Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

continuous journey: They were hoping to challenge the immigration laws at the time which refused entry to any Indians who had not arrived in Canada via a continuous journey from the home country — nearly impossible at the time, according to Huffington Post Canada. Except for 20 passengers who had previously lived in Canada, Canadian officials refused to allow the Indians in, even though they were British subjects just like every other Canadian of the time. The chartered vessel was carrying 376 Indian passengers, nearly all of them Sikhs, bound for what they thought would be a new life in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. For that, and for every regrettable consequence that followed, we are sorry.'' Trudeau formal apology is the second from a Canadian prime minister. The vessel returned to India, where 19 of the passengers were killed in a skirmish with British authorities and dozens of others were imprisoned or forced into hiding. "Canada cannot solely be blamed for every tragic mistake that occurred with the Komagata Maru and its passengers,'' a Trudeau told the House, which was packed with MPs and onlookers, many of whom had travelled from across the country. "But Canada government was, without question, responsible for the laws that prevented these passengers from immigrating peacefully and securely. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.