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Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Public Safety Minister helped in Sri Lankan man's immigration case even though wife was not a constituent
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's statement that he was helping a constituent when he intervened in her husband's bid to come to Canada from Sri Lanka has been contradicted by the woman's lawyer. Lorne Waldman, whose law firm represents the wife of a Sri Lankan whom federal officials had barred from entering Canada over previous claims of links to a banned terrorist group, says she does not live in the Toronto-area riding of Mr. Anandasangaree as previously claimed. Before he became a minister, Mr. Anandasangaree wrote to the Canada Border Services Agency supporting an application to overturn a decision not to let Senthuran Selvakumaran into the country. Carney backs Public Safety Minister over letters supporting Sri Lankan's immigration case Canadian immigration officials had denied Mr. Selvakumaran entry after determining that he may have been affiliated with the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers. He had previously told British immigration authorities he had links with the Tamil Tigers, and they denied his asylum claim. But he later told Canadian authorities, after seeking to come to this country, that he had lied to the British authorities about those ties on the advice of a British lawyer. Mr. Anandasangaree, who was born in Sri Lanka and is a Tamil Canadian, asked the CBSA if it would review its decision to advise the former public safety minister not to grant Mr. Selvakumaran permanent residence in Canada so he could join his wife. The Liberal MP wrote two letters in support of his case in 2016, as well as in 2023, when he was a parliamentary secretary. In his 2023 letter, he said he had 'met and counselled the applicant's wife and sponsor, Nilushie, many times over the course of the seven years as a Member of Parliament.' He told The Globe and Mail earlier this month that he was trying to help her as a constituent, as he had done with many other immigration cases in his riding. 'That a constituent, a Canadian citizen, with a Canadian child, would want to reunite her family in Canada is not unusual,' the minister said in the statement earlier this month. 'MPs from all parties provide letters of support for constituents as a routine matter, including in Ministerial Review cases.' Mr. Waldman, a member of Nilushie's legal team, said on Tuesday that she did not live in Mr. Anandasangaree's riding, but rather in Markham, Ont. Nilushie's surname is not given in the court documents. Mr. Waldman had previously believed she was his constituent, but recently checked after being contacted by Global News on the matter, and found she lived in a different riding. He said she had been referred to Mr. Anandasangaree by a distant relative who lived in his riding. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney gave his backing to Mr. Anandasangaree, saying he 'is being transparent about the details of that situation, and he has my confidence.' On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office said it had nothing to add to this statement. Mr. Anandasangaree's spokesman, Simon Lafortune, said in a statement Tuesday that 'providing guidance, advocacy, and letters in support of Canadians is a standard responsibility of Members of Parliament across all parties. It is part of an MP's duty to assist, in accordance with federal rules, Canadian citizens seeking to reunite with their families.' 'It is also not uncommon for MPs to assist Canadian citizens that are out of their riding, especially if the local MP is unable to assist due to their role in Cabinet, as was the case in this situation. It is also important to note that this particular applicant's family was introduced by a known constituent of Scarborough-Rouge Park.' Mr. Lafortune added that Mr. Anandasangaree is 'proud of his Tamil heritage and denounces terrorism in all its forms.' He said that 'out of an abundance of caution,' Mr. Anandasangaree has voluntarily chosen 'to recuse himself from any matter related to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or the World Tamil Movement (WTM).' A member of Mr. Anandasangaree's staff had been mistaken about Nilushie being a constituent at the time the minister's statement to The Globe was issued, his office said. In his letters, Mr. Anandasangaree does not refer to Nilushie as his constituent. In the July, 2023, letter he said she had married Mr. Selvakumaran in 2005 but they had spent 'most of their nearly 18 years of marriage separated from each other, relentlessly striving to be reunited.' 'Senthuran's claims of affiliation to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was erroneously made when he sought asylum in the United Kingdom in 1998 to escape the growing conflicts in Sri Lanka. He was wrongfully counselled by his legal representative to lie,' Mr. Anandasangaree's letter said. 'However, his claims were found lacking credibility, and the U.K. Refugee Tribunal had established that Senthuran did not have any affiliations to the LTTE. This is consistent with Senthuran's position all along.' Court documents relating to a judicial review decision about his case earlier this month noted inconsistencies in Mr. Selvakumaran's accounts about whether he had links to the Tamil Tigers. The court documents said he had 'provided U.K. immigration authorities with inconsistent explanations for his involvement with the LTTE.' 'At various times, he claimed that he joined the organization because: i) he wanted to help; ii) because he was paid for the work; iii) in response to a friend's request, and; iv) under compulsion from the LTTE.' A Canadian visa officer had asked him about his inconsistent narratives, and he gave differing explanations, the court document said. The document said that in subsequent permanent-residence applications, he had said 'the narrative about his involvement with the LTTE was fabricated based on advice he received from a solicitor in the UK.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wife of terror group 'member' backed by Anandasangaree not his constituent: documents
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he was helping a constituent when he lobbied federal officials to let Senthuran Selvakumaran, who Canadian officials determined to be a member of the Tamil Tigers terror group, resettle in Canada. But as Mercedes Stephenson reports, court records suggest the woman Anandasangaree claims he helped is not actually his consistuent.
