The Komagata Maru incident of 1914, in which 387 Indian immigrants aboard a Japanese steamship were turned away from Vancouver and forced to return to India based on racist immigration law, is a blemish on Canadian history.

In 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood up at the Gadhri Babian Da Mela festival in Surrey and apologized for the incident.

But, apologies aside, how much have our attitudes towards migrants really changed?

When a ship carrying hundreds of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka hove into view of Canadian waters this week, Ottawa was quick to paint those aboard with a broad brush.

Before a single Canadian had actually climbed aboard the Sun Sea, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews called the passengers "suspected human smugglers and terrorists."

No one on board has yet been linked to any war crime during Sri Lanka's long and terrible civil war; simply being Tamil doesn't make someone a Tamil Tiger.

What's more, Tamil groups in Canada contend that at least some of the passengers have legitimate refugee claims.

Let us not forget that when the Komagata Maru returned to India, 19 of the passengers were shot by police and killed.

If Tamil refugees are returned to Sri Lanka, it's possible they will also face retribution from the government in Colombo, especially now that they have been branded as terrorists.

The Conservative government would be wise to remember their own apology for the Komagata Maru incident.

These Tamil migrants deserve a fair hearing, and rushing to judge them doesn't help to protect Canadian shores.

Let's not lay the groundwork for tomorrow's apology.