A-I inquiry opens in Ottawa

8220;It takes a great deal of courage to speak in a public forum about matters that reach into the innermost parts of one8217;s being,8221; Freiman told the opening of the commission in Ottawa.

The flight was brought down by a bomb believed to have been planted by Sikh militants. The 329 dead included 280 Canadian citizens, most of them of Indian origin or descent.

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Major is heading the probe, after the country8217;s longest and costliest investigation and a two-year trial ended in acquittals. Relatives of the victims were devastated by the verdicts and had demanded the inquiry into the case.

Major has said the probe is the only route left to find out why the bombing was not prevented, why intelligence and police agencies bungled the investigation and how to head off future terrorist attacks against Canadian citizens.

Major has set aside the first three weeks of hearings for family members who want to speak about their long quest for justice.