25 Aug : The Minister of External Affairs Shri S.M. Krishna told the Lok Sabha Today that in 2006, the Canadian Prime Minister referred to the Komagata Maru incident as an important event in Canadian history and one that must be properly recognized, stating, “Government of Canada acknowledges the Komagata Maru incident and we will soon undertake consultations with the Indo-American community on how best to recognize this sad moment in our history.” Shri Krishna was replying to the questions by the members in the Lok Sabha.
The Minister further said that the Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenny announced, in May 2008, that the Canadian Government was taking steps to acknowledge and commemorate the tragedy. He announced that the Indo-Canadian community would be able to apply for up to Canadian $ 2.5 million in grants and contributions funding to commemorate the Komagata Maru incident.
On August 3, 2008 the Canadian Prime Minister, at the 13th Annual “Ghabri Babiyan Da Mela” festival in Surrey, British Columbia province, issued an apology for the Komagata Maru incident stating, in response to the House of Commons motion calling for an apology by the Government, “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am officially conveying, as Prime Minister, that apology”.