News
Canada Day message from High Commissioner
Happy Canada Day! On July 1 Canadians celebrate together our country’s achievements and hopefully have some fun doing it. We also reflect on the challenges that we face as we look to build a better Canada.
Canada Day is typically celebrated informally, with a focus on family, friends, and community. This reflects Canadians’ inclusive sense of nationalism, enabling our diverse citizenry to integrate the various layers of their personal identities into an overarching sense of what it is to be Canadian, under the maple leaf.
While the acute phase of the pandemic is, thankfully, behind us, the world faces different and complex challenges that once again require us to work together in our response. Major crises with global consequences have emerged around the world, most notably the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In Sri Lanka, the economic crisis has been exacerbated by these external shocks, and it is wrenching to see the adversity ordinary Sri Lankans endure every day as a result. As we did during the pandemic and for nearly 70 years before that, Canadians have extended their support to Sri Lanka in these difficult times. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we are funding the procurement of essential medicines and supplies. Canada is also working with the World Food Program to purchase urgently needed rice stocks for the National School Meal Program. As the crisis deepens, we are looking how we can best respond to the recent flash appeals by the UN and the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies.
I admire the desire of so many Sri Lankans to turn these challenging times into an opportunity to build a more stable, prosperous and inclusive society that can harness the enormous potential of this remarkable country and its talented people. Though under different circumstances, in Canada we, too, are striving to build a better future for all by advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, including by recognizing and ending a legacy of injustice. We want to make sure the descendants of the first inhabitants of our beautiful land are acknowledged and celebrated fully in Canadian society even as we continue to welcome hundreds of thousands immigrants each year from around the world. Consistent with this, Canada supports the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka, as well as the empowerment of women and marginalized communities, whose success is integral to that of the country. This builds on our extensive people-to-people links and longstanding economic ties.
Amidst the many challenges the world is facing, we cannot forget the most profound of all – the climate crisis. Climate and environmental action remain a priority for Canada and we continue to contribute to the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund, which benefit Sri Lanka. In recent years, we have also increased our support for local environmental initiatives.
I would be remiss if I did not end with a note about the many Canadians of Sri Lankan heritage who continue to shape and improve Canada. They exemplify why Canada Day is a day on which we celebrate diversity, solidarity and hope for an ever more inclusive future.
It has been reported quoting police sources that the death toll from the renewed unrest at the Negombo Prison which this morning, has risen from nineteen to twenty five (25).
A clash initially broke out between two groups of inmates (a group of remand prisoners and a group of convicted inmates serving sentences) at the Negombo Prison at around 1.00 p.m. on Sunday (05).
Two inmates died in yesterday’s clash, while around 40 others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at hospital.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the children of Sri Lanka are well capable of viewing the world with creativity and critical ways of thinking, and that the Government is committed to equipping them with the required knowledge and modern technologies necessary to realize their full potential.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the opening of the ’Arumasiya’ Exhibition and the occasion of laying the foundation stone for a new three-storey building at Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, on the 4th of July.
During the visit, the Prime Minister officially declared open the exhibition showcasing the students’ innovations and creative talents and commended them for their remarkable achievements. The Prime Minister also participated in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the construction of the College’s new three-storey building.
Addressing the occasion, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“It is a pleasure to participate in this special event at Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, the school where Sri Lanka’s first female Prime Minister received her education
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition featuring the outstanding creations and innovations of the students. What I witnessed was a group of talented young people who have moved beyond textbook learning and are capable of viewing the world with creativity and critical thinking.
We are introducing a new education reform process that moves away from a rote-learning, examination-oriented system towards a practical and skills-based one. The Government is now systematically completing all the necessary preparations to implement the new education reforms scheduled to commence in 2027.
Our objective is to ensure that every child leaving school has access to vocational and technical education that matches their individual talents and meets the demands of the modern labour market. We are committed to transforming vocational education into a field that enjoys the same dignity and recognition as university education.
Finally, I commend the Principal and the academic staff of Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College for organizing this exhibition, and to the students and parents whose dedication made this event a success.”
The event was attended by Members of Parliament for Ratnapura District Wasantha Pushpa Kumara and Sunil Rajapaksha, the Mayor of Balangoda and members of the Municipal Council, the Zonal Director of Education, the Principal and academic staff of Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, parents, and students.
Prime Minister’s Media Division
The appointment of a Special Parliamentary Ombudsman (SPO) to inquire into the complaints against the Attorney General, as promised in the NPP manifesto, is on hold, pending the establishment of an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers.
Authoritative sources told The Island that the Justice and National Integration Ministry was awaiting the recommendations, regarding the new legislation for the establishment of such an Office, from a Committee of Technical Experts, chaired by Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, PC.
Responding to a query raised in Parliament by SJB lawmaker Ajith P. Perera about the delay in appointment of SPO, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said the government couldn’t take a decision until the Kodagoda Committee made recommendations.
Nanayakkara said that the positioning of the SPO couldn’t be decided before they differentiate the powers of the Attorney General and the an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers.
According to the NPP manifesto, provincial Sub Officers were to be established under a senior Additional Solicitor General.
Opposition sources pointed out that the relevant Cabinet decision was taken on 7 May 2025. According to the Cabinet Office, the government decided to establish an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers in line with a proposal made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her final report on Sri Lanka, submitted in September, 2024.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
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