Global News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Wife of terror group ‘member' backed by public safety minister does not live in his riding: documents
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's claim that he was helping a constituent when he lobbied federal officials to let a terrorist group 'member' resettle in Canada is contradicted by documents on the case, a Global News investigation has found. In defending letters he wrote before he joined cabinet that urged border security officials to approve the immigration application of a suspected member of the Tamil Tigers, Anandasangaree has said he assisted the man's Canadian wife as an MP. 'That a constituent, a Canadian citizen, with a Canadian child, would want to reunite her family in Canada is not unusual,' Anandasangaree said in a July 14 statement explaining the letters he penned in 2016 and 2023. 'MPs from all parties provide letters of support for constituents as a routine matter,' he said. Last week, he added that he was only 'executing my duties as a Member of Parliament, one that I believe constituents expect me to do.' Story continues below advertisement But court records and interviews indicate the woman is not Anandasangaree's constituent. Rather, she is a longtime resident of Markham, Ont. — which is outside his Scarborough-Guildwood-Rouge Park riding. Her immigration records, tax returns and commercial receipts each list a Markham home address, and two additional letters of support she gave immigration officers were from a city councillor and MPP — both in Markham. Reached by phone, she declined to answer questions and referred a reporter to her lawyer, who confirmed the woman had resided in Markham since at least 2016 and could not recall ever living in Anandasangaree's riding. The revelations have raised new questions for Anandasangaree, who became Minister of Public Safety in May, and promptly recused himself from making national security decisions related to the Tamil Tigers. When Global News first reported on Anandasangaree's support letters, Prime Minister Mark Carney said his appointee to oversee Canada's national security agencies had been 'transparent about the details of that situation and he has my confidence.' The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the evidence suggesting the man's wife was not actually Anandasangaree's constituent. The minister's office released a statement on Monday that portrayed his earlier statement as lacking clarity. 'It is not uncommon for MPs to assist Canadian citizens that are out of their riding, especially if the local MP is unable to assist due to their role in cabinet, as was the case in this situation,' the statement said. Story continues below advertisement 'It is also important to note that this particular applicant's family was introduced by a known constituent of Scarborough-Rouge Park. This should have been made clearer in the minister's statement of July 14, 2025.' 3:13 Letters reveal public safety minister's support of suspected terror group 'member' Support letters for terror group 'member' Earlier this month, Global News reported that before joining cabinet, Anandasangaree wrote two letters asking the Canada Border Services Agency to grant permanent residence to Senthuran Selvakumaran. Story continues below advertisement The Sri Lanka man married a Toronto-area woman in the United Kingdom in 2005 after British immigration officials rejected his asylum claim. She then applied to bring her husband to Canada, but border officials have repeatedly rejected him on the grounds he was a self-admitted paid member of the Tamil Tigers. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, the group committed scores of assassinations and bombings during Sri Lanka's civil war, and raised millions in Toronto, partly through extortion, before landing on Canada's list of terrorist organizations in 2006. 'In truth, I have helped the LTTE not only because I wanted to help them, I also got payment for it,' Selvakumaran wrote in an asylum claim. After telling immigration officers in Britain, and then Canada, that he had worked for the Tigers for seven years, Selvakumaran changed his story and insisted he had lied about his involvement because of bad legal advice. But the CBSA still had doubts and rejected him. Writing on his House of Commons letterhead, Anandasangaree then asked the CBSA to reverse that decision, adding that 'as a Member of Parliament' he had met and counselled Selvakumaran's wife Nilushie Senthuran. 