Kanishka Bombing: Piyush Goyal pays tribute to victims in Canada; Reiterates commitment to uproot terrorism

Toronto: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal paid tribute to the victims of the Air India Flight 182 bombing at the Kanishka Memorial and met the families of the victims. Air India Flight 182 bombing is one of the deadliest terror acts in the aviation 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.

Paid tribute today at the Kanishka Memorial at Humber Bay Park, standing in quiet remembrance of the victims of the Air India Flight 182 bombing.

The mid-air bombing remains one of the most tragic acts of terrorism in aviation history. I also met with family members of several… pic.twitter.com/2VAhO3fLcG

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 27, 2026

Minister 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.

(With Inputs from ANI)