B.C. apologizes for turning away immigrant ship in 1914

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VICTORIA - As a boy growing up in India, Surinder Sharma soaked up the stories of his great-uncle's adventures aboard the Komagata Maru.

"At the time, it didn't look cruel to us," Sharma said. "It looked like some heroic act. Because we were just little kids, it was like bedtime stories."

Only later did Sharma come to understand the racism his great-uncle, Ferozepur Munshi - along with 375 other passengers - endured upon their arrival in British Columbia in 1914.

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As Sharma, age 57, and dozens of other Indo-Canadians looked down from the public gallery, politicians from both sides of the house unanimously endorsed a government motion expressing deep regret that the "passengers, who sought refuge in our country and our province, were turned away without benefit of the fair and impartial treatment befitting a society where people of all cultures are welcomed and accepted."

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"As they remained on ship, they were deprived of many of the necessities of life," he said. "Elected officials, members of the media and the public collectively fanned the flames of hatred. The cry of the day was that Canada was a white man's country."

Canada.com