There are moments when a government reveals more by what it does not say than by what it does.
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it → be → what
For Foreign Minister Anita Anand, that moment came last week after what happened aboard Flydubai Flight 1073.
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what → come → Flight
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30 with 174 passengers onboard.
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flight → travel → passengers
During the flight, the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar.
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pilot → attack → captain
The aircraft then plunged nearly 5,000 metres in just over 30 seconds.
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aircraft → plunge → seconds
The wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door.
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captain → manage → door
Passengers intervened, the attacker was subdued and other pilots aboard the aircraft took control and eventually landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
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pilots → intervene → Arabia
Instead, because people acted, everyone aboard survived.
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everyone → act → ?
Machchhar has rightly been hailed as a hero.
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Machchhar → hail → hero
Despite his injuries, he helped open the cockpit door and give the passengers an opportunity to intervene.
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he → help → opportunity
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his courage.
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Modi → praise → courage
The passengers who stepped in deserve the same recognition.
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who → step → recognition
So what did Canada’s foreign minister have to say?
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minister → have → what
Anand expressed concern about the “incident” aboard a Flydubai flight “bound for Israel.”
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Anand → express → Israel
She spoke about the safety of “air passengers,” said she was relieved that everyone was safe and commended the “swift action and courage of those on board.”
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everyone → speak → board
But something was missing.
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something → miss → ?
The word “attack” was missing.
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attack → miss → ?
An apparent attempt to take control of a passenger aircraft and potentially bring it down is not simply an “incident.”
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attempt → take → it
The United Arab Emirates has launched an investigation into whether the episode was linked to “terrorist activity or intent.”
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episode → launch → activity
A substantial part of my career involved International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-related issues.
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part → involve → issues
More recently, I was involved in Canada’s response to the destruction of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 by Iran over Tehran.
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I → involve → Tehran
All 176 people aboard were killed, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 Canadian permanent residents.
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people → kill → citizens
Canada has pursued accountability for PS752 victims through international legal and diplomatic channels, including at the ICAO and the International Court of Justice.
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Canada → pursue → Justice
Words matter in these cases.
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Words → matter → cases
They matter because they describe what happened, identify who was responsible and, ultimately, help determine what accountability should look like.
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accountability → matter → what
The Flydubai flight was carrying a large majority of Israeli passengers.
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flight → carry → passengers
The U.A.E. is investigating possible terrorist intent, while Israeli officials have said there is evidence pointing to Islamist radicalization and a possible motive to kill Jews.
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officials → investigate → Jews
If the investigation establishes that the passengers were targeted because they were Israeli or Jewish, their identity will not be some incidental detail.
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identity → establish → ?
And yet Canada’s foreign minister managed to describe the event without mentioning the Israeli passengers or Jews.
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minister → manage → passengers
This is not simply about one poorly chosen word.
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This → choose → word
It fits an increasingly familiar pattern.
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It → fit → pattern
The federal government tells Jewish-Canadians that it takes antisemitism seriously.
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it → tell → antisemitism
We have government strategies, special envoys, parliamentary statements and repeated declarations about the threat of Jew-hatred.
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We → have → hatred
But the real test is what the government says when Jews are actually the intended victims of violence.
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Jews → say → violence
But that distinction cannot become an excuse for failing to recognize antisemitism when it is staring us in the face.
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it → become → face
If someone attacks Israelis because they are Israelis, that is anti-Israel hatred.
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that → attack → Israelis
And if the evidence establishes that Jews were targeted because they were Jews, it is antisemitism.
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it → establish → ?
The Canadian government should be able to make that distinction without hesitation.
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government → make → hesitation
There was also something deeply human about what happened aboard Flight 1073 that should not be lost.
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that → be → Flight
An Indian pilot was attacked.
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pilot → attack → ?
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
