Kanishka inquiry: 'Funding for victims' families inadequate'

There are already ominous signs of unease that victims' families of Kanishka bombing are having about the Air India Commission and the Canadian government as the funding given to the families to put across their interests is "inadequate," says an attorney.

In an interview with rediff.com, Raj Anand, who's representing 15 victims' families, said, "The families have been given funding only for two trips of two days each, a total four days for the entire duration of the inquiry that would last till May 2007 and the commissioner is expected to release his report in September."

He also called funding allocated to the victims' families for their attorneys as "inadequate."

"There are many commission lawyers and dozens of lawyers of the Justice Department, all of whom are being paid for by the public and are representing the public in one form or another, but not the victims' families' interest," Anand explained.

"So, victims' families have acquired standing which means they have unique identifiable interests getting at the truth and in changing policies and practices of the Canadian government agencies. They thus have a different interest than does the government which is funding various lawyers," Anand added.

Anand explained his role and that of other lawyers representing the victims' families as "to bring out right, but they (government) are talking about speed and economy."

When asked whether the interests of the government and the families is not the same and that being to bring out the truth, Anand disagreed with that contention: "I wouldn't say it follows automatically and I think the truth of the pudding is in the eating. I have already seen ominous signs as the funding given to the families is inadequate."

The question asked was also whether based on findings of the commission as to who were responsible, and if there were lapses on the part of the Canadian government agencies, there could be any legal implication of financial compensation for the families, Anand said the commission has no authority to recommend any financial compensation.

"For that, families may have to go to the court. There are other implications, like the Statute of Limitations, which varies from State to State," Anand said.

Anand and other lawyers representing the victims' families are helping, with the support of the commission lawyers, in preparing their statements they are making as evidence before the commission.

"We all want to make sure to bring out the evidence, that family members tell the commission what they want to say and not what someone else wants them to say," Anand said.

So, Anand said they and the commission's lawyers have met the victims' family members individually, discussed with them the procedure and helped them draft their statements they have been making as their evidence during the last three days since the inquiry started at  the Victoria Hall in Ottawa with Justice John Major as commissioner of the inquiry.