- Canadian PM backs Anandasangaree
Sri Lankan-born-Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree has been accused of supporting a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in obtaining Canadian citizenship.
Canadian media outlets reported that Anandasangaree is alleged to have sent two letters expressing support for granting Canadian citizenship to a Sri Lankan national, who is alleged to be a former LTTE member. These letters were reportedly sent to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in 2016 and 2023. It is stated that Anandasangaree submitted these letters while serving as a Parliamentarian.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has rejected application for citizenship on multiple occasions, citing his direct links to the LTTE.
In the letters, Anandasangaree is said to have requested that steps be taken to grant alleged LTTE member Canadian citizenship on humanitarian grounds, noting concerns about family separation.
However, the allegations against Anandasangaree claim that because the LTTE is a banned terrorist organisation, his actions amount to supporting terrorism.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister of Canada has been informed that it is problematic for Anandasangaree to continue serving as the Public Safety Minister, given these allegations of supporting a terrorist organisation.
In response, the office of Anandasangaree released a statement saying that it would be inappropriate to comment in detail while the matter is before court. Furthermore, Anandasangaree emphasised that he has not submitted such support letters since becoming a minister. He stated that his previous support was based on humanitarian grounds and aimed at preventing the separation of a family with a Canadian-born child. He also stressed that he has never supported any terrorist organisation and would not make decisions in favour of one.
YahooNews yesterday reported Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has expressed confidence in Anandasangaree following the allegations.
Anandasangaree, who denies Selvakumaran’s affiliation claims, stated that he was acting as an MP for a constituent and has since recused himself from Sri Lanka-related matters as a minister.
Carney has expressed confidence in Anandasangaree after a report that before he became a minister, he supported an immigration application from a Sri Lankan whom Federal officials had barred from entering Canada.
While he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, it is alleged that Anandasangaree wrote to the CBSA supporting an application to overturn a decision not to let the applicant, a constituent’s husband, into the country.
Anandasangaree asked the CBSA if it would review its decision to advise the Public Safety Minister not to grant the applicant permanent residence in Canada to enable him to join his wife and child.