Righting Canada’s Wrongs: The Komagata Maru and Canada’s Anti-Indian Immigration Policies in the Twentieth Century
A visual history of the courageous Indians who sailed to Vancouver to start a new life -- only to be turned away by a racist immigration policy
In 1914, Canada was a very British society with anti-Asian attitudes. Although Great Britain had declared that all people from India were officially British citizens and could live anywhere in the British Commonwealth, Canada refused to accept them. This racist policy was challenged by Gurdit Singh, a Sikh businessman, who chartered a ship, the Komagata Maru, and sailed to Vancouver with over 300 fellow Indians wishing to immigrate to Canada. They were turned back, tragically.
Over the years, the Canadian government gradually changed its immigration policies, first allowing entry to wives and children of Indian immigrants and later to many more immigrants from India. The Indo-Canadian community has grown throughout Canada, especially in British Columbia. Many in the community continue to celebrate their Indian heritage which enriches Canadian culture.
About the Author
Pamela Hickman
PAMELA HICKMAN is the author of over 35 non-fiction books for children, including winners of the Green Award for Sustainable Literature, International Best Book Award, Society of School Librarians, Canadian Authors Association Lilla Stirling Memorial Award and Parent's Choice Award. She lives in Canning, Nova Scotia.
Reviews
"An engaging read for tweens and teens, presenting an honest picture of Canadian history and the struggles of the Indo-Canadian community."
CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens 2014
The Komagata Maru does an excellent job of telling a regrettable story of injustice and government-legislated controls of immigration . . . this book tells much of the story through presentation of a truly impressive collection of images, visual material, and video clips: the colour and black and white photos and the facsimiles of personal and government documents are richly captioned and hugely informative. A most useful work, both as a source of information on the history of Indian immigration to Canada and of systemic discrimination, enacted by the government of Canada, based purely on ethnic intolerance. Highly Recommended.
Joanne Peters,, CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"A wonderful series [Righting Canada's Wrongs] of beautiful books."
Times Colonist
Awards
Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens
Subjects (BISAC)
Subjects
Resource Guide

A resource guide for the Righting Canada's Wrongs series that provides lessons in historical thinking.
(more)The Righting Canada’s Wrongs series is devoted to the exploration of racist and discriminatory government policies and actions against various groups through our history, the fight for acknowledgement and justice and the eventual apologies and restitution of subsequent governments. The award-winning books in this series make a valuable addition to any classroom or library looking for kid-friendly and appealing resources on social justice and equal rights in Canada.
The engaging and curriculum-based lessons in this Resource Guide will help students to further understand some of the important events in Canada's history that helped shape our current multicultural society. Educators will find support for teaching about Canada's past treatment of minorities and how to approach the topic of racism and discrimination. As well, students will learn about the important roles that these groups have played in Canadian society.
The third edition of the Resource Guide has been updated to include the most recent books in the Righting Canada’s Wrongs series: Africville, Anti-Semitism and the MS St. Louis and The LGBT Purge.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- A different historical thinking concept is introduced in each lesson.
- Each of the main lessons are directly linked to books in the series. The Resource Guide also provides additional sections related to each book.
- Student Blackline Masters are provided for copying.
- Evaluation rubrics for your assessment of student achievement on each lesson are included.
- Video links throughout the guide will supplement your lesson and add another dimension to student learning.