Piyush Goyal pays tribute to Kanishka bombing victims in Canada

Air India Flight 182 bombing one of the deadliest acts of aviation terrorism in history, in which all 329 passengers and crew were killed. The aircraft, also known as Kanishka, exploded over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland after a bomb had been placed on board. The flight was operating from Toronto to India via Montreal and London.

Goyal, meeting with the families of the victims, reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Canada to strengthening cooperation to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated.

Speaking with ANI, the sister of one of the victims said, "It is very important that the Minister is here in remembrance. Of all the people who were just taken away, so sadly, so suddenly, I am glad they are remembered. I really appreciate the Minister coming and paying respect."

Executive Director of the Air India Victims' Families Association, Deepak Khandelwal, also appreciated the Minister's decision to show respect to the victims.

"It's great that the Minister came here today to lay a wreath in memory of the innocent people who were murdered 41 years ago. It's good that he's coming to show respect, and the family members are here with him," he said.

Goyal is in Canada for a three-day official visit from May 25-27, taking place as New Delhi and Ottawa aggressively push ahead with negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), viewed as a vital step in rejuvenating economic relations between the two nations.

During his visit, he met Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney; Foreign Minister, Anita Anand; Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Heath MacDonald and Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, among others.

He also met prominent Canadian industry leaders during his three-day visit to Canada to discuss investment avenues and expand bilateral economic partnerships.

The high-level interactions focused heavily on enhancing collaborations in financial services, infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, and critical minerals processing.

He noted during his meetings how the talks between them emphasised the importance of trade, investment and tech linkages for the strategic partnership between the two countries. (ANI)