For the past two decades, the Indo-Canadian community has been advocating for an apology for the Komagata Maru incident. Last weekend, Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first Prime Minister in the history of Canada to deliver such an apology at the ‘Gadhri Babian Da Mela’ in Surrey. Although the apology was much appreciated by the community, some were left questioning why this would be the only “official” apology?
The community has been demanding that the apology for the incident be delivered on the floor of the House of Commons. This was made very clear to the government time and time again by the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation, a pioneer organization in the movement that has been demanding a formal apology for the incident on behalf of the community.
Numerous meetings with Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity Jason Kenney and Conservative MP Jim Abbott concluded on the note that the Prime Minister would announce a date for the apology to be delivered in the House of Commons, but, unfortunately, that did not happen. Something went wrong somewhere and without the prior knowledge of the Foundation, the Prime Minister apologized at the Mela.
My question is, when the Conservative Government willingly apologized to the Chinese community for the head tax, to the Japanese for wrongful imprisonment during World War II and the Native Indians over the treatment in residential schools, why this reluctance now? Is the Komagata Maru incident of no value to the Conservative Government? Or is it because the discrimination faced by the passengers on the ship falls short of Conservative Government’s yardstick of sufferings? It was this inequality that gave birth to the Komagata Maru incident and it seems to still be evident today.
For almost a century, the Indo-Canadian community has been feeling the pain and humiliation of this incident. The community will continue to feel dissatisfied till a formal apology is delivered on the floor of the Parliament.
This incident is a huge black spot in Canadian history and it will remain so for as long as the government doesn’t change its decision and apologize for it in the House of Commons.
Harjinder Thind is a well-known and well-respected talk show host as well as news director at Red FM (CKYE 93.1FM) in Surrey.
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