Gary Anandasangaree delivers opening remarks on Parliament Hill. Photograph: Office of Gary Anandasangaree
The following are the opening remarks delivered by Gary Anandasangaree at the event ‘Chemmani: From Mass Graves to Accountability’, co-hosted by MPs Gary Anandasangaree and Juanita Nathan on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on 20 October 2026.
First of all, thank you all. Thank you all for coming today to this very important gathering on Parliament Hill.
Let me acknowledge my colleagues who are here today.
We have Juanita Nathan, who is our MP for Pickering—Brooklin. We have Fayçal El-Khoury, who is MP for Laval. We have Annie Koutrakis, who is MP for Vimy. Ron McKinnon, who is MP for Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam. And, of course, Frank Caputo, who is the MP for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, who is also my critic in my portfolio and a dear friend.
So, thank you all for being here.
This is long overdue. This is something that we wanted to do many months ago, but given the summer, we were not able to do it.
But it’s important that we recognise the enormous harm that has been caused for those who are seeking answers about their missing loved ones in Chemmani.
Several times over, there have been initial indications that Chemmani had signs of a mass grave. But in recent months, it’s come to light that there are close to 600 individuals – or remains of bodies – that have been found.
And it has been deeply traumatising for many who have been working towards justice and human rights on the island.
This is an issue that demands international attention, demands international justice, and certainly demands accountability.
Sri Lanka is a country that has evaded, over many decades, the rule of law and accountability for those who have committed gross international violations of human rights, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
These findings have certainly brought back enormous pain and suffering for those who have lived through the genocide on the island. But at the same time, they have sparked the resolve of those who have been working towards human rights around the world, and particularly members of the Tamil community.
So this is very much a moment, I think, for us to come together and recommit and resolve to ensure that we continue on this path.
Our speaker today is Dr Mario Arulthas, and I’m very proud to welcome him here today.
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Parliamentarians, community members and students at the event. Photograph: Office of Gary Anandasangaree
And I want to connect a few dots here.
In 2009, we had an opportunity to meet Navi Pillay, who was, at that time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was a small meeting with five or six members of the community, and it was in Geneva. And one of the things that she said clearly was that the Tamil community needs to intellectualise the struggle and to ensure that we bring attention to the world of what was happening at that time on the island.
At the same time, Mario was demonstrating on the streets of London and organising as a student for many months, and was an incredibly poignant voice for that time. Seventeen years later, he has spent many years working on issues around accountability and identity, and on Tamil issues, to the point where he’s able to come and speak to us with a great deal of authority.
So I’m very proud, as we mark this day, that we have someone with the expertise within our midst to be able to present this. And this is why I’m particularly encouraged that there are a lot of students here from different universities.
I’m particularly encouraged that the overall path towards accountability and justice is passing from one generation to the other, to the other. And that is critically important to all of us.
I don’t want to take up too much time other than to commit to Canada’s ongoing support and resolve to ensure accountability takes place on the island. Canada, as you’re aware, is part of the Core Group, and the investigation continues with the UN Human Rights Council.
And Canada, in 2023, recognised what happened in Sri Lanka as genocide, and at the same time sanctioned four individuals, including two former presidents of Sri Lanka, as inadmissible to Canada.
But certainly, this is not enough. We need to do more.
And we will continue to do more in supporting the community, but also supporting truth, as well as accountability, on the island.
I’m also honoured to have Iqwinder Gaheer here. He is the MP for Mississauga—Malton, someone who has a strong human rights background and who has been a dear friend to the community.
So with that, I will thank you.
Thank you, Kathir, for doing this, and thank you all for taking your time from different parts of the country to be here today.
And I look forward to hearing from other speakers, but also speaking to you afterwards.
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Gary Anandasangaree is the Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park and Canada’s Minister of Public Safety.
