Opinion: India relations are complicated; but remembering the dead is not

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As we approach the 40th anniversary of Canada's worst mass-casualty event — an act of domestic terrorism — families of the victims must contend not only with their loss but also the pain of abandonment by this country. As illustrated by the Angus Reid Institute two years ago, nine out of 10 Canadians know little or nothing of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, that killed all 329 people aboard, including 280 Canadians.
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This action was conceived and executed from within our borders by individuals bent on maintaining a cycle of revenge. As has been covered for decades by Postmedia's Kim Bolan and Terry Glavin, and CBC's Terry Milewski, it began with extremists in India waging war on innocents. This seemed reason enough for Canadian disinterest to set in; in the eyes of authorities, those who died when Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland were not our own.
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Writing for the Ottawa Citizen in 2023, Shachi Kurl describes this event as 'a near blank page: a calamity that has morphed from open wound to an unhealed scar, and risks fading from our collective memories entirely.' Inconceivably, that blank page is increasingly filled not by the truth, but by what can only be charitably described as fantasy.
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Some members of Canada's Indian community — those who wish to carve out a theocratic homeland, Khalistan, from India — continue to perpetuate a baseless argument that the Indian government was responsible for the bombing. That theory was given consideration and duly dismissed, during the meticulous public inquiry led by retired Supreme Court Justice John Major.
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Major was clear in his conclusions, among them that the bombing could have been prevented. The Government of India had fulsomely shared its intelligence; it warned Canada to be wary of bombs in luggage and even identified the doomed flight. But Canadian officials of the day dismissed India's warnings, instead chalking it up to India wanting free security for its planes.
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There was an unmistakable whiff of condescension in those Canadian attitudes, an unwillingness to see India as a partner in global relations. That attitude seems only to have deepened; many contemporary Canadian politicians prefer to support Canadians who continue to agitate for Khalistan in defiance of the wishes of Indians living in India.
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Yet, when U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his views that Canada should become the 51st American state, Canadians made their feelings quite clear. We are a sovereign nation, our borders are inviolate and our affairs are not to be interfered with by outsiders.

