Hon. Peter Harder: Honourable senators, it was approximately 12:14 a.m. on June 23, 1985, when a timer on a bomb aboard a flight — from Mirabel to its stopover at Heathrow — detonated.

There were 329 passengers who lost their lives in this odious act. This was every passenger, including 82 children, six babies and 29 entire families. This act of terrorism created grieving parents, widows, only children and children only.

I can only imagine the fear, the confusion, the panic and the prayers that then took place during the subsequent seconds. I can only imagine the sadness of the families and friends who were left behind.

At that point — and up until 9/11 — this was the worst act of terrorism against the travelling public in world history. This was Air India Flight 182.

This Monday, it will be 40 years since this Canadian tragedy. It took two decades for Air India Flight 182 to be seen as a terrorist act against Canadians, with the Honourable Bob Rae’s Lessons to be Learned report of 2005. In this report, Mr. Rae writes:

Let it be said clearly: the bombing of the Air India flight was the result of a conspiracy conceived, planned, and executed in Canada. Most of its victims were Canadians. This is a Canadian catastrophe, whose dimension and meaning must be understood by all Canadians.

This report led to the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182, conducted by Justice John C. Major. I thank them both for their work on such a vital yet sensitive subject.

Should the terrorists have had it their way, another flight would have been ripped apart by a bomb as well. A bag off‑loaded by a Canadian Pacific Air flight from Vancouver — en route to Air India Flight 302 to Bangkok — exploded in the transit area at Tokyo’s Narita Airport on June 22, 1985. This killed two baggage handlers. We must not forget this atrocity either.

While I have the floor, I would like to also send my condolences to the lives lost in Air India Flight 171 last week, which included two Canadians — an Ontarian and a permanent resident from Saskatchewan.

Senators, I follow in the footsteps of our former colleague Ratna Omidvar, and I hope that this reminder goes some way to ensuring that the dimension and meaning of this catastrophe are understood and remembered by all Canadians.

In order to better understand and remember this horrific tragedy, I encourage us all to watch the recently released CBC documentary entitled Two Suitcases: Anatomy of the Air India Bombing. Thank you.