A Targeted Canadian Humanitarian Initiative for War-Affected Tamil Communities in Sri Lanka

September 25, 2026

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, MP
Minister of Public Safety
Government of Canada.

Re: A Targeted Canadian Humanitarian Initiative for War-Affected Tamil Communities in Sri Lanka

Dear Minister Anandasangaree,

Vanakkam. I am writing in my capacity as President of the Canada Tamil National Alliance (CTNA) concerning an issue that I have raised with you repeatedly during our meetings: the urgent need for meaningful humanitarian assistance for the war-affected Tamil people of Sri Lanka’s Northeast.

On each occasion, you have explained to me that Sri Lanka is a middle-income country and that Canada does not provide aid to countries in that category.

I understand the Government of Canada’s development-assistance framework. However, I believe there is an important distinction between conventional development assistance to a country and targeted humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities that continue to suffer the consequences of a prolonged armed conflict.

You, more than most people in Canadian public life, understand the history and suffering of the Tamil people of the Northeast. You have represented a riding with a large Tamil community for many years, and you understand from personal and family experience what displacement and the search for security and a new life can mean.

I therefore do not need to explain to you the travails and tribulations of our people.

The war ended in 2009, more than 17 years ago.

But their suffering did not.

This continuing hardship is also reflected in the economic position of the Northeast. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s latest Provincial Gross Domestic Product figures, published in December 2025, the Northern Province accounted for 5.0% of Sri Lanka’s nominal GDP in 2024, while the Eastern Province accounted for 7.7%. Together, the two provinces contributed only 12.7% of the country’s nominal GDP. These figures, while not in themselves measures of poverty, illustrate the continuing economic disparity of a region that endured decades of armed conflict.

Thousands of families continue to live with the consequences of displacement, loss of family members, destruction of homes and livelihoods, unemployment, poverty and the loss of productive assets. This could be seen from the fact that the GDP 4.4 of Northern Province is one of the lowest for the country.

The issue I have repeatedly raised with you is therefore not whether Canada should provide general development assistance to Sri Lanka.

It is whether Canada can provide targeted humanitarian assistance to vulnerable, war-affected communities in the Northeast through appropriate Canadian, international or humanitarian mechanisms.

Canada’s own records demonstrate that Sri Lanka is not completely outside the scope of Canadian assistance. In fiscal year 2024–25, Canada provided $8.1 million in bilateral development assistance to Sri Lanka. Following Cyclone Ditwah, Canada also provided more than $2 million in emergency humanitarian assistance. The Government’s announcement stated that Canada would continue to support affected communities in their recovery and rebuilding. Government of Canada — assistance to Sri Lanka

This raises a reasonable question:

Why cannot Canada establish a targeted humanitarian initiative for the war-affected Tamil communities of the Northeast?

Such an initiative could support:

• housing and shelter for families who lost their homes;
• land and property assistance, including documentation and restoration of legitimate land rights;
• livelihood restoration and employment;
• small-business and self-employment assistance;
• support for women-headed and other vulnerable households;
• assistance to elderly and disabled war-affected persons;
• community rehabilitation and reconstruction;
• education and vocational training for young people; and
• reconciliation, human rights and community recovery.

The question of returning refugees

There is now another important dimension to this humanitarian challenge.

For decades, tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees have lived in Tamil Nadu after fleeing the violence in Sri Lanka, particularly following the events of 1983 and the subsequent decades of conflict.

According to the Government of India’s published figures, as of June 1, 2025, 57,118 Sri Lankan refugees were living in 105 refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, while another 32,772 registered refugees were living outside the camps.

There is increasing attention to voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration.

We fully recognize the importance of the word voluntary.

Those who wish to return should be able to do so safely, voluntarily and with dignity.

But voluntary return raises another fundamental question:

Return to what?

A person who has spent decades as a refugee cannot simply return to Sri Lanka and be expected to rebuild a life from nothing.

Many potential returnees will need:

Land.
A house.
Employment.
A livelihood.
Education for their children.
Access to essential services.
And financial assistance to begin again.

UNHCR itself recognizes the importance of sustainable reintegration and provides support relating to areas including housing, land and property documentation and livelihoods for vulnerable returnees.

Therefore, voluntary repatriation without meaningful reintegration assistance would leave many returnees facing the same economic insecurity that contributed to their displacement in the first place.

This is precisely where Canada could make a significant contribution.

A Canadian Tamil Northeast Reconstruction and Reintegration Initiative

The CTNA proposes that the Government of Canada explore a targeted humanitarian initiative with two complementary components:

1. Northeast Community Recovery

Assistance to vulnerable war-affected families already living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, focusing on:

• housing;
• land and property issues;
• livelihoods;
• employment;
• small enterprises;
• vocational training; and
• community rehabilitation.

2. Voluntary Refugee Return and Reintegration

Assistance for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India who voluntarily choose to return, including:

• housing;
• land and property documentation;
• livelihood and employment assistance;
• vocational training;
• small-business support; and
• transitional financial assistance.

The program could be administered through reputable Canadian, international and humanitarian organizations, with strict transparency, independent monitoring and measurable outcomes.

It would not require Canada to choose one suffering population over another.

We are not asking Canada to reduce its assistance to Ukraine, Palestine or any other population experiencing war or humanitarian crisis.

We are asking Canada to recognize that humanitarian need also exists among the war-affected Tamil people of Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Canadian connection

Canada is home to a substantial Tamil community. Statistics Canada recorded approximately 238,000 Tamil speakers in Canada in the 2021 Census.

Many Canadian Tamils maintain close family and community connections with the Northeast of Sri Lanka. Many have themselves experienced displacement and the consequences of war.

The community has made a substantial contribution to Canadian society.

It is therefore entirely reasonable for Canadian Tamils to ask whether Canada’s humanitarian policies adequately recognize the continuing needs of the people with whom they maintain such close connections.

Minister, I have raised this matter with you repeatedly because I know that you understand the problem.

I am now asking whether we can move beyond the general explanation that “Sri Lanka is a middle-income country” and examine what Canada can do for vulnerable people who continue to bear the consequences of war.

You know the history.

You know the people.

And you know the continuing needs.

What is needed now is a practical Canadian response.

I therefore respectfully request that you:

1. Raise this matter with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development;
2. Determine what existing Canadian humanitarian, peacebuilding, human-rights or other funding mechanisms could support such a targeted initiative;
3. Explore Canadian support for the sustainable reintegration of Tamil refugees who voluntarily return from India; and
4. Meet with representatives of the Canada Tamil National Alliance and other appropriate Canadian Tamil organizations to discuss how such an initiative could be developed with transparency, accountability and measurable results.

Minister, this is not an appeal for preferential treatment.

It is an appeal for humanitarian recognition of a population whose suffering did not end when the war ended in 2009.

We respectfully ask you to use your position and your understanding of this history to help turn that recognition into meaningful action.

I look forward to your response and to the opportunity to discuss this proposal with you and the relevant ministers and officials.

Yours sincerely,

Veluppillai  Thangavelu
President
Canada Tamil National Alliance (CTNA)