The Tamil community in Ottawa gathered on May 18th to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day in an event jointly organised by the Ottawa Tamil Association, National Capital Region Tamil Association, Ottawa Tamil Academy of Culture and Technology, Ottawa Tamil Seniors Association, and Tamil Genocide Memorial.
The event held at the Fred Barrett Arena began with a land acknowledgement, the Canadian national anthem, and the Thamil Mozhi Valththu. Over 150 attendees in the capital observed a moment of silence to commemorate the lives lost during the Tamil Genocide.
MP and Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, spoke at the event, expressing condolences for the lives lost in Mullivaikkal and other parts of the island since independence. He acknowledged the presence of survivors of the Mullivaikkal massacre at the event and their resilience and unwavering pursuit of justice and accountability.
Anandasangaree highlighted the Canadian government’s efforts in this realm, such as the implementation of sanctions against Sri Lankan war criminals in January 2023, including former presidents Gotabaya Rajapaska and Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as the parliament’s recognition of the events in Mullivaikkal as genocide and the commemoration of May 18th annually as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day since 2022.
The MP for Scarborough-Rouge Park recollected his visit to the Tamil homeland in January, where he spent days speaking with Mullivaikkal survivors. He underlined their resilience and the importance of projecting their voices to ensure the Tamil people in the North and East of the island can live peacefully, and there is accountability for the genocide that took place sixteen years ago.
Looking forward, Anandasangaree expressed the government’s intention to work with the community and international partners to ensure justice is served, especially as the United Nations Human Rights Council reports on accountability and next steps in September.
MP Anandasangaree was joined by newly elected Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy, who read Prime Minister Mark Carney’s statement marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.
Barbara Bal, who ran for the federal election in April, also attended the event and read the statement published by Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
A speech by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was played to the audience, highlighting the inauguration of the Tamil Genocide Monument last week.
A survivor of the Mullivaikkal Genocide spoke at the event, underlining the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to illegally seize thousands of acres of land across the Tamil homeland.
Various representatives of the organisations hosting the event spoke throughout the evening, reciting poems commemorating the genocide and recollecting the violent history and persecution of the Tamil people on the island. Speakers emphasized human rights violations since the end of the official armed conflict, the Tamil people’s continued resistance, and ways to hold the Sri Lankan state accountable, such as through universal jurisdiction, as pursued by The Gambia against Myanmar in the International Court of Justice for the genocide of the Rohingya people.
The National Capital Region Tamil Association also shared information about the Abayam Foundation, an organisation providing healthcare and education support in the North and East through grassroots and community-led projects.
The event concluded as attendees laid flowers and were served Mullivaikkal Kanji in memory of the Tamils who perished in May 2009.
