High Commissioner Harsha Kumara Navaratna and the staff of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa ceremoniously commemorated the 75th Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka on 04 February 2023, 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. A 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 emerge 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.
Sri Lanka High Commission
Ottawa
13 February 2023
