LILLEY: Carney's public safety minister can't skip terror file
Is it wise to have a minister of Public Safety who has to recuse himself from files related to banned terrorist groups? The obvious answer is no, that's an untenable position and shouldn't be allowed to happen.
Welcome to Canada in 2025, though, where Gary Anandasangaree is the minister in charge of the terrorism file but has to step out of the room for any decisions related to two banned terror groups. As first reported by Global, Anandasangaree can't be part of decisions on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or the World Tamil Movement (WTM).
The LTTE, or Tamil Tigers, were part of a deadly civil war in Sri Lanka, engaging in assassinations and suicide attacks. The World Tamil Movement was a group set up in the 1980s to serve Toronto's large and growing Tamil community but was designated a terrorist group by the federal government for their funding of the LTTE.
Why did Anandasangaree recuse himself? That's unclear, to be honest. He was asked about this by Conservative MP Frank Caputo in the House of Commons on Thursday but didn't offer much in the way of detail.
'In all national security decisions, my utmost concern is that of the safety of Canadians,' Anandasangaree said.
'I will support law enforcement and national security agencies who do their work impartially and effectively.'
That's a boring boilerplate answer that doesn't tell us much. Neither does the second half of his answer.
'In an abundance of caution, and to ensure that there is no perception of any conflict, I have asked the public safety officials to implement a screen on national security issues relating to the Tamil community,' he added.
If Anandasangaree has no ties to the LTTE or WTM, there should be no need to recuse himself from decisions about these organizations. Simply being Tamil, as Gary Anandasangaree is, doesn't mean he can't make informed decisions.
Of course, if the Carney government were looking to lift the terrorist designation on the LTTE and WTM, having a minister of Public Safety who was born in Sri Lanka and is Tamil could have a bad look.
Is that the reason for Anandasangaree to declare that he won't take part in decisions about these groups?
It's an idea that has been pushed by many in the Tamil community for years, noting that the civil war ended in 2009 with the defeat of the Tigers. In April 2022 while campaigning for the leadership of the Conservative Party, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said he would lift the ban if elected.
It would be a foolish move for Prime Minister Mark Carney to make but in keeping with a longstanding tradition for Liberals that winning over votes of specific ethnic groups is what really matters.
Another possibility is the allegation that Anandasangaree has ties to the LTTE.
That allegation was made back in 2014 as Anandasangaree was seeking the Liberal nomination in Scarborough-Rouge Park. Stories from diaspora media stated as fact, repeatedly, that Anandasangaree was part of the Tamil Tigers network.
Many of those stories were posted to the website of the Sri Lankan government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and are still available there.
That's not proof that Anandasangaree is or was part of the Tigers, nomination races can be nasty affairs and in ethnic diaspora politics, this is especially true. It is equally true that Anandasangaree has to answer more questions on this front and that the Sri Lankan government's actions should also be called into question.
Questions about this matter sent to Anandasangaree's office on Thursday resulted in a one-line response regarding LTTE involvement.
'That statement is categorically false,' said spokesperson Alice Hansen.
Questions to Carney's office about having a minister of Public Safety having to recuse himself and facing allegations on a Sri Lankan government website were met with bland, general statements.
'Minister Anandasangaree has been a lifelong advocate for his community to ensure it is supported and represented. He has made clear that his utmost concern in all national security decisions is the safety of Canadians,' said the reply.
That doesn't quite seem good enough, transparent enough.
Either Anandasangaree can do his job fully, or he should be replaced.
blilley@postmedia.com
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