Shameful and racist: Trudeau on the Komagata Maru incident
Calling it racist and shameful, the prime minister issued a statement Monday on the anniversary of one of Canada's darker historical chapters.
Monday marks the 108th anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident, which led to the deaths of more than a dozen people.
The Komagata Maru was a steamship that brought 376 Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus of South Asian origin to Vancouver.
These people hoped to settle in Canada, but instead were turned away "due to the racist and discriminatory laws of the time," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
They were detained on the ship for months, and were denied access to food, water and health care. The case went through the court system, and the ship was turned back to India.
Once there, 19 people were killed and many others were imprisoned.
"Today and every day, what happened more than a century ago serves as a reminder to all Canadians of the importance of treating each other with dignity and respect, fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms, and promoting equity and inclusion. We will continue to learn from the mistakes of our past to ensure they never happen again," Trudeau's statement said.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan also released a written statement on the anniversary, describing the attitude the passengers were met with as "hostility, prejudice and injustice."
He said those on the ship were students, labourers and former soldiers who wished to contribute once settled in Canada.
Both levels of government have previously issued apologies for their roles, as has the City of Vancouver.
"There is more work to do. How far we have come is a testament to the incredible resiliency in our province, including those who stand up to injustice and try to make B.C. safer and more equitable for everyone," Horgan said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
TikTok, ByteDance sue to block U.S. law seeking sale or ban of app
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Tuesday they filed suit in U.S. federal court seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban its use.