The Influential Ontario Legislative Assembly has resolved that Sri Lanka subjected the Tamil community to genocideduring the armed conflict.
The Legislative Assembly voted in favour of Bill 104 (aka the Tamil Genocide Education Week Act), moved by Sri Lankan asylum seeker-turned Scarborough-Rouge Park MPVijay Thanigasalam, at the third reading in the legislature.
The first reading took place on April 30th, 2019, and the second on May 16, 2019.
The passage of Bill 104 took place on May 6, 2021 in the absence of a cohesive campaign by Sri Lanka to oppose the Canadian move, sources said.
On Twitter, ProgressiveConservative Party of Ontario MP Vijay Thanigasalam declared the passage ofBill 104 "a historic event for Tamil people in Ontario and across the world." The Canadian media quoted Thanigasalam as having said: “Ontario is the first government worldwide to pass such a law.”
Thanigasalam, in addition to being Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, is also a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. He also serves as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation.
'The Island' reported that the Canadian move had been made in the wake of the unprecedented rejection of retired Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sumangala Dias as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner therein, adding that sources claimed that the Air Marshal was rejected on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes accusations.
The Bill proclaims the seven-day period in each year ending on May 18 as Tamil Genocide Education Week.
Accordingly, the seven-day period in each year ending on May 18 is proclaimed as Tamil Genocide Education Week and during that period, all Ontarians are encouraged to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.
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