Komagata Maru descendants call for more education 108 years later

On the 108th anniversary of the Komagata Maru’s arrival in Vancouver’s harbour and the extreme racism faced by its passenger trying to enter Canada, there are calls for more diversity in the education system.

Raj Singh Toor is vice-president of the Descendants of Komagata Maru Society and he says British Columbians and Canadians should be aware of the ship’s legacy.

“We can move forward and leave a legacy for future generations by education them about the past,’ Toor said.

On May 23, 1914, a ship named the Komagata Maru entered Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet carrying 376 passengers from India hoping to enter Canada, the passengers were denied entrance and detained on board for two months, not being allowed access to medical aid, food, or water. Ultimately, they were forced to return to India, where some were killed and many others imprisoned. One of those passengers was Raj Singh Toor’s grandfather.

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‘They endured 24 hours without food or water or even three days or more, there were two women and three children on board and the prime minister at the time was making racist comments against the Komogata Maru,” Toor explained.

In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in part Monday, he said,   “…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…”

Dr. June Francis, ia a professor at SFU and spokeswoman for Hogan’s Alley Society. Francis says there is not enough information about the racist history of Canada in the curriculum of the public school system, and believes learning about events like the Komagata Maru is essential in continuing the fight against racism in our country.

“The school system has been one of the reinforcers of this false narrative, by excluding these narratives you are substituting it for falsehoods because you are intentionally leaving out these issues and one of the things these things points to is something that creates some confusion for Canadians, and Canadians think why don’t we know these things and then they think it’s either because its not true or it wasn’t significant,” Francis said.

As for Toor, he has been fighting for the history of his grandfather’s journey to never be forgotten. Last year Toor had the city of Vancouver to officially declare May 23 Komagata Maru Remembrance Day.

“We are all richer when we remember how special it is to have different ethnic communities together I hope it will connect Canadians to their past to build a more peaceful tomorrow,” Toor said.