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CITY OF BRAMPTON OPENS KOMAGATA MARU PARK
6-21-2019
This park is named in honour of the Komagata Maru, a ship that set sail from Hong Kong in 1914 carrying 376 Indian immigrants, whose hope for a better future laid in Canada.
The Komagata Maru reached the port of Vancouver, British Columbia on May 23, 1914. Due to exclusion laws of the time, the ship’s arrival provoked a strong anti-Asian backlash. Canadian Customs officials refused the ship’s entry to the port and passengers were forced to remain onboard. The dispute lasted for nearly two months, causing tremendous hardship for the detained passengers.
The local South Asian community united to contest the ship’s deportation back to India. However, this battle was eventually lost, and the ship and most of its passengers were returned to India, where many were detained, imprisoned or executed.
The Komagata Maru incident is widely recognized as a tragic event in Canada’s immigration history. Reflecting on the incident serves to commemorate the journeys of our immigrants and highlight today’s Canada as a beacon of light for people across the world.
Komagata Maru Park is named in honour of all immigrants, their respective struggles and triumphs, and their contributions to the beautiful mosaic that is Canada.
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