The worst mass killing of Canadians was 40 years ago today and not many know much about it.

[blackbird]

That was the Air India bombing over the Atlantic that killed 329 people onboard of which 268 were Canadian citizens.

The court cases that followed over the next 20 or 25 years were a disaster as well and the authorities such as CSIS bungled it big time.

"In the aftermath of the attack, only one person, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted of perjury and sentenced to nine years.  He apparently got out on parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence.   The other suspects were acquitted.  CSIS reportedly destroyed all the wire-tap evidence, fearing that the police would leak some names to the public.  So nobody was actually convicted for the bombing.

Only 29 per cent of Canadians can report accurately that nobody was convicted; in 2023, when pollsters asked the same question, 34 per cent knew the truth."

Majority of Canadians say Air India bombing not treated like national tragedy: poll

Air India bomb maker to serve longest perjury sentence | CBC News

So those who were behind this tragedy were never brought to justice for the death of 329 people including 268 Canadians onboard the flight.

Edited June 23, 2025 by blackbird

[CdnFox]

This is true but it's a little too late to be worrying about it now. The government and police screw up so basically made it impossible to pursue any charges

[blackbird]

The strange thing is we have annual remembrances for the 14 women murdered and 14 other people injured at École Polytechnique in Montreal, QC December 6, 1989, in the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.  I am not sure if more people were murdered by the fake police officer in Nova Scotia a few years ago.  They were both terrible massacres. The Air India bombing was far worse, but little is said about the massacre of 329 people, of which 268 are Canadians.  Today is the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombing.  How much are we hearing on the news?

Edited June 23, 2025 by blackbird

[CdnFox]

33 minutes ago, blackbird said:

The strange thing is we have annual remembrances for the 14 women murdered and 14 other people injured at École Polytechnique in Montreal, QC December 6, 1989, in the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.  I am not sure if more people were murdered by the fake police officer in Nova Scotia a few years ago.  They were both terrible massacres. The Air India bombing was far worse, but little is said about the massacre of 329 people, of which 268 are Canadians.  Today is the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombing.  How much are we hearing on the news?

That's because Polytechnic Involved a gun and a white person specifically a white male. They care when they are promoting their anti-gun agenda. They don't care when the murders are resolved of the use of explosives or are done by a marginalized group such as indians

[Michael Hardner]

CdnFox has a point, but the lack of symmetry in how much/little attention people pay isn't so easy to explain as that.

Why did Canadian media pay more attention to the Boston Marathon bombing then the Quebec mosque shooting? 

People on the left will simply say that it's racism. 

They are wrong also. 

The problem is rather unfathomable, however you can frame the question very succinctly as a great Canadian named Harold Innis did:

"Why do we attend to the things we attend to?"

 

Maybe AI will figure it out.

[Nefarious Banana]

The Ecole Polytechnique tragedy has served the Federal Liberals well in their relentless quest to disarm lawful Canadian firearm owners.  Of course there are exceptions to firearm ownership and usage: Indians.

White man/bad man . . . 

[PIK]

I work with some 20+ yr old kids. I brought up the FLQ. They had no idea what I was talking about. Great education system we have.

[User]

14 hours ago, Michael Hardner said:

Why did Canadian media pay more attention to the Boston Marathon bombing then the Quebec mosque shooting? 

I don't think this is accurate. I am not even Canadian and can easily see this was massively covered by your media. Not only was it covered, but long after it was turned into a National Day of Remembrance. They were 2 different events years apart. It is not like one was covered and the other wasn't. They both got significant attention. 

The National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec Mosque Attack and of Action Against Islamophobia

https://psacunion.ca/mosque-islamophobia-2025#:~:text=Since 2021%2C January 29 has,Attack and Action against Islamophobia.

"Since 2021, January 29 has been observed as a National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.   "

[herbie]

The real question is WHY don't they know about it.

One reason is because it happened before the Internet and has barely been discussed online since the Internet was invented. Even on anniversary dates, it only gets covered in Canadian media.

Plus, racism is/was part of the problem. Remember those jokes about how many empty seats everyone was telling at the time? People felt they were 'new' Canadians, they weren't 'real' Canadians.

 

Edited June 25, 2025 by herbie

[August1991]

On 6/23/2025 at 2:31 PM, blackbird said:

That was the Air India bombing over the Atlantic that killed 329 people onboard of which 268 were Canadian citizens.

....

Strongly disagree, for many reasons.

In a single day, on a beach in Dieppe in Aug 1942, some 900 Canadians were killed. 

[LinkSoul60]

10 hours ago, August1991 said:

Strongly disagree, for many reasons.

In a single day, on a beach in Dieppe in Aug 1942, some 900 Canadians were killed. 

War is entirely different than a planned mass civilian killing

[blackbird]

11 hours ago, August1991 said:

Strongly disagree, for many reasons.

In a single day, on a beach in Dieppe in Aug 1942, some 900 Canadians were killed. 

You lost all credibility.  Totally insanity.

[User]

1 hour ago, blackbird said:

You lost all credibility.  Totally insanity.

You might have a leg to stand on yourself if you had not so grossly lied about me and continued to lie and lie and lie and be dishonest instead of just owning up to it. 

In fact, you were so dishonest, you had to run and hide from me over it all. 

 

[August1991]

Single day?

Search: Beaumont-Hamel.

Of the some 800 Newfoundlanders who went into battle that morning, only 68 were able to answer the roll call the next day, with more than 700 killed, wounded or missing.

