VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government will follow Ottawa's lead and will apologize for the treatment of passengers of the Komagata Maru who were denied entry to Canada in 1914.

The motion will be debated in the provincial legislature Friday, the anniversary of the day the ship arrived in Vancouver harbour carrying 376 people from India.

It was eventually told to sail away due to what Attorney General Wally Oppal says were the racist attitudes of the day.

Oppal says the apology will express British Columbia's `deep regret' and it comes despite an earlier statement of regret by the province.

Ottawa announced last week that an apology would be coming from the federal government over the Komagata Maru incident and the settlement to the Indo-Canadian community is expected to involve as much as $2.5 million.