A flag hoisting ceremony at the Toronto City Hall on 4^th February and a cultural event on 5^th February 2017 were arranged to celebrate the 69^th anniversary of independence of Sri Lanka, in Toronto by the Consulate General in Toronto. The flag hoisting ceremony was held on the 4^th February 2017, from 11.00 am at the Toronto City Hall, while the cultural event was arranged at the Ontario Science Centre on 5^th February 2017 from 6.00 pm.

Ontario Premier Kathlyn Wynne, Federal Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan, Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Ontario Provincial Member of Parliament Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Regional Chair of the Durham Region Roger Anderson and Councillor and a Former Federal Member of Parliament Mr. Jim Karygiannis extended their congratulations to the people of Sri Lanka and wished continuous success and prosperity of Sri Lanka. The dignitaries who graced the occasions included Senator Ataullahjan, Dr. Qaadri, representing the Premier of Ontario, Mr. Karygiannis, representing Toronto City Mayor, Consuls General from Bulgaria, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey and Mr. John Argue, Co-ordinator for Sri Lanka at Amnesty International Canada.

The events commenced with hoisting the national flag, with the accompaniment of Magul Bera, which was followed by singing the Sri Lankan national anthem in Sinhala and Tamil languages and the Canadian national anthem. The traditional oil lamp was lit by dignitaries and thereafter one minute silence was observed to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives on behalf of mother Sri Lanka. The clergy representing Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian religions conducted the religious observances and invoked their blessings to the people and government of Sri Lanka. Independence Day messages from His Excellency the President, the Honourable Prime Minister and the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs were read out in all three languages.

Consul General U L Mohammed Jauhar, during his address to the gathering, highlighted the progress made by the government of Sri Lanka towards achieving its twin objectives of sustainable development and reconciliation.  He added that a new chapter in Sri Lanka-Canada bilateral relations was opened, consequent to new governments been elected to office in both countries in 2015. He emphasized the importance of bringing members of all Sri Lankan communities together in order to face the challenges and to nurture peace and reconciliation among them. Children of the expatriate community treated the participants with delightful performances representing all cultures which fascinated the gathering. At the conclusion of the event, the participants were served delicious Sri Lankan dinner.

Consul General of Sri Lanka

Toronto