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Winnipeg Free Press

21 minutes ago

• Winnipeg Free Press

Carney travelling to Europe for security, defence talks with EU, NATO

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney will depart for Europe on Sunday for back-to-back summits where he is expected to make major commitments for Canada on security and defence. Carney will be joined by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Defence Minister David McGuinty and secretary of state for defence procurement Stephen Fuhr at the EU and NATO summits, where military procurement and diversifying supply chains will top the agendas. The international meetings come as Canada looks to reduce its defence procurement reliance on the United States due to strained relations over tariffs and President Donald Trump's repeated talk about Canada becoming a U.S. state. Carney will fly first to Brussels, Belgium, starting the trip with a visit to the Antwerp Schoonselhof Military Cemetery where 348 Canadian soldiers are buried. He will also meet with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. At the EU-Canada summit, Anand and McGuinty are expected to sign a security and defence agreement with the EU in what one European official described Friday as one of the most ambitious deals Europe has ever signed with a third country. The agreement will open the door to Canada's participation in the ReArm Europe initiative, allowing Canada to access a 150-billion-euro loan program for defence procurement, called Security Action for Europe. An EU official briefing reporters on Friday said once the procurement deal is in place, Canada will have to negotiate a bilateral agreement with the European Commission to begin discussions with member states about procurement opportunities. A Canadian official briefing reporters on the summit Saturday said the initial agreement will allow for Canada's participation in some joint procurement projects. However, a second agreement will be needed to allow Canadian companies to bid. At the EU-Canada summit, leaders are also expected to issue a joint statement to underscore a willingness for continued pressure on Russia, including through further sanctions, and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. After Brussels, Carney heads to The Hague in the Netherlands for the NATO leaders' summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. There, Carney will meet with the King of the Netherlands and later with leaders of Nordic nations to discuss Arctic and transatlantic security. At the NATO summit, Carney will take part in bilateral meetings with other leaders. The summit agenda includes a social dinner hosted by the king and queen of the Netherlands and a two-and-a-half hour meeting of the North Atlantic Council. NATO allies are expected to debate a plan to hike alliance members' defence spending target to five per cent of national GDP. NATO data shows that in 2024, none of its 32 members spent that much. The Canadian government official who briefed reporters on background says the spending target and its timeline are still up for discussion, though some allies have indicated they would prefer a seven-year timeline while others favour a decade. Canada hasn't hit a five- per- cent defence spending threshhold since the 1950s and hasn't reached the two per cent mark since the late 1980s. NATO says that, based on its estimate of which expenditures count toward the target, Canada spent $41 billion in 2024 on defence, or 1.37 per cent of GDP. That's more than twice what it spent in 2014, when the two per cent target was first set; that year, Canada spent $20.1 billion, or 1.01 per cent of GDP, on defence. In 2014, only three NATO members achieved the two per cent target — the U.S., the U.K., and Greece. In 2025, all members are expected to hit it. Any agreement to adopt a new spending benchmark must be ratified by all 32 NATO member states. Former Canadian ambassador to NATO Kerry Buck told The Canadian Press the condensed agenda is likely meant to 'avoid public rifts among allies,' describing Trump as an 'uncertainty engine.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'The national security environment has really, really shifted,' Buck said, adding allies next door to Russia face the greatest threats. 'There is a high risk that the U.S. would undercut NATO at a time where all allies are increasingly vulnerable.' Trump has suggested the U.S. might abandon its mutual defence commitment to the alliance if member countries don't ramp up defence spending. 'Whatever we can do to get through this NATO summit with few public rifts between the U.S. and other allies on anything, and satisfy a very long-standing U.S. demand to rebalance defence spending, that will be good for Canada because NATO's good for Canada,' Buck said. Carney has already made two trips to Europe this year — the first to London and Paris to meet with European allies and the second to Rome to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2025.

