Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

The Commission of Appointment of Honorary Consul for the province of British Columbia was ceremoniously handed over by High Commissioner Harsha Kumara Navaratne to             Mr. James (Jim) Alan Bennett on 03^rd May 2023, at the office of the High Commissioner in Ottawa.

Briefing on the functions and duties, High Commissioner Navaratne stated that the role of the Honorary Consul in the modern context goes beyond routine consular related assistance, and he would be expected to assist the High Commission in promoting the interest of Sri Lanka   with focus on outreach, promotion of tourism and investment.  Honorary Consul Bennett informed that he is already in contact with the Sri Lankan community in BC and is looking forward to   work on identified priority areas under the guidance of the High Commission.

The office of the Honorary Consul is based in Surrey, British Columbia and he could be reached on +1-236-513-4744 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Honorary Consul Bennett is currently working as Principal Strategic Advisor at Jim Bennett Consulting and he is also the Administrator and Adjudicator of Jim Bennett Trust Fund (private). He has also volunteered his services as National Coordinator Canada at Astronomers Without Borders and member of Community Advisory Council of the Simon Fraser University.  He is  the founder and Executive Director of South Fraser Community Services and has  established the  Front Room 24  hour  drop in Centre  for Homeless  on135 A Street, as well as  the Surrey Needle Exchange –third in  B.C. He is the recipient of Surrey’s 2020 Good Citizen Award.

Sri Lanka High Commission 

Ottawa

03^rd May 2023

High Commissioner Harsha Kumara Navaratna  and  the staff of the Sri Lanka High Commission  in Ottawa ceremoniously celebrated the  75^th anniversary of independence  of Sri Lanka on 4^th February 2022, with the participation of religious dignitaries and community leaders.

The event commenced with the hoisting of the national flag and the singing of the national anthem of Sri Lanka in both Sinhala and Tamil followed by the Canadian national anthem. Two minute silence was observed in honour of Sri Lankan National Heroes. The traditional oil lamp was lit by invitees and staff of the High Commission, followed by multi-faith religious observances. The most Venerable Nugegalyaye Jinanada Thero of the Hilda Jayawardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery led the Buddhist religious blessings together with Venerable Nagaswawe Sumanrathna Thero  and  Venerable Vilgamuwe Sumanasiri Thero. Further, Reverend Himanshu Gaur Swami from the Hindu faith, Reverend Hafiz Arshad Mohamed Auff   from the Islamic faith and Reverend Father Virgil Amirthakumar from the Catholic faith blessed  all  Sri Lankans   and the  country.

The speech of the President of Sri Lanka was read by the High Commissioner followed by the Independence Day messages issued by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka.

Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner Navaratne invited all Canadians of Sri Lankan heritage to assist Sri Lanka in its endeavors to come out from the economic crisis. He also reiterated the importance of  reconciliation and   the  need to  reach out to all communities  of  Sri Lankan heritage in  Canada.

The event concluded with an alms giving for all religious dignitaries.

Ottawa
10^th February 2023

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry summoned the Canadian Acting High Commissioner Daniel Bood to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (11 January), and expressed the deep regret of the Government on the announcement of unilateral sanctions brought by the Government of Canada against four individuals including two former Presidents of Sri Lanka based on unsubstantiated allegations.

Foreign Minister Sabry emphasized that such unilateral action by the Canadian Government, motivated by domestic political compulsions in Canada, sets a dangerous precedent and is inimical to Sri Lanka’s interests, especially when national unity and reconciliation are of paramount importance. It was also stressed that the announcement by Canada is detrimental to the Government’s ongoing efforts towards national unity, reconciliation, and stability.

In consideration of the longstanding bilateral and development partnership between Canada and Sri Lanka, Foreign Minister Sabry urged the Acting High Commissioner to review the decision and engage constructively with Sri Lanka.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

11 January 2023