Statement by NDP leader on Conservatives’ rejection of official apology for Komagata Maru

I join the South Asian community and my entire caucus in expressing my disappointment over the Conservatives’ rejection of an official apology in the House of Commons for the 1914 tragedy of the Komagata Maru. The motion was introduced by New Democrat MP Jasbir Sandhu (Surrey North) on May 18, but was first put forward by the NDP in 2007 by then- Surrey North MP Penny Priddy.

It is regrettable the Conservatives refused to agree to the South Asian community’s request for an apology in the House of Commons. New Democrats were hoping the Conservatives would stop playing political games with this issue and do the right thing, unfortunately that didn’t happen today.

We all want this dark chapter in Canadian history to be finally closed, and one of the ways for the South Asian community to heal and reconcile is for the Conservatives to recognize the tragedy and apologize on the floor of the House of Commons. The Prime Minister made an attempt at an informal apology in 2008 at an outdoor festival in Surrey, but it was immediately rejected by the community as insincere. Today’s vote was an opportunity for the Conservatives to reach out and make amends.

May 23 marked the 98th anniversary of the date the ship arrived from Hong Kong in Vancouver. Due to the discriminatory “continuous journey” regulation, passengers were prevented from disembarking while the ship remained in Burrard Inlet for two months. Passengers were denied basic necessities, including food and water. The ship carried 376 passengers from India. This was one of several incidents in the early 20th century involving Canada’s exclusion laws, designed to keep out immigrants of Asian origin and descent.

The NDP motion read:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should officially apologize in the House of Commons to the South Asian community and to the individuals impacted in the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, in which passengers were prevented from landing in Canada.