Close X
Tuesday, November 12, 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

    Medical Marijuana Patients Struggle To Access Pot Under Federal Rules: Study

    VANCOUVER — A University of British Columbia study suggests medical marijuana patients are struggling to access cannabis under current regulations and many are turning to the black market.

    Medical Marijuana Patients Struggle To Access Pot Under Federal Rules: Study

    One Dead, Another Injured After House Explodes In Northeastern Toronto

    One Dead, Another Injured After House Explodes In Northeastern Toronto
    TORONTO — Police have identified a man who died in an explosion that levelled a house in northeastern Toronto as 57-year-old Paul Zigomanis.

    One Dead, Another Injured After House Explodes In Northeastern Toronto

    Mediterranean Migrant Deaths Worth Risk: Man Who Boarded Thai Ship For Canada

    Mediterranean Migrant Deaths Worth Risk: Man Who Boarded Thai Ship For Canada
    VANCOUVER — A young Sri Lankan man crammed into the cargo hold of a ship with nearly 500 others had only one thing on his mind — getting to the promised land called Canada.

    Mediterranean Migrant Deaths Worth Risk: Man Who Boarded Thai Ship For Canada

    Budget Will Make Pilot Immigrant Loan Program Permanent

    Budget Will Make Pilot Immigrant Loan Program Permanent
    OTTAWA — More newcomers will have access to federal loans to help get their professional training up to Canadian standards as part of today’s federal budget.

    Budget Will Make Pilot Immigrant Loan Program Permanent

    Pot Hot, Must Get Aired In Federal Election: Olympic Medallist Ross Rebagliati

    Pot Hot, Must Get Aired In Federal Election: Olympic Medallist Ross Rebagliati
    VANCOUVER — Ross Rebagliati says he's been waiting 17 years for marijuana to go mainstream, and he's convinced the issue is so hot that politicians will be forced to address legalization in the upcoming federal election.

    Pot Hot, Must Get Aired In Federal Election: Olympic Medallist Ross Rebagliati

    Family Thanks Stranger Who Donated Liver To Three-Year-Old Kingston Girl

    Family Thanks Stranger Who Donated Liver To Three-Year-Old Kingston Girl
    TORONTO — The father of three-year-old Kingston, Ont., twins who underwent potentially life-saving liver transplants couldn't hold back tears as he thanked the anonymous donor who made the surgery possible for the second girl.

    Family Thanks Stranger Who Donated Liver To Three-Year-Old Kingston Girl