Public safety minister recuses himself from files on 2 terrorist groups
The cabinet minister leading Prime Minister Mark Carney's border security push said Tuesday he is recusing himself from files related to a Sri Lankan terrorist group and its Canadian front organization.
In a statement sent to Global News on Tuesday, the office of Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he had stepped back from 'any matter related to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or the World Tamil Movement.'
The minister did not explain why he had done so, except to state that it was 'out of an abundance of caution.' He released the statement after Global News asked for a copy of a conflict of interest document he had prepared.
By contrast, his office issued a statement last Thursday saying he had 'asked Public Safety Officials to implement a screen on any national security issues relating to the Tamil Community.'
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Anandasangaree and his family are members of the Tamil community, it said, and he had asked Public Safety officials to 'implement a screen … to ensure that there is no perception of any conflict.'
Global News asked the minister's office Tuesday why he had recused himself from files on the two terror groups and why he changed his description of the topics deemed off-limits, but he has not responded.
Both groups he cited in his recusal statement have their origins in the conflict in Sri Lanka, where Anandasangaree was born before coming to Canada in 1983 and becoming an activist, realtor, lawyer and MP.
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Propaganda billboards in the region of Sri Lanka controlled by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, April 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe).
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, fought a 25-year civil war against Sri Lankan government forces in an attempt to carve a separate state out of the tiny island nation off India's southern tip.
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In 2006, Canada placed the LTTE on its list of terrorist entities, citing its 'terror attacks against civilian centres, and political assassinations,' such as the 1991 killing of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Ghandi.
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The World Tamil Movement, or WTM, was added to the list in 2008. The RCMP raided its offices in Toronto and Montreal, and the government seized its assets on the grounds it was a fundraising arm of the LTTE.
'WTM representatives canvas for donations amongst the Canadian Tamil population, and have been involved in acts of intimidation and extortion to secure funds,' according to the Public Safety Canada website.
The minister of public safety is responsible for the government's official list of terrorist groups. Last year, when Dominic LeBlanc was minister, he recommended the LTTE and World Tamil Movement remain listed.
According to Public Safety Canada, while there have been no known LTTE attacks in recent years, remnants of the group have continued to operate in Sri Lanka and India's Tamil Nadu.
'In addition, the LTTE has an international fundraising and procurement network that continues to exist,' the Canadian government said in its online profile of the group.
Former Conservative MP Stockwell Day, who was the public safety minister when both groups were first put on the list, told Global News that Anandasangaree's recusal could concern Canada's allies.
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'While I appreciate the minister being aware that some people may question his loyalties, it is not enough to recuse himself from such a key item in his portfolio,' Day said.
'The PM needs to reassign his minister and bring in somebody completely free of appearance of conflict.'
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Anandasangaree introduces bill aimed at tightening border security, immigration system
The office of the ethics commissioner said the minister's statement suggested he had asked his department 'to implement an internal screen,' which was not done through its office.
'For any minister that has changed portfolios, the office reviews with the minister whether any new compliance measures, like conflict of interest screens, are needed. That process can take some time.'
The prime minister has handed Anandasangaree the task of bringing in legislation to toughen Canada's borders amid U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war and concerns about human and drug smuggling.
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Carney said last week that his public safety minister had done the right thing by deciding to keep a distance from national security decisions in which he could appear to have a conflict.
'We have a rigorous vetting process and he's taken the right decision, in his judgment and my judgment, to make these arrangements. We will be well covered with respect to all public security decisions,' Carney said.
Government forces routed the LTTE in 2009 and killed its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in a military operation that has been widely condemned for its failure to protect civilians.
After the war ended, Anandasangaree helped hundreds of Sri Lankan migrants who had paid human smugglers to ferry them to Canada's West Coast on board the ships MV Ocean Lady and MV Sun Sea.
He and his wife have also been critical of Canada's national security agencies, particularly when it comes to their handling of issues related to Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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