Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Liberals made clear and specific promises to the Tamil community. The Liberals promised to support justice and reconciliation, to address the terrible crimes committed at the end of the civil war, and to confront ongoing human rights concerns for the Tamil community today.

However, as on so many fronts, the Liberals have failed to keep their promises. Frankly, we can see now how they cynically made any promise to any community that they thought would get votes, but then after the election, they completely ignore those promises.

For Tamil Canadians, many of whom have family members impacted by human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, Liberal broken promises in this respect are a source of great disappointment. We, in the official opposition, have repeatedly raised this issue in the House. I asked the government about it during question period on November 7, and I also raised the point on May 15, May 17, and June 6. At no point has the government actually even claimed to be taking concrete action. Quite clearly, there is no action to speak of.

This was, in retrospect, a cynical election ploy. Tamil Canadians, like so many others who have been impacted by broken Liberal promises, feel betrayed by the lack of action from the government.

Frankly, rather than being helpful on the human rights front, the government has taken actions which have added insult to the injury.

For example, the Liberals eliminated the Office of Religious Freedom, which had played a critical role in promoting justice, reconciliation, pluralism, and inter-religious harmony around the world, and specifically in Sri Lanka. This set us back significantly with respect to our promotion of human rights around the world. The Liberals also eliminated the ambassador of religious freedom position. The previous ambassador was active on a range of fronts, which are particularly in discussion now, specifically with on-the-ground activities in Sri Lanka. The ambassador was also very active on the Rohingya issue. The cancellation of this office has set us back.

This past week, we know there were particular concerns about the participation of the Sri Lankan military in the peacekeeping conference in Vancouver. The government wanted this to be its big opportunity for peacekeeping fanfare, but in the process, it quietly gave immunity to those participating in the conference.

The order for immunity said, “Privileges and immunities are necessary in order to facilitate the participation of these individuals in the Ministerial and, in some cases, their entry into Canada.” I would like to know who would have otherwise been inadmissible to Canada if this immunity order had not been put forward, and on what grounds? Were the grounds involvement in genocide? Crimes against humanity? We simply do not know what the minister had in mind.

Notably, there are not only human rights concerns around the actions of the Sri Lankan military in Sri Lanka, but also around its involvement in peacekeeping. The Associated Press reported that Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Haiti set up a sex ring involving children as young as 12. Of the 134 members of the military implicated, 114 did not receive any consequences. They went back to Sri Lanka without consequence.

Here is what I read recently in the Toronto Star. Someone wrote:

Given Sri Lanka’s history in Haiti, its treatment of Tamils on the island, and its history of impunity, its soldiers should not be allowed to wear the blue helmet, which is often seen as the embodiment of peace and protection of the innocent.

Who wrote that? It was the Liberal member for Scarborough—Rouge Park. I agree with what he said. The Sri Lankan military still participated in the peacekeeping conference, under the protection of an immunity order issued by the Government of Canada. I do not doubt the commitment of the member for Scarborough—Rouge Park on this issue, but his own government has left him out in the cold.

Why is the government failing to honour its commitments to Tamil Canadians? Why is it ignoring the human rights situation in Sri Lanka?

Garnett Genuis

$591,290.00