Prime Minister Mark Carney commemorated the Komagata Maru tragedy anniversary by designating it as an unfortunate reminder of how once Canada fell short of its very basic principles. He appealed to Canadians to recall the injustice and strive towards a future where inclusivity is not merely a catchphrase.
In a statement released on Friday, Carney looked back at the 1914 event, when 376 Indian passengers who were from Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu communities—arrived on board the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru, having made a long journey across the Pacific, hoping to find refuge in Canada.
“Canadian authorities, nevertheless, invoking exclusionary and discriminatory legislations, denied them entry,” he said, remembering the historic event. The passengers were held on board the ship docked in Vancouver harbour for two months, deprived of access to primary necessities such as food, water, and medical attention.
“When they were sent back to India, several were put behind bars or assassinated there,” the Prime Minister continued, remembering the dark fate of their adventure.
“The tragedy of Komagata Maru is a painful reminder of how, at times in our past, Canada was short of the principles we now claim to hold,” Carney said. “We cannot change the past, but we have to face it; to act with intention, to make sure that such injustices can never happen again, and to forge a richer future where inclusion is not a slogan, but a reality: lived, practised, and defended.”
Describing the anniversary as both solemn and meaningful, Carney added: “Let this solemn anniversary be a call of remembrance and conscience. To commemorate the past is to learn from it, and to learn from it is to act.”