Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the 28th annual Mela Gadri Babian Da festival, commemorating 77 years since people of South Asian descent won the right to vote in Canada, in Surrey, B.C., Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. Trudeau was also presented a certificate of appreciation by the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation for the Komagata Maru formal apology
Trudeau also received a framed certificate of appreciation from the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation, for the official apology he presented in 2016 to the House of Commons for the Komagata Maru apology that was delivered in the House of Commons in 2016.
On the Government of Canada website, we can read that “on May 23, 1914, the Komagata Maru reached the port of Vancouver via Hong Kong and Japan carrying 376 immigrants from South Asia who wished to settle in Canada. However, the passengers did not receive the welcome they had hoped for. Their arrival aroused strong opposition, and the racist views of the majority of the local population gave rise to outpourings of racial discourse and considerable efforts to force the ship back to India.