Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, said he would “lead the world in seeking prosecutions in international courts” against Sri Lankan officials accused of war crimes if elected as Canada’s next prime minister.
Speaking at the ‘Harvest of Hope’ event in Toronto, Canada on January 18, marking Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month, Poilievre said:
“It will be Conservative prime minister Pierre Poilievre who will lead the world in seeking prosecutions in international courts of the Rajapaksas and other criminals who have persecuted the Tamil people.”
His comments follow Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign as the country’s prime minister after a decade in office.
Poilievre also highlighted that in 2013, former prime minister Stephen Harper boycotted the Commonwealth summit that was taking place in Colombo “to isolate and punish the oppressive regime in Sri Lanka for the genocide it was carrying out against the Tamil people.”
In his speech, Poilievre also recognised the contributions made by Tamils across Canada.
“The harvest is a celebration of the fruits of our labour and that symbolises everything that is great about the Tamil people who are known for relentless hard work in industry, entrepreneurship [and] building things,” Poilievre said.
This is not the first time the party leader has pledged to push for justice and accountability for Tamils.
Last year, Poilievre told Tamil news outlets that he would expand on sanctions and pursue accountability in the international fora, specifically at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.