Global News

2 hours ago

• Global News

More Canadians want to join the military, but enlisted members keep leaving

Interest has spiked in the Canadian military, with recruitment levels hitting their highest point in a decade. But as more people walk in the door, thousands of enlisted members are deciding to walk out. Numbers obtained by Global News show the retention crisis worsened year over year, as Prime Minister Mark Carney who is attending the NATO summit in Brussels, vows to rebuild the Armed Forces and reduce Canada's dependence on the U.S. 'The reason why retention has not been improving is because the military has been putting all of his eggs in the recruitment basket,' said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a defence analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. 0:45 'A real end': Trump says he wants Iran to 'give up entirely' on nuclear weapons According to figures from the Department of National Defence, attrition rates in the regular forces increased, with 5,026 leaving the military between 2024 and 2025, compared with 4,256 during the same period the previous year. Story continues below advertisement Retention among reservists improved slightly during the past two years. Overall, the situation has remained largely stagnant, the DND numbers show. 'This is knowledge and readiness that we're losing that new recruits cannot replace immediately … and skills that are necessary to defend Canada,' Duval-Lantoine said. 6:20 PM Carney pledges to meet NATO's 2% defence spending target this year Recruitment in the regular forces hit a record high this fiscal year, but not all 6,706 enrolled will pass basic training. The gains are offset by the loss of 5,026 members. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy More people are considering careers in the Canadian Armed Forces, as Canada's relationship with the U.S. undergoes a major shift, and Ottawa vows to prioritize defence and increase pay for military personnel. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Canadian sovereignty and has not backed away from punishing tariffs. The CAF cautions it's too early to link the jump in interest to Trump's rhetoric and policies. Story continues below advertisement The military has widened eligibility recently to include permanent residents and applicants with certain medical conditions, while modernizing recruitment with a new online portal. 5:59 Breaking Down Canada's Defence Spending Plan Unless the military can hold onto more currently serving members, Duval-Lantoine doubts it will fill a shortage of roughly 13,000 personnel or meet its targets of 71,500 regular force members and 30,000 reservists by 2030. 'It's too slow of a growth. There really needs to be more aggressive measures,' she said. 'The lack of urgency is quite scary from my point of view.' 4:51 Canada-U.S. trade talks accelerate as Carney hosts G7 leaders in Alberta Story continues below advertisement DND says the 'fluctuation' in the attrition rate is 'within the normal range' and consistent with Canada's allies. 'There are a wide variety of reasons members choose to stay in or leave the CAF, so it is difficult to attribute it to one or a few specific factors,' department spokesperson Derek Abma said in a statement to Global News. But defence experts point to issues around training and career management, a lack of affordable housing, and pay. Earlier this month, Defence Minister David McGuinty said CAF personnel will be getting a salary bump, but did not specify when. 'That's where a lot of the initial investment will be, of course, including a 20 per cent pay increase,' he told reporters June 10. A day earlier, Carney announced an additional $9.3 billion in military funding to meet the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence. Of that, $2.6 billion will go towards recruitment, salary hikes and hiring an additional 1,400 new staff, said government officials, speaking on background, at a technical briefing on June 9. 9:55 Former Chief of the Defence Staff reacts to spending plans More than 77,000 people hit 'Apply Now' on the Armed Forces' website, the highest number in five years, but less than 10 per cent — 6,706 – made it to the finish line and enrolled Story continues below advertisement The military says a large number of people never finish their applications. It's not clear how many are completed, but Duval-Lantoine insists there isn't enough staff to handle the intake. Canada's former chief of the defence staff, retired general Wayne Eyre, acknowledges there is no 'silver bullet' to solve the personnel crisis, but he would like to see the military be less risk-averse, something the CAF, like most government institutions, has struggled with. 'The secret to success is the willingness to experiment, to try new things. If it doesn't work well, fine. Learn from it. If it does, take it up to scale,' Eyre said. 'We've got to keep our foot on the gas…. We've got to get as many qualified members of Canadian society in the door as quickly as possible.'

Toronto Sun

4 hours ago

• Toronto Sun

Letters to the Editor, June 22, 2025

Sunday letters Photo by Illustration / Toronto Sun CRAZY TO SUPPORT IRAN This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Re 'CUPE Ontario's sponsorship of pro-Iranian protest raises eyebrows' (Bryan Passifiume, June 17): CUPE, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, is organizing and sponsoring the 'Hands off Iran' protest at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto. Iran horribly abuses its own people, including murder, torture and imprisonment. These are not Alberta values. This is one more example of crazy Canadian wokeness that is getting worse and worse. Given a choice between Iran and America as friends, Albertans will pick America every time. Alberta needs to separate from Canada to escape Canadian values that absolutely do not represent Albertans! Chris Robertson Stony Plain, Alta. (CUPE has reached the height of stupidity with their support of the Iraninan regime. Any self respecting member of this union should demand they reverse course. Iran is a state sponsor of terror and wants to see the death of the West) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. HOVERCRAFT SUCCESS The new hovercraft planned between St. Catharines and Billy Bishop will be fabulous for tourism. Someone should immediately begin plans for booking between Toronto and the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We will be able to take a morning trip, see a matinee, and return to Toronto — or stay overnight if someone will think about motel-style accommodation in the town under $200. Right now, it's so expensive we might as well fly to Broadway. What a boon for wine tours, etc. and have a shuttle from St. Catharines to the Falls. This opens tourism using Toronto as a base. And, of course, it will work in reverse for people from the south side of the lake doing day trips to Toronto and seeing all the Mirvish shows, shop and dine. Time for the BIA to spruce up Young St. and do the lavish Christmas decorations that used to attract shoppers from all over. Everyone should think about how to join in on this coming opportunity. Bravo! Tim Devlin Toronto (It is going to be a boon) World Columnists Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA