On July 21, 2012, I was honored to be one of the speakers at the memorable book launch of Fighting Hatred with Love: Voices of the Air India Victims' Families, by Helping You Get Published author Gurpreet Singh (Chetana Parkashan, publisher).
At the launch, which took place at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, family members and others close to the tragedy spoke out against the fundamentalism and extremism that led to the 1985 terrorist bombing that killed 331 innocent people. The roster of speakers included: Ujjal Dosanjh, former federal Health Minister and a vocal critic of extremism; Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice; Dave Hayer, MLA; D. K. Sharma, the acting Counsel General of India, Vancouver; Major Singh Sidhu, vice president of the Khalsa Deewan Society, Vancouver, on behalf of the victims’ families; Jinny Sims, MP; and Charlie Smith, editor of the Georgia Straight, who gave the keynote address.