'Providing guidance, advocacy, or support letters in support of Canadians is a standard responsibility of Members of Parliament across all parties. It is part of an MP's duty to assist, in accordance with federal rules, Canadian citizens seeking to reunite with their families,' the minister's latest statement said. Story continues below advertisement Anandasangaree's last letter to immigration officials on the matter was dated July 18, 2023. He was Parliamentary Secretary of Justice at the time and joined cabinet on July 26, 2023. The Office of the Ethics Commissioner said parliamentary secretaries were permitted to work as MPs 'for their constituents,' but declined to comment further. 'At this time, we're choosing not to make further statements.' Last year, the CBSA president recommended that, regardless of Anandasangaree's request, Selvakumaran should not get permanent residence because he was a terrorist group member. Selvakumaran appealed that decision to the court and used Anandasangaree's endorsement as evidence against the government. In a court document, Selvakumaran's lawyer, Lorne Waldman, described Anandasangaree as the wife's MP — a claim that was repeated in the judge's ruling on the case. But the lawyer acknowledged last week that was a mistake. 'While it is correct that we, as Mrs. Senthuran's legal counsel, mistakenly stated that Mrs. Senthuran was a constituent of MP Anandasangaree, that was an error on our part,' Waldman said. He noted that neither of Anandasangaree's letters said she was a constituent. 'A referral between MP Anandasangaree and Mrs. Senthuran was made through a constituent,' Waldman said. 'After MP Anandasangaree and his staff met with Mrs. Senthuran and reviewed her extensive documentation, he agreed to support her husband's application.' Story continues below advertisement He said it was a regular practice for Members of Parliament to write letters of support, and there was 'nothing improper or irregular' about Anandasangaree writing such a letter after meeting her. But in his response to questions from Global News asking why he wrote letters asking the CBSA to give permanent residence to a foreign national who had been deemed a terrorist group member, Anandasangaree called her a 'constituent.' 2:10 Cabinet minister under scrutiny over letters supporting terror group 'member' The Markham councillor and the MPP None of residential addresses in the wife's applications to sponsor her husband to immigrate are not part of Anandasagaree's Toronto riding, according to the Elections Canada website. Story continues below advertisement 'Nilushie has been a resident of Markham since the time she came to Canada in September 2002,' Juanita Nathan, then a Markham city councillor, wrote in a July 10, 2023 letter supporting Selvakumaran's bid to immigrate. Now the Liberal MP for the Pickering-Brooklin riding east of Toronto, Nathan told Global News her letter was incorrect and the woman had only actually lived in Markham since 2007. She wrote the letter as part of her previous municipal duties, 'which is a common practice among elected officials when assisting residents navigating immigration processes,' she added. 'The letter was based on humanitarian grounds and was not an endorsement of any individual's past affiliations. My commitment has always been to support families in our community within the bounds of Canadian law and procedures.' The Ontario provincial Conservative MPP for Markham-Thornhill, Logan Kanapathi, also wrote a support letter dated July 10, 2023. It identified the woman's address in Markham. The home has been owned by her sister since 2007, according to property records. Kanapathi did not respond to emails requesting comment. 2:12 Carney says he still has confidence in public safety minister Court sides with CBSA The letters Anandasangaree wrote when he was a backbencher and parliamentary secretary in Justin Trudeau's government resurfaced in court two months after Carney named him public safety minister on May 13. Story continues below advertisement The appointment has put the former lawyer and Canadian Tamil Congress activist in charge of Canada's counter-terrorism and border security institutions, including the RCMP and CBSA. In the public safety portfolio, he has been tasked with seeing through legislation to strengthen Canada's borders and appease U.S. President Donald Trump amid a chaotic White House trade war. Last month, Anandasangaree recused himself from decisions related to the Tamil Tigers and its Canadian front, the World Tamil Movement, which are both listed terrorist groups. He also said that when he joined the federal cabinet, he instructed his staff to no longer provide letters of support, and as a minister he would not make decisions 'on any matter wherein I advocated for a constituent.'
