Foreign Minister John Baird has called in Sri Lanka’s high commissioner to Canada to discuss Canada’s “deep concern” with the country, according to his spokesperson.
 
The country is facing growing pressure from all major parties in Canadian Parliament to improve its human rights record. But Sri Lankan High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara argues that after an almost 30-year civil war, significant social change in the country is not a sprint—it’s a marathon.
 
The parties are urging Sri Lanka to boost reconciliation between groups involved in the war. If the situation doesn’t improve, the parties have suggested Canada minimize (or fully stop) its participation in a high-level fall Commonwealth meeting.
 
Meanwhile, during his Jan. 7 visit to the island—which lies off the southern coast of India—Immigration Minister Jason Kenney gave a stern warning to government officials there.
 
A press release said he stated that Canada is disappointed with post-war reconciliation. Ethnic Tamils had been fighting to separate from the majority-Sinhalese country.
 
“Canada wants to see a successful 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, but as host of the event, Sri Lanka is under close scrutiny for its adherence to Commonwealth values and principles,” the press release quoted Mr. Kenney as saying.
 
“Canada’s level of representation at this meeting will depend on real progress on political reconciliation and accountability, including an independent investigation of allegations of human rights violations endured by civilians at the hands of both sides during the civil war.”
 
Unhappy with the Sri Lankan’s government’s impeachment of a Supreme Court justice, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae also called for more action in a Jan. 10 press release. He urged Mr. Baird to “immediately raise this issue with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, whose mandate includes disciplining violations of the association’s basic principles.”
 
Mr. Baird said in a press release that he would be pushing the issue during the next the next Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting.
 
The prime minister’s office also sent out a press release on the subject.
 
Taking an even stronger stance, the NDP released a statement Jan. 13 from foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar, stating that “We strongly urge the Canadian government to now state unequivocally that Canada will not attend this October’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.”
 
Rebuilding can take a generation
The latest concerns sprouted when, in early January, the Sri Lankan president removed the country’s chief justice following an impeachment process that the Canadian government said lacked transparency and was highly politicized.
 
But Ms. Wagiswara told Embassy during an interview in her office that the Sri Lankan government followed the impeachment process “step-by-step” as it is laid out in the constitution.
 
Any issue with a judge can be dealt with through law or standing orders, she said.
 
The government followed the standing orders process.
 
Ms. Wagiswara said the parliamentary speaker appointed an 11-member committee: seven from the leading party and four from the opposition.
 
The committee investigated and their findings were tabled in parliament, she said. Within a month, there
was a debate among all MPs and the motion to impeach was passed.
 
Sri Lanka currently has a majority government.
 
The president, who can either dismiss or accept the impeachment, supported it, she said. The whole process took around two months, she added.
 
According to Al Jazeera, Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was accused of financial impropriety, bias, and abuse of power—all of which she disputes. Critics of the process say she was unfairly targeted for ruling against a government development bill.
 
Ms. Wagiswara said that Sri Lanka wants “all countries to participate” in the Commonwealth meeting, and added that Canada is the only country that has threatened to not take part. 
 
She also stressed that the civil war ended less than four years ago.
 
“It was a very difficult conflict, and there are so many issues,” she said, listing the work that has been done to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, rehabilitate child soldiers, and to successfully clear 98 per cent of the landmines that lay hidden.
 
But, she said the relationship between the Tamils and the Sinhalese is not as easy to rebuild as buildings or bridges.
 
“What happened over 30 years we cannot solve in three, or four, or five years,” she argued. “It often takes a generation.”
 
Ms. Wagiswara said many programs currently running are meant to bring both Tamil and Sinhalese youth together to learn about each other’s community, and understand one another.
 
Language training is also being given so that citizens can better interact, she said.
 

Ms. Wagiswara said her government wants the international community to know that the Sri Lankan government accepts “that there are outstanding issues to be addressed,” but argued that when other countries are consistently pointing fingers at Sri Lanka’s faults, it “takes away our focus because we have to keep defending.”

“We would want Mr. Baird, or members of Parliament to...go to Sri Lanka and see for themselves what is being done,” she added.
 

This invitation has been extended before. According to media reports from Colombo, Sri Lanka’s external affairs minister, G. L. Peiris, told Mr. Kenney during his visit that there was an open invitation for Mr. Baird to visit the country to see what has been accomplished since the war.
 

When asked if Mr. Baird intended to R.S.V.P, his office only wrote that “Direct engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka at all levels is important” and highlighted that there were high-level Canadian visits to the country in 2012.
 

When asked when Canada would decide on its participation in the Commonwealth meeting, Mr. Baird’s press secretary, Rick Roth, wrote that “There is still time for the Government of Sri Lanka to demonstrate good faith in advance” of the meeting.
 

“Canada will continue to monitor developments closely and make a final decision based on assessment of the situation on the ground closer to the time.”
 

Mr. Roth outlined that “Canada needs to see positive signs in the area of human rights, political reconciliation, democratic values and accountability” before attending.
 

Specifically, Canada wants the Sri Lankan government to implement all recommendations of a post-war Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, and steps outlined in its own National Action Plan, wrote Mr. Roth.
 

Meanwhile, while Ms. Wagiswara said she has found Canadian MPs and ministers very accessible, Mr. Roth confirmed that the she was “called into a meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on Friday, January 11th, to discuss Canada’s deep concern over recent developments in that country as outlined [by] Prime Minister Harper, Foreign Minister Baird and Immigration Minister Kenney.”
 

afoster@embassynews.ca
@AllyFoster1
 
http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2013/01/23/change-in-sri-lanka-not-a-sprint-it%E2%80%99s-a-marathon-high-commissioner/43152?page_requested=2 
 
 

Language training is also being given so that citizens can better interact, she said.

கனடா, தமிழர் சிங்கள படிக்க இலங்கை அரசாங்கத்திற்கு காசு கொடுத்தவர்கள்.