OTTAWA, ON, May 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, issued the following statement commemorating the Komagata Maru incident:
"In 1914, the Komagata Maru steamship anchored in Vancouver's harbour after a long journey across the Pacific. The 376 people aboard – of Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu faiths – arrived seeking refuge and dignity.
"Canadian authorities however, using exclusionary and discriminatory laws, refused them entry. For two months, passengers were detained on the ship and denied access to food, water, and medical care. When they were forced to return to India, many were imprisoned or killed there.
"The Komagata Maru tragedy is a stark reminder of how, in moments of our history, Canada fell short of the values we hold dear. We cannot rewrite the past, but we must confront it; to act with purpose, to ensure that such injustices are never repeated, and to build a stronger future where inclusion is not a slogan, but a reality – lived, practised, and defended.
"Let this solemn anniversary serve as a call of remembrance and conscience. To honour the past is to learn from it, and to learn from it is to act."
This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca
SOURCE Prime Minister's Office
PMO Media Relations: [email protected]
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