Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has stated there is 'no room for moral ambiguity' on Sri Lanka as Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycotts the increasingly controversial Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting due to be held in Colombo.

Writing in iPolitics.ca, Baird noted that Canada had made more than 30 public statements on Sri Lanka and that the opposition were united behind the Prime Minister's decision.

Extracts have been reproduced below. See the full piece here.

"Canada takes its membership in the Commonwealth very seriously. It is for this simple reason that we believe in upholding the basic principles it stands for: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Without them, what does the Commonwealth stand for?"

"The Commonwealth failed to put any pressure on a regime that has so blatantly ignored international calls for change... As a consequence, we gave this regime a free pass to continue down this path."

"This was not a decision taken in haste. It was carefully considered with one aim in mind: for Canada to send a message about our displeasure with an organization that has failed to stand up for its fundamental principles. How can an organization like the Commonwealth reward a country like Sri Lanka, not just with hosting a summit, but by allowing it to chair the organization for two years? And after no meaningful reconciliation following a brutal and violent struggle?"

"Four years after the end of the war, the military presence in the north of the country remains considerable. The military is prominent in areas of civilian administration and economic activities, to the detriment of real development in that region."

"According to the UN panel of experts, this is a government that is responsible for as many as 40,000 civilian deaths over the final five months of the country’s civil war. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stated as recently as September that there have been no new or comprehensive efforts from the Sri Lankan government to probe these atrocities."

"The Commonwealth has refused — not for a lack of trying on Canada’s part — to formally confront these reports, which is a complete abandonment of its founding principles and an obfuscation of its responsibilities."

"Opposition parties in Canada have been united behind this decision. Public statements and parliamentary interventions urged the prime minister not to attend."

"Our approach to CHOGM is one rooted in principle, with respect for the institution of the Commonwealth and what it represents. As a member state, and a leading financial supporter of the Commonwealth, we want our voice heard and we want the values we pledged to uphold as a Commonwealth nation cherished."

"There should be no room for moral ambiguity. We must always stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves. We will remain engaged with the people of Sri Lanka, and work to secure their basic freedoms and rights."

"The Commonwealth has a proud history. When it fails to stand up for the fundamental principles it has enshrined, and previously acted upon, the entire organization is undermined."

"A better day will come for the people of Sri Lanka. And Commonwealth nations should be leading the way to that better future — not rewarding the status quo."