OTTAWA – NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu (Surrey North) will launch a national petition campaign to call on Stephen Harper’s Conservative government to formally apologize for the Komagata Maru tragedy in the House of Commons.
“The NDP has consistently called on the government to recognize and apologize for the Komagata Maru tragedy inside the House of Commons,” said Sandhu. “This was an important episode in Canadian history and the community wants to close this chapter on a positive note.”
From 1908 to 1948, the Canadian government implemented a “Continuous Journey” regulation with the aim of preventing foreign nationals from entering Canada. The law stipulated that passengers could not disembark off a ship that did not make one continuous trip, without stopping in other ports to refuel or restock supplies.
The Japanese ship, the Komagata Maru, sailed into the port of Vancouver on May 23, 1914, but the Canadian government refused to allow the passengers to disembark. The majority of the passengers were of Indian-decent, from Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities.
“For years we’ve been demanding an apology on behalf of the community yet Stephen Harper continues to ignore this tragedy,” said Sandhu. “Only by recognizing the historical wrongs we’ve committed, can we ensure these mistakes are never repeated in the future.
“An apology on the floor of the House of Commons is the only appropriate way to mend this wrong and to give the community an opportunity to finally put this tragedy to rest.”
