Komagata Maruand and Canadian officials on the dock.
CANADA, USA (September 20, 2014)—The Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada is bringing its exhibition and lecture series titled ‘Lions of the Sea’ to the Olympic Community Centre in Halifax on Sunday.
The exhibit tells the story of Canada’s refusal to accept the 376 passengers of the steamship Komagata Maru after it docked in Vancouver in 1914.
As residents of India, the primarily Sikh passengers of the ship were British subjects but were turned around and sent back as part of Canada’s informal anti-Asian immigration policy of the time.
“We want to bring notice to the policy differences of 100 years ago from those now and how far we’ve come in this civilized country,” said Jagpal Tiwana, director of communications for the Maritime Sikh Society, which is hosting the event.
Born 21 years after the Komagata Maru was forced to return to India and in the same province it had left from, Punjab, Tiwana immigrated to Canada in 1969.
He arrived in Truro that November to begin his 27-year career as a librarian at the Nova Scotia Teachers College.
“But there was no discrimination, and though I was a librarian I was treated just like any other faculty member,” said Tiwana.
“I had a lovely time there, and I even got used to the weather. Now when it’s hot here, I find it too muggy and can’t sleep properly. It is funny how you get used to the weather.”
When a boat carrying 174 Sikh refugees showed up on a foggy morning off Shelburne, they got a different treatment.
The surprised residents of fishing communities prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Kool-Aid at the Woods Harbour firehall. After being brought by authorities to Halifax, most of those migrants ended up moving to Ontario and British Columbia.
Tiwana said there are 350 Sikhs in Nova Scotia.
While Canada’s realization of the wrong done to those aboard the Komagata Maru culminated with an apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2006, the exhibition is meant to make sure it is not forgotten
In the traditional Sikh fashion, there will be free food provided by the community at the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.