Mr. Speaker, on June 23, 1985, a terrorist bomb killed 329 innocent people on Air India 182. Like other major terrorist attacks on civil aviation, the process of identifying, locating, and bringing to trial those involved is lengthy and complex.
Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik face charges of murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy in connection with the destruction of Air India 182, and an attack on a second plane in Tokyo.
For many of the victims' families this week marks the start of a trial that many never expected to see. The proceedings will take place in a $7.2 million high security, high tech courtroom built especially for the case and it is expected to last eight months. The trial will be costly and complex, involving tens of thousands of pages of evidence from years of investigations on three continents and is the culmination of a process that has cost more than $80 million.
As this trial unfolds, the Canadian Alliance extends our best wishes to the families of the victims of Air India 182 as they seek the answers that will heal their pain and make our skies safer.