Career
Darshan Singh Canadian immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1937. He became active in the Labor-Progressive Party (as the Communist Party of was known). He was one of the founders of the International Woodworkers of America and served as one of the union"s organizers as well as its general secretary from 1942 to 1946.
He led striking woodworkers on a march on the provincial capital of Victoria in 1946.
He fought for the rights of British Columbia"s East Indian woodworkers. Darshan Singh Canadian returned to India upon its independence in 1947 and adopted "Canadian" as his surname.
He became active in the Communist Party of India becoming party secretary in Punjab. Canadian was a powerful speaker, and addressed several meetings and mass rallies.
He also served as the secretary of Punjab Kisan Sabha.
Darshan Singh married Harbans, the daughter of Baba Lal Singh, a Ghadar veteran from Jandiala in Jalandhar district. In his last years, he suffered from spondylitis and other health problems, and once went to Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics for treatment. In the afternoon of 25 September, Darshan Singh was killed by militants.
Within two hours of his death, about a thousand demonstrators gathered at the police station at Mahilapur, and blocked the way to Hoshiarpur.
They protested against police inactivity, and even accused the police of complicity in the crime. On 26 September, a huge march was organized from his native village Langeri to Mahilapur.
From Mahilapur, the procession came back to Langeri. A 20,000-strong rally was held in the village school ground, where Canadian"s body lay.
His body was cremated after several leaders, including the SGPC President, paid their tributes to him.
