The Consul General of Sri Lanka in Toronto Thushara Rodrigo attended the Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada (SLUNA) on 16 July 2023 in Toronto.
SLUNA is a pioneer Sri Lankan Community association in Canada with a significant membership representing a cross section of the Sri Lankan-Canadians in Canada.
Addressing the gathering Consul General Rodrigo said that Sri Lanka is now heading towards reconciliation, economic recovery and a reform process, and the support and the constructive engagement of overseas Sri Lankans in this process are critically important for the country at this moment. He mentioned that President Ranil Wickremesinghe had clearly outlined the roadmap for reconciliation and economic recovery and established the Office for Overseas Sri Lankans Affairs (OOSLA) to facilitate the much-required engagement. He further stated that civil society engagement on the Truth and Reconciliation mechanism is moving forward under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Ali Sabry. The Consul General acknowledged the important role being played by multiple Sri Lankan associations to achieve diverse objectives of the community groups and emphasized the importance of increasing the presence of the community within the Canadian social fabric as the “Sri Lankan-Canadian Community” which will open broader opportunities for all the members of the community for enhanced engagements and also to support Sri Lanka.
Guest speakers Riyaz Rauf a leading businessman and Manoranjan Ambalavanar, an investment consultant delivered inspiring remarks on the importance of reconciliation and economic prosperity in Sri Lanka and the role of Sri Lankan community in Canada in this process.
Addressing the gathering, the newly elected president of SLUNA Vijitha Bulathsinhala highlighted the need for supporting reconciliation efforts in Sri Lanka as one of the priorities of the association during his tenure and invited all likeminded Sri Lankan community associations in Canada to join the SLUNA to establish an umbrella organization to protect and promote the best interests of the Sri Lankan-Canadian Community in Canada and of Sri Lanka irrespective of ethic, socio-economic, political and other differences. The attendees welcomed the participation of a group of Tamil community leaders in the event at the invitation of SLUNA.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Toronto
19 July 2023
