Can recent elections in Sri Lanka pave the way for national reconciliation and lead to better Canada-Sri Lanka relations?

Introduction

The landslide victory of the National People’s Power (NPP) in this year’s Parliamentary and Presidential elections is a historic achievement that came on the heels of the #GotaGoHome protests, reflecting the public’s demand for accountable and professional leadership following the devastating economic crisis of 2022. 

The election also signalled the fall of the Rajapaksa dynasty who ruled from 2005-2014 and 2019-2022, and whose rise was rooted in the military triumph over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While there is a need for a fresh approach to governance in Sri Lanka, addressing the lingering complexities of diaspora relations with Canada (home to 136,240 Sri Lankan-born persons) is also important.

The National People’s Power coalition

The NPP is a political coalition comprising political parties, trade unions, civil society organizations, youth organizations and women’s groups with the core objectives of “cultivating an uncorrupted, service-oriented, accountable, and transparent political culture, promoting economic democracy for fairer wealth distribution, strengthening social protections, and championing an inclusive, democratic Sri Lankan identity”. In its manifesto are also policies to improve the lives of  the minority Malaiyaga Tamil community, especially in recognition of their long-standing contributions to the plantation industry, which amounts to 24% of the total export earnings in the country. In addition, the manifesto pledges to pave the way for Sri Lankan expatriates to vote in elections, for children born to Sri Lankans abroad being eligible for dual citizenship and to facilitate skilled expats overseas to invest in small and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka. 

The NPP not only won the votes of the Sinhalese majority, but also led the vote in Jaffna Province with 3 seats, Vanni with 2 seats, Trincomalee with 2 seats and a seat in Batticaloa. The win in Jaffna was the first since independence from the British. These are districts with a higher concentration of Tamil and Muslim minorities most affected by the civil war with the LTTE. Among the 159 seats won during the elections are Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese parliamentarians including 21 women, the highest number of women ever to serve in Sri Lanka’s parliament. Included in this group is Professor Harini Amarasuriya who took Colombo district with 655,289 votes and will now be the country’s Prime Minister. 

Canada-Sri Lanka bilateral relations: overview

Canada and Sri Lanka share deep ties as founding members of the Commonwealth, and have  strong economic relations, but with a complex diplomatic scenario as far as diaspora politics are concerned. In 2023, Canadian direct investment in Sri Lanka was $121 million, while merchandise exports amounted to $149 million (mostly cereals and vegetables), and imports from Sri Lanka totalled $505.4 million (mostly clothing).

Sri Lanka has not yet realized its full potential trade-wise with Canada despite efforts through organizations like the Sri Lanka-Canada Business Council (SLCBC). However, the potential to improve Sri Lankan exports to Canada was recently highlighted by the Trade Commissioner Service of Canada and through SLCBC discussions with the Vancouver-based Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce and the Surrey Board of Trade. Areas where bi-lateral trade improvements could be made included textiles, gems and jewellery, tourism, tea, rubber and coconut products, and IT services. 

However, diplomatic relations and diaspora engagement has been strained due to Sri Lanka’s human rights record as witnessed by the latest controversy surrounding the new Tamil Genocide Monument in Brampton. The controversy stems from protests by the Sinhalese community against the construction of the monument reflecting the divisions within the diaspora. The construction was also opposed by the Sri Lankan consulate in Toronto who saw it as promoting divisive narratives about the civil war and promoting discord among the Sri Lankan community in Canada. 

Canada, however, has taken a strong position regarding the question of genocide and Tamil minorities as it has recognized May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day since 2022. In addition, Canada consistently votes against Sri Lanka in UN human rights resolutions. Due to pressures from the Tamil diaspora in Canada, in 2023, sanctions were also imposed on former presidents Gotabhaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as former army commander Shavendra Silva under the Special Economic Measures (Sri Lanka) Regulations for alleged crimes against humanity. 

The newly elected Sri Lankan government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has rejected the latest UNHRC draft resolution A/HRC/57/L calling for war crimes probes, continuing this aspect of Colombo’s foreign policy. However, the question of whether the government will actively encourage stronger people-to-people ties through the Tamil diaspora remains. While there are several positive pointers for Tamils such as the pledges to return all land in the North and East back to the people, and release of all Tamil political prisoners, questions on several contentious issues still remain. These include amending the constitution to grant federal status, prosecution of military officers for war crimes and secularizing the nation by removing the special status owed to Buddhism in the constitution.

Reshaping relations through diaspora engagement

Due to the entrenchment of ethno-nationalism and the close relationship of Buddhism with domestic politics in Sri Lanka, conceding political power to minorities through making changes to the constitution could result in unrest and electoral consequences for the NPP. However, the representation of minorities in the parliament under this government itself, is a major development towards post-conflict transformation. A key step towards ensuring this would be to encourage diaspora engagement and more people-to-people ties through Canadian diplomatic channels. 

The Canadian government proscribed the LTTE (2006) and the World Tamil Movement (2008) under its Anti-Terrorism Act, which enabled the government of Sri Lanka to end the civil war in 2009. However, other Tamil organizations such as the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) have thrived in Canada as an important voice for their community. Therefore, the  proscribing of the NCCT by the Sri Lankan Government gazette No. 2387/02 published in June  2024 for terrorism related activities and funding for terrorism continues to complicate diaspora engagement between Canada and Sri Lanka. Instead, the NCCT should be permitted to invest in Sri Lanka and work constructively with the new government, which is elected to serve all Sri Lankans, irrespective of ethnicity. The NPP manifesto as highlighted above encourages all Sri Lankan citizens residing abroad to invest in the country – not only in the North and East but also in other parts of the island.  

Diplomatic negotiations should also prioritize reducing travel risk ratings to attract Canadian visitors to Sri Lanka which is a premier tourist destination. According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, between 1 January to 6 March 2024, there were 8,841 visitors from Canada. Currently, however, the Canadian government website warns visitors of potential arrest and detention in the North and East due to the high presence of security personnel and warns that much of the area is also littered with mines. The Sri Lankan government must therefore accelerate the demining process and show tangible results – an initiative that is supported by Canada with an investment of $333,333 to de-contaminate 64,960m² of land in the North and East.  

The current government also acted promptly to counter potential terrorist threats targeting Israeli tourists in Arugam Bay, a popular destination on Sri Lanka’s east coast, following recent intelligence warnings. Heightened security measures and arrests in the area led Israeli authorities to lower their travel advisory level from 4 (high) to 2 (moderate), encouraging the resumption of tourism.

Conclusion

The NPP’s historic electoral victory offers an unprecedented opportunity for Sri Lanka to rebuild its national identity through inclusive governance and proactive diaspora engagement. Strengthening Canada-Sri Lanka relations, where a significant diaspora of Sri Lankans reside – irrespective of whether Sinhalese or Tamils, can pave the way for meaningful reconciliation.