Wednesday, April 13 2005 11:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Vancouver: The Canadian Parliament has supported a non-binding call for a public inquiry into the Air India bombing case following acquittal of the two main accused in the worst case of mass murder in the country's history.

Opposition MPS in Canada's House of Commons united yesterday (Apr 12, 2005) to pass easily the motion calling for the public inquiry into the tragedy.

Families of the 329 people who were killed when the Kanishka flight crashed off the Irish Coast in 1985 had urged Canada to hold a new investigation into the disaster after the two main accused in the case were let off by the British Colombia Court last month due to lack of credible evidence.

The 172-124 vote yesterday in Ottawa came hours after a bitter exchange in the House of Commons, which included Opposition party leader Stephen Harper who observed whether an inquiry would have come sooner if more of the victims were white.

To this Prime Minister Paul Martin countered angrily, saying, "Any notions of racism are odious and any accusations of such are simply not acceptable," the Canadian press news agency said quoting the Premier.

Martin pointed out that deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan is working with the families of victims on an appropriate course of action. "She is seeking the questions that the families want to have answered. Unequivocally the Government will take action in an appropriate way."

The Liberal Government, which has brushed aside increasingly insistent calls for an inquiry, does not have to follow the Conservative-led recommendation adopted yesterday, experts said.

Last week, when Gurmant Grewal, a Conservative MP from British Colombia, proposed the motion for an inquiry, McLellan did not support it, but announced that she would also appoint an "eminent person" to review the Air India file and make recommendations.

Public Safety Minister McLellan had also said that before she takes action she would meet the families.

The Indian Government yesterday took note of the Canadian Government's move to appoint an independent advisor and said it wanted justice to be done.

McLellan and the Canadian Police (RCMP) Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli kept their promise and met about 20 relatives at a Toronto hotel yesterday. The Minister said she wanted to meet the families "so that we have a good understanding of what questions remain unanswered for them".

She said she was confident the "imminent person" she announced last week will be able to identify the issues that still need to be explored.

Admitting, "Clearly there are some questions that we may not have answers to," the Minister told 'The Globe and Mail' newspaper that "there will be a process. Whether it's a public inquiry, whether its's a Parliamentary committee...there are number of possibilities, and that's why I want to take the advice of an imminent person, independent of Government, to help me decide".

However, an association representing about 70 families boycotted the meeting, saying McLellan isn't serious about getting to the bottom of the disaster nor sincere or committed to a public inquiry.