Canada’s Role in International Recognition of Eelam
Ruben Nagesparan Chandrakumar, BS
Since the 1980s, Canada has been a haven for Eelam Tamils who fled the island en masse. The country welcomed refugees and offered them a place to start a new life with opportunity and freedom. The blessings that Canada has bestowed upon the Eelam Tamils cannot be overstated. However, as evidenced by the mass protests in 2009, many Tamils—if not most—felt disappointed and deeply disheartened by Canada’s foreign policy on Sri Lanka and Eelam.
Despite Canada’s initial reluctance to recognize the faults of Sri Lanka in 2009, recent shifts in the general Canadian view have served as key catalysts for reigniting the spirit of the Eelam independence movement. The Tamil Genocide Education Week Act, the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, and the Tamil Heritage Month are all testaments to the tremendous progress that has been made in Canadian recognition of the genocide and the distinct culture, language, history, and identity of the Eelam Tamil nation.
The Tamil Genocide Education Week Act, passed in 2021, designates the week of May 11 to provide a time for remembering, reflecting on, and recognizing the genocide of Tamils within the province of Ontario. Similarly, Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day is recognized on May 18th in Ontario and has been met with widespread support and solidarity by Canadian politicians and the general population. Tamil Heritage Month, officially recognized within Ontario as the month of January by a bill passed in 2016, allows Tamils to connect with, display, and celebrate their culture, history, and community—recognizing the great benefits the population has brought to Canada.
The potential for Canada to play a continued and larger role in the pursuit of justice and independence for Eelam seems evident. The recognition by leaders of all the major parties within Canada—including the New Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, and the Conservative Party—is significant. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party, formally declared the actions of Sri Lanka against the Tamil people as a genocide in 2023 and 2024 during statements he issued on Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. This recognition marks a pivotal shift in Canada’s explicit stance on Sri Lanka, further evidenced by the sanctioning of four Sri Lankan government officials for human rights violations in 2023.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, issued a statement echoing similar sentiments but with a harsher tone on the need for justice and accountability. Not only did he recognize the genocide in his statement on Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, but he also declared that he was in favor of demanding the arrest of Gotabaya Rajapaksa to answer for his crimes in an international tribunal. This stance was recognized and applauded by the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam immediately after the statement was issued. Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party, has similarly issued statements reflecting his recognition of the genocide and the fact that “New Democrats stand in solidarity with the Tamil community in their struggle for justice, self-determination, and accountability.”
No other country in the world has recognized Eelam as Canada has. The support of the three major parties, along with statements of genocide recognition—which, under international law, requires a right to act to bring justice and accountability—is unprecedented and demonstrates the success of Tamils in presenting their case and stories to the international community. The statements and acts passed within Canada have terrified the Government of Sri Lanka. Shortly after Trudeau’s recognition in his statement, the Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka declared that “The Government of Sri Lanka in all previous communications has categorically refuted such outrageous allegations of genocide in Sri Lanka. No competent authority in Canada or elsewhere in the world has made any objective determination of genocide having taken place in Sri Lanka.”
There is a great fear among the Government of Sri Lanka that public opinion could threaten its impunity for war crimes, human rights violations, and genocide. This threat is poised to grow if the trend of genocide recognition continues within Canada and expands into other countries’ stances. All these trends and patterns must be capitalized on by the Eelam Tamil people to maximize their chances of securing justice and independence. By continuing to make the case to different politicians and diplomats, the nation has a clear chance at receiving justice—and there is no greater evidence than in Canada.