Canada Place
999 Canada Place, Vancouver,

This year marks the hundredth anniversary of an incident that occurred as a direct result of the racist policies of Canadian Government and the anti people laws it has enacted and enforced. The notorious “Continuous Passage Act of 1908” was one in a long list of such laws. These laws are also being enacted today, like bill C-24.

Passengers of the Komagata Maru endured ugly unwelcoming gestures upon their arrival in Canada, inhuman conditions while they awaited their fate in the waters of the Burrard Inlet, and death for 20 of them (a miserable life for the rest) on return.

The recent laws like the Super Visa (in the name of faster family reunification) and Bill C-24 (in the name of strengthening Canada’s citizenship act) are having devastating effects on the lives of Canadians.

On the other hand the so called politics of “Apologies” is being promoted by the Canadian state as an eye-wash. It is unfortunate that, most of our community “leaders” are blinded by this ‘highly corrosive’ “eye-wash”.

We re-iterate our voice against all such cunning moves of the Fascistic Canadian state, because we know that ‘THE REAL APOLOGY IS IN THE PROMISE OF THE APOLOGIZIER, NOT TO REPEAT SUCH MISTAKES WHICH THE APOLOGY IS FOR!’

As we reflect on the past colonial policies of divide and rule, it is clear that the enactment and enforcement of anti people laws are being practiced on the same lines today. No wonder, even on the issue of Komagata-Maru, our community stands divided. We at ‘Ghadar Party Centenary Celebrations Committee’ strongly feel that people in communities must stand united and identify the confusion created by the sold out members of the community. This unity of our people is of great importance. It is imperative to unleash a fierce battle and defeat such anti-people laws and the perpetrators of such laws.