NDP Demands Harper Government Apologize For Komagata Maru Incident

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Surrey-North NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu introduced a motion Friday seeking official apology in the House of Commons and launches national petition campaign to bring justice to one of the darkest events in Canada’s not so great distant path. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s failed attempt to make an informal apology in 2008 at an outdoor festival in Surrey was widely regarded as rude and insincere by the community. Liberal leader Bob Rae joined the call for the Komagata Maur, saying Prime Minister Stephen Harper has yet to acknowledge it in any formal sense and his Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney has explicitly said that no such apology will happen.

By R. Paul Dhillon

OTTAWA – Surrey-North NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu introduced a motion Friday seeking official apology in the House of Commons and launches national petition campaign to bring justice to one of the darkest events in Canada’s not so great distant path

Sandhu put forward a motion demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially apologize in the House of Commons to the South Asian community for the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, in which passengers were prevented from landing in Canada. He is also launching a nation-wide petition campaign to collect signatures from Canadians supporting the apology.

“The tragedy of the Komagata Maru marks a dark chapter in Canadian history,” said Sandhu. “The Conservatives must provide closure on the trauma this has caused in the South Asian community. That is the only way that healing and reconciliation can begin.”

Liberal leader Bob Rae joined in the NDP in calling for an official apology, saying the Liberal party the Liberal Party introduced a motion in 2008 that was passed unanimously by the House of Commons calling on the government to apologize to the Indo-Canadian community and the individuals impacted in the Komagata Maru incident.

Sadly, despite supporting this motion, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has yet to acknowledge it in any formal sense and his Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney has explicitly said that no such apology will happen, said Rae.

Liberals continue to support the need for a formal government apology in Parliament to the Indo-Canadian community and to those individual impacted by the 1914 Komagata Maru incident.

“Today in the House of Commons we are debating a motion that reiterates the 2008 Liberal call for an official apology. Canadians at this time should remember the prejudice suffered by the Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims of the Komagata Maru at the hands of our government and recommit ourselves to preventing such an event from ever happening on our shores again. This weekend, I look forward to visiting Vancouver’s Komagata Maru Museum to honour those who suffered and commemorate their memory,” Rae said

The NDP first called for an official apology in January, 2007.

Stephen Harper’s failed attempt to make an informal apology in 2008 at an outdoor festival in Surrey was widely regarded as rude and insincere by the community.

Community has long sought an official apology for the incident – which is seen as one designed to keep out immigrants by all means when racism peaked for the government of the day in 1914 – and were angered when the Conservatives decided to give an official apology to the Chinese community over the head tax and refused to similarly acknowledge the historic wrong in the case of the Komagata Maru tragedy.

“The Conservatives are continuing to deny an official apology for this incident in the House of Commons and it is very disrespectful,” said Sandhu. “A dignified, official apology for the Komagata Maru tragedy is long overdue. That is why the NDP is bringing forward yet another motion, another demand, for this government to finally do the right thing and apologize in Parliament.”

May 23 will mark the 98th anniversary of the date the ship’s arrival from Hong Kong to Vancouver. Due to the discriminatory “continuous journey” regulation, passengers were prevented from disembarking while the ship remained in Burrard Inlet for two months, and passengers were denied basic necessities, including food and water.

The ship carried 376 passengers from India and upon the ship’s return – some passengers were killed in Indian by British forces.

“As Canadians, we perceive ourselves as open to the world, accepting of other cultures and welcoming to all, especially those fleeing oppression and persecution. And while this perception is warranted, we must always be mindful of those times when prejudice was engrained into the fabric of our laws and institutions. We must always be mindful of the Komagata Maru, and the 376 passengers, most of whom were denied entry to Canada because of exclusionary immigration policies.

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The Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation and Descendants of Komagata Maru Society is hosting in remembrance of the 98th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Komagata Maru to Vancouver, Canada on May 23, 1914.  Everyone is invited to be Near Bear Creek Pavilion for the Annual Celebration of Komagata Maru incident.

When: Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Where: Bear Creek Park Near senior’s Pavilion, 13700 – 88th Avenue, Surrey

For more information or interview, contact Harbhajan S Gill at 604.763.1736 or Raj Toor at 778.386.0024.