Ontario’s first Komagata Maru memorial park opens in Brampton

Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, June 24

To commemorate the infamous 1914 Komagata Maru tragedy wherein the then Canadian government had turned away more than 376 Indians seeking entry into the country, the Ontario government has opened Komagata Maru Memorial Park in Brampton.

It was for the first time that such a commemorative site has been put in place in any province of Canada other than British Columbia.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had already apologised officially for Canada’s role in this tragedy.  

The Komagata Maru, a chartered Japanese ship, which set off from Hong Kong on April 4 had reached the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia on May 22, 1914.

But, nearly all of the 376 passengers — 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus—were denied entry. The ship remained docked at the harbour for two months in hope of clearance of the immigrants before it was eventually forced by the hostile Canadian immigration authorities to return to India.

The opening of the Komagata Memorial Maru Park was hosted by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and the city councillors, including Gurpreet Dhillon, Paul Vicente and Harkirat Singh on Saturday.

The park is situated next to the Springdale Branch Library and will have a playground, splash pad, picnic area, shade structure, as well as a garden and a water feature.

The event which was opened with the traditional smudging ceremony was attended by the descendants of the survivors of the ship and a large number of Brampton residents.

The vice president of the Descendants of Komagata Maru Society Raj Toor and granddaughters of two other central figures of Baba Gurdit Singh and Kanshi Ram also figured among the descendants of the survivors who attended the ceremony.

This was a befitting tribute to those Indian immigrants who were transported from Punjab and who were aboard the SS Komagata Maru.

The ship had departed from Hong Kong in 1914 and was denied entry into Canada at the Port of Vancouver by the authorities citing Canada’s Continuous Passage regulation. The rule had been brought into force in 1908 mainly in a bid to curb Indian immigration to Canada.

The park—featuring an electronic display board highlighting local events, the Komagata Maru tragedy and triumphs and struggles of immigrants—will depict the broader Canadian multiculturalism culture and immigration to Canada apart from being a “cultural hub” for groups across the city.

The proposal for the park cleared by the Brampton civic authority was brought forward by Gurpreet Dhillon, the Ward 9 and 10 councillor.

“The park is a very good initiative which will continue to reflect how we (Punjabis) came here in Canada, worked hard and what was our contribution to the multiculturalism concept of the Canadian culture. We are still learning from history and we are embracing it,” said Balbir Sohi, a member of the Peel District School Education Board while talking to The Tribune.