Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has formally apologized for the 1914 Komagata Maru incident in which Canada turned away a Japanese steamship in order to prevent more than 300 Sikhs from immigrating to the country. The move was widely acknowledged to be aimed at keeping Sikhs out of Canada. Then premier of British Columbia, Sir Richard McBride, said at the time, “We always have in mind the necessity of keeping this a white man’s country.” On Wednesday, more than 100 years after the boat was turned away, Prime Minister Trudeau apologized.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “No words can erase the pain and suffering they experienced. Regrettably, the passage of time means that none are alive to hear our apology today. Still, we offer it fully and sincerely, for our indifference to your plight, for our failure to recognize all that you had to offer, for the laws that discriminated against you so senselessly, and for not apologizing sooner. For all these things, we are truly sorry.”