287 were killed.

[herbie]

Oh give it up! You're talking about war casualties and this was outright murder.

And I'm sure outside Canada and the UK, 99% of people have no idea it even happened. That's shameful.

Main point it happened before most people alive were even born now. Run the poll again and ask how many Canadians know about the Empress of Ireland, the figures will be even worse. That was another Canadian tragedy.
But August you do have one point. The number unaware of Dieppe would also be higher.

[WestCanMan]

On 6/23/2025 at 11:31 AM, blackbird said:

Only 29 per cent of Canadians can report accurately that nobody was convicted; in 2023, when pollsters asked the same question, 34 per cent knew the truth."

29% is actually pretty good, considering that it happened 40 years ago.

I bet that less than 5% of Canadians know that we had more covid deaths in 2022 than we did in 2020, and that was only 3 years ago.

Quote

So those who were behind this tragedy were never brought to justice for the death of 329 people including 268 Canadians onboard the flight.

I hate to say this, but if John Candy, Rick Vaive, Anne Murray, Wayne Gretzky or Guy Lafleur were on that plane, we'd probably have had some convictions, and 75% of Canadians would know all about it. 

This wasn't top-of-mind for Canadians for ten years, the same way as it would have been if there was a legit celebrity onboard, and this is a big part of why I don't really give a fork when the Indian gov't decides that they need to merc a Khlaistani terrorist here once every decade or so. 

"Sovereignty, shmovereignty", says I. We failed on a colossal scale, the Indian gov't had no choice but take care of business.

As Canadians we don't get bent out of shape when the US drone-strikes people in other countries - even with 'collateral damage' - that they're not at war with, so why should I get pissy when India does it here? 

[August1991]

8 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

...

I hate to say this, but if John Candy, Rick Vaive, Anne Murray, Wayne Gretzky or Guy Lafleur were on that plane, we'd probably have had some convictions, and 75% of Canadians would know all about it.

.... 

What's your point.

[WestCanMan]

9 minutes ago, August1991 said:

What's your point.

It's like the Viceroy of Vaguity just asked me for clarification 😉. I feel like I just accomplished something.

I'm saying that we would have been more "robust" about gathering info if a Canadian icon was on that plane, and Canadians would have it scorched into their memory banks.

If twenty random people die on a bus 2 provinces away from you the details get hazy after a few years. If your best friend was on that bus and was one of only 2 people that died, you'd know everything about that crash.

Would our police have done some Guantanamo-type sh1t if Gretzky was on that plane? 

Are the Kennedys gun-shy? 

Edited June 27, 2025 by WestCanMan

[August1991]

10 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

...

I'm saying that we would have been more "robust" about gathering info if a Canadian icon was on that plane, and Canadians would have it scorched into their memory banks.

...

You mean, if Russell Peters had been on the plane, we would talk about this more? 

[eyeball]

30 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

I bet that less than 5% of Canadians know that we had more covid deaths in 2022 than we did in 2020, and that was only 3 years ago.

That's because even fewer give a damn.

[WestCanMan]

15 minutes ago, August1991 said:

You mean, if Russell Peters had been on the plane, we would talk about this more? 

No. He was in grade 2 at the time. He wasn't famous yet. 

But, yeah. You get the gist of it now.

How many people Canadians over 40 know about the OJ Simpson trial? How many people remember the glove? Was there a glove at the Air India trial? Were the crown prosecutors banging each other in the Air India trial? Who were they? Did one of the prosecutors in the Air India case have a side-family? How was the main perp arrested? Can you name any of the crown prosecutors from the Air India trial? 

[August1991]

15 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

No. He was in grade 2 at the time. He wasn't famous yet. 

But, yeah. You get the gist of it now.

....

Hey, kids. That's irony.

[blackbird]

Canadians in general are not well-educated about a lot of important events in history.

Ignorance is not bliss.  There is a price to be paid for not knowing about the past.  There are many things in history that are important to understand.  If we don't understand it, we are more likely to make the same or similar mistakes in the future.

We see some examples of it with some of the comments on here.  

But also, it seems the world in general seems to be on a downward spiral.  

The central issue as I see it is everyone's personal relationship with God.  The Bible tells us about that and what we can do about it as individuals.  Mankind either listens to what God says in his written word, in English the King James Bible, or turns his back on it and self destructs.  Everyone has the freedom to choose his own course.

Edited June 27, 2025 by blackbird

[User]

6 hours ago, blackbird said:

The central issue as I see it is everyone's personal relationship with God.  The Bible tells us about that and what we can do about it as individuals.  Mankind either listens to what God says in his written word, in English the King James Bible, or turns his back on it and self destructs.  Everyone has the freedom to choose his own course.

LOL, so if you don't read English you are screwed?

Come on man. Enough of this silly extremism. Someone's personal relationship with God is not dependent upon them being able to read English, nor must they have to use the King James version of The Bible. 

 

[WestCanMan]

10 hours ago, blackbird said:

The central issue as I see it is everyone's personal relationship with God.  The Bible tells us about that and what we can do about it as individuals.  

I'll grant you that people who believe in God and who tend towards the middle of our political spectrum don't tend to be as susceptible to libt4rd sloganeering or peer pressure as atheists, but then at the other extent you'll find that people who have 1 foot in the next realm are more likely to do insane sh1t than non-believers.

The baconally challenged f-wits on both sides of the conflict in the middle east are perfect examples of how religion can rot the hive mind to a greater extent than anything else on this planet.