Vancouver Neighbourhood