The families who have lost loved ones in the 1985 Kanishka bombing on Friday sought a public apology from the Canadian government for the way it dealt with the tragedy.

Lawyers for the families told Air India Public Inquiry Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice John Major that a formal apology was warranted, given the "failures" of security agencies and regulatory bodies.

They are also calling on Ottawa to reopen the question of monetary compensation -- even though that was not technically a part of the inquiry panel's mandate.

The appeals came during closing arguments as hearings before Justice Major wrapped up after 17 months.

Major has set no date for a final report that will offer recommendations for reforming the anti-terrorist policy to ensure that a similar tragedy does not happen.

Only one person has ever been convicted in the June 23, 1985, bombing that claimed the lives of 329 people.

The suspected ringleader of the plot was killed by the police in India seven years after the attack, and two other men were acquitted at trial in Vancouver in 2005.