Continuous journey regulation facts for kids
The continuous journey regulation was a rule made by the Canadian government. It was meant to stop people from coming to Canada if they didn't travel directly from their home country. This rule mostly affected people from India.
The government passed this rule on January 8, 1908. It was their first try at limiting who could come to Canada. Because India is very far from Canada, ships usually had to stop in places like Japan or Hawaii. This made it impossible for people from India to travel directly. At this time, Canada was welcoming many immigrants, especially from Europe.
Contents
History of the Regulation
Why the Rule Was Made
In the early 1900s, some parts of Canada made laws that limited the rights of people from India. For example, they couldn't vote or work in certain jobs. However, India and Canada were both part of the British Empire. This meant Canada couldn't make laws that directly stopped people from India from coming.
The British government in London had seen problems when Australia and New Zealand made similar rules. These rules were designed to limit non-European immigration. London warned Canada to be careful. They didn't want to upset people in India. So, Canada decided to stop Indian immigration in an indirect way.
The Continuous Journey Rule
The Canadian government's first step was the "continuous journey" rule in 1908. It said that immigrants had to travel directly from their home country. If they stopped anywhere else, they might not be allowed in. This rule was a problem for people from India because there were no direct ships.
Soon after, a ship called the S.S. Monteagle arrived in British Columbia in February 1908. It had over 100 passengers who had boarded in Calcutta, India. Many of them were told they couldn't enter Canada because of the new rule. But a court in British Columbia said the rule was not valid. The judge said the government didn't have the power to make such a rule.
How the Rule Changed Immigration
The government quickly changed the Immigration Act to fix the problem. This new law allowed them to make rules about continuous journeys. On May 27, 1908, they passed a new rule. Another rule on June 3, 1908, said that people from Asia needed to have $200 with them to enter Canada. This was a lot of money back then.
These rules didn't directly mention India. But they made it very hard for people from India to come to Canada. The $200 rule was a big challenge. Also, the government pressured shipping companies, like Canadian Pacific, to stop offering direct trips from India to Canada. This made the continuous journey rule very effective.
A new Immigration Act was passed in 1910. It kept similar rules about continuous journeys and the $200 cash requirement.
Court Challenges to the Rule
The continuous journey rule was challenged in court again in 1911 and 1913. In one case, a judge said the 1910 continuous journey rule was not valid because of how it was written.
In November 1913, another judge said the $200 cash rule was also invalid. He also agreed that the continuous journey rule was not valid. News of this decision spread, and some people in Canada encouraged others from India to come before the rules changed again.
However, the continuous journey rule stayed in place until 1947. Over time, Canada did allow wives and children of South Asian residents to immigrate. But by the mid-1920s, the number of South Asians in Canada had dropped a lot.
New Laws to Keep the Rules
Since the court decisions limited appeals, the government quickly made new continuous journey and $200 cash rules on January 7, 1914. These new rules were written to follow the law, making them harder to challenge in court. The $200 cash rule was removed in 1921. The continuous journey rule was finally removed much later, on November 26, 1947.
The Komagata Maru Incident
Gurdit Singh Sandhu was a businessman from India. He knew about the problems Indians faced trying to get to Canada. Even though he knew about the rules, he decided to challenge them. He chartered a ship called the SS Komagata Maru in 1914. The ship carried 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus. All of them were British subjects.
When the Komagata Maru arrived in Canadian waters, it was not allowed to dock. The Canadian government sent naval ships and soldiers to stop it. In the end, only 24 passengers were allowed into Canada. The rest were turned away because the ship had not sailed directly from India, and the passengers didn't have enough money. The ship was forced to leave on July 23, 1914, and return to Asia.
The Komagata Maru incident showed how unfair Canada's immigration laws were at the time. It also made many people in India angry and helped a group called the Ghadar Party gain support.
Government Apologies
Over the years, many people asked the Canadian government to apologize for past wrongs, including the Komagata Maru incident.
On May 23, 2008, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia officially apologized for the events of the Komagata Maru. They said they deeply regretted that the passengers were turned away.
On August 3, 2008, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the incident on behalf of the Canadian government. This apology was given at a festival in Surrey, British Columbia. Some people in the Sikh community felt the apology should have been made in Parliament.
Finally, on May 18, 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a formal "full apology" for the incident in the House of Commons.
Later, the cities of Vancouver and New Westminster also apologized for their roles in supporting the laws that prevented the passengers from entering Canada.