Global News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Public safety minister defends letters supporting terror group ‘member' as routine
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Monday he was only doing his duty as an MP when he wrote letters supporting an alleged terrorist group member's immigration application. Responding to reporters' questions about the matter for the first time, Anandasangaree downplayed his involvement in the national security case as the routine work of a Member of Parliament. 'One of the major responsibilities of any Member of Parliament, anyone elected, is provision of services to individuals seeking help from our offices,' he told reporters at a media event in Toronto. 'So this is part and parcel of the work that every Member of Parliament does, and in this particular case, I was executing my duties as a Member of Parliament, one that I believe constituents expect me to do.' Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Anandasangaree minister of public safety in May, putting him in charge of Canada's national security defences, including the Canada Border Services Agency. Story continues below advertisement But questions were raised last month when Anandasangaree recused himself from decisions related to the Tamil Tigers and its Canadian front group, the World Tamil Movement. Then last week, Global News reported that before joining cabinet, Anandasangaree asked CBSA officials to approve the permanent residence application of a man they had deemed a Tamil Tigers member. 2:12 Carney says he still has confidence in public safety minister The Tamil Tigers, or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, fought a lengthy failed independence war in Sri Lanka and have been on Canada's list of designated terrorist entities since 2006. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Although the CBSA had rejected the man as an immigrant on the grounds that he was a former member of a listed terrorist group, Anandasangaree asked officials to reverse their decision. An activist and lawyer before becoming a Toronto-area Liberal MP in 2015, Anandasangaree said his letters were 'in the context of an individual, Canadian citizen, who is seeking to reunite with her husband.' Story continues below advertisement 'In this particular case, like all cases, there is advocacy involved and part of that involves letters of support and that's exactly what was done in this case,' he told reporters on Monday. He said his riding office had handled 'over 9,500 cases' ranging from immigration applications to 'issues around Canada Revenue Agency, old age security, disability benefits and so on.' When a reporter pointed out that the case involved national security, and he is now the public safety minister, Anandasangaree said MPs were permitted to advocate for would-be immigrants. But he said doing so 'would be inappropriate' in his current role. 'I have instructed my office not to issue support letters of that nature because ultimately the decision will be coming to me as an individual.' 2:10 Cabinet minister under scrutiny over letters supporting terror group 'member' His last support letter for the person was sent just days before Anandasangaree joined cabinet in 2023. It concerned Senthuran Selvakumaran, a Sri Lankan citizen who has been trying to immigrate since 2005. Story continues below advertisement Canadian border security officials have repeatedly rejected his application because he told them he had worked for the Tamil Tigers. He also told British refugee officials he had worked for the group. After his bid to join his wife in Toronto was turned down, Selvakumaran changed his story and denied working for the terror group. He explained his initial statements as the result of bad legal advice. On July 9, the Federal Court rejected Selvakumaran's latest appeal, saying that despite the MP's letter of support, the CBSA had correctly prioritized national security and public safety. An organization founded by victims of terrorism, Secure Canada, said last week that no MPs 'should intervene on behalf of someone the CBSA has found to be a member and on the payroll of a terror group, period.' The group's CEO, Sheryl Saperia, said Anandasangaree's letters had focused on the emotional impact of the man's separation from his wife in Toronto, which she called a 'ridiculous argument.'
National Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree is unfit for office
One basic prerequisite for becoming public safety minister should be a lack of perceived conflicts of interest with terror organizations. Heck, it should be a requirement for candidacy as an MP, long before cabinet enters the conversation. Article content But no such requirement formally exists, which is why we have Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who remains in his office despite recusing himself from all files involving two Tamil terrorist groups, and who, Canadians learned Tuesday, wrote letters of support to assist a former Tamil Tiger member's immigration efforts. Article content Article content Anandasangaree, originally from Sri Lanka — home of the Tamil Tigers, or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam — joined Prime Minister Mark Carney's cabinet in May and became responsible for maintaining Canada's border integrity. Article content Article content The Tigers and the World Tamil Movement are both listed on Canada's roster of terror organizations, which the public safety minister must maintain. In June, Anandasangaree recused himself from decisions about both groups, explaining to Global News that this was done 'out of an abundance of caution' and 'to ensure that there is no perception of any conflict.' Article content But the fact that he feels the need for an ethics screen is fuel enough for the perception of a conflict — and because of that, it should disqualify him from the job. The recusal alone was a problem, but then came a follow-up report Tuesday: Global News, having sniffed through a number of Federal Court files, found that before joining cabinet, Anandasangaree had actually attempted to help a former Tamil Tiger member immigrate to Canada by writing to the Canada Border Services Agency in 2023 and 2016. Article content Article content That man, Senthuran Selvakumaran, 48, has tried for more than two decades to obtain the right to live in the West. Around the year 2000, the United Kingdom rejected his asylum application due to his inconsistent reasons for being a Tamil Tiger. On some occasions, he would say he joined because he wanted to help and make money, or because of a friend; on others, he said he was forced. Article content In 2007, he began his long attempt to be legally accepted into Canada, where his story continued to shift to an unacceptable degree. Canadian authorities didn't buy his claims, rendering him inadmissible to the country for terrorist group involvement — but he's been able to gum up that process by launching various court applications to halt their efforts. Article content Assisting Selvakumaran in that time was Anandasangaree, whose 2016 and 2023 letters of support were subsequently obtained by Global News. In the latest letter, Anandasangaree accused the border agency, which he now supervises, of being 'cruel and inhumane' by separating Selvakumaran from his wife and child in Canada.
