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Author
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Topic: Komagata Maru apology
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Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560
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posted 21 August 2008 03:53 AM
Another sorry apology from Harper quote:
Beyond the location of the apology, other details surrounding the Komagata Maru apology have also revealed that the apology was indeed disingenuous. Consider, for example: Mr. Harper left the stage prior to hearing the response of the 8,000 people gathered, the Prime Minister’s office pre-screened and approved the thank-you speech that was to be given by organizers of the festival and Secretary of State Jason Kenney has insisted that “the apology has been given and it won't be repeated.” In light of this, it is important to interrogate what is behind the string of recent Conservative government apologies. According to a May 16, 2008 Globe and Mail article: “The motivation and timing behind the announcements are the subject of much debate...What is clear is that many of those Canadians most affected by these acknowledgments live in some of the most competitive ridings in Canada - particularly in British Columbia and Central Canada.”
I am embarrassed to say that I've never heard of the Komagata Maru incident before reading this article. So this piece was doubly-interesting to me.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001
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M. Spector
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8273
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posted 21 August 2008 04:13 AM
quote:
Originally printed in the article quoted by Michelle:
Secretary of State Jason Kenney has insisted that “the apology has been given and it won't be repeated.”
Jason Kenney's comment quoted above was from the same article in the Surrey Leader in which he tried to downplay the importance of the Komagata Maru issue: quote:
“There are no living survivors of this (Komagata Maru) incident to apologize to,” Kenney said. “I think we need to keep in mind the scope of things here.”He said the Chinese head tax affected tens of thousands of people over eight years and most of them were Canadian residents, while aboriginal schools affected hundreds of thousands of Canadians over several decades. “Komagata Maru was an isolated incident that affected 350 non-Canadians at one point in time,” Kenney said.
Then, more recently, he flip-flops in another article in The Indo-Canadian Voice (the same periodical in which the rabble.ca piece originally appeared), in which he reveals the true purpose of the apology - to bash the Liberals in the forthcoming election: quote:
For the first time in Canadian history, Prime Minister Stephen Harper on August 3, gave an official apology on behalf of the Government of Canada for the Komagata Maru incident of 1914. I am proud that Mr. Harper, as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, had the courage to make this long-overdue apology. It was the right thing to do. The racist policy that led to the Komagata Maru incident was written by a Liberal civil servant and Member of Parliament named William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1908. It was then enacted by the federal Liberal Government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier as the infamous “continuous journey” regulation. Out of the past 100 years, the federal Liberal Party has been in power for 67 of them. Did they ever take responsibility for their actions and apologize? No, they did not lift a finger to admit guilt. Through 13 years in power, the Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin Liberals refused to apologize or recognize the event in any way.
From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005
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bigcitygal
Volunteer Moderator
Babbler # 8938
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posted 21 August 2008 04:29 AM
quote:
No, they did not lift a finger to admit guilt.
Picture me lifting a finger to Jason Kenney and Stephen Harper.I had the grave misfortune to meet Jason Kenney in person at a banquet put on by a national Chinese organization I was affiliated with. He was then the "Minister of Multiculturalism" and being in a room with so many Chinese folks was freaking him out. Idiot racist fuckwad dumbass. And of course it's about getting re-elected, in constituents that have statistically eluded the Cons. I, too didn't know about this incident, and am glad, at the very least, to have it being talked about. Sid Tan's comments in the article were very good, except for the "dwell on the past" part.
quote:
“The historical injustices of the Chinese Head Tax are being replicated today through Canada’s exploitative guest-worker programs and restrictive immigration policies.”“The descendants of these policies will be demanding apologies in future decades. We should deal with this present reality and not just dwell on the past, especially if a history that we are supposed to have learnt from is repeating itself.”
From: It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent - Q | Registered: Apr 2005
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Fidel
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5594
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posted 22 August 2008 06:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ohara:
As it was the Liberals responsible for "None is too many" barring jewish refugees from Canada during WW2
..and gave sanctuary to thousands of war criminals. Waffen SS were fasttracked for immigration approval because they were proven anticommunists.
Lest we forget
From: Viva La Revolución | Registered: Apr 2004
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