Unveiling of the Vancouver Memorial to the Victims of the Air India Tragedy

Speaking notes for the
Honourable Stockwell Day
Minister of Public Safety

July 27, 2007
Vancouver, BC
As delivered

Thank you, Mr. Chairman [Ian Roberston, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Chair]. And Audrey [Audrey Rivers, respected elder of the Squamish Nation], thank you for your prayers and your words.

Premier Campbell [Gordon Campbell, Premier of B.C.], thank you for your leadership and also Your Worship Mayor Sullivan [Sam Sullivan, Mayor of Vancouver], other elected officials, representatives of the RCMP, Vancouver City and other police forces, ladies and gentlemen and, most importantly, families and loved ones.

I thank you for your efforts to establish a memorial that clearly states that Canadians from across our land will never forget this tragedy.

Tremendous work has taken place. This monument, here in Stanley Park, will serve as a cornerstone of monuments and memorials right across the country, reminding us that in 1985 on a beautiful day in June, 331 people lost their lives.

Their lives were taken, were stolen. So many of those were children. The vast majority were Canadian. These lives were taken by people who chose hate over understanding; violence over dialogue; and extremism over tolerance.

This is a fitting place for this memorial. The thousands of people who come together as family and friends to enjoy this park will be reminded of the tragedy that took place.

I say to the families and the loved ones of those lost, your journey has been long, but it has not been in vain. This place will be a reminder that understanding and love always triumph over hatred and intolerance, because Canadians come together. It reminds us of the importance of the values in which we believe so strongly.

So please know that your efforts have gone a great distance. Here in Vancouver, in Toronto – where the Prime Minister commemorated a similar event – and in the cities where two more memorials will be unveiled at a later date.

Canadians will be forever reminded of the things that matter most and of the things that keep us together. You have been a huge part of that. God bless you in what you have done and may we as Canadians never forget. Thank you.