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Gary Anandasangaree

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The Honourable
Gary Anandasangaree
PC KC MP
கரி ஆனந்தசங்கரி
Anandasangaree in 2025
Minister of Public Safety
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 13, 2025
Prime MinisterMark Carney
Preceded byDavid McGuinty
Past ministerial positions
Minister of Justice
Attorney General of Canada
In office
March 14, 2025 – May 13, 2025
Prime MinisterMark Carney
Preceded byArif Virani
Succeeded bySean Fraser
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
In office
December 20, 2024 – May 13, 2025
Prime MinisterMark Carney
Justin Trudeau
Preceded byHimself (Crown–Indigenous Relations)
Dan Vandal (Northern Affairs)
Succeeded byRebecca Alty (Crown–Indigenous Relations)
Rebecca Chartrand (Northern Affairs)
Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
In office
December 20, 2024 – March 14, 2025
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byDan Vandal
Succeeded byRebecca Chartrand
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
In office
July 26, 2023 – December 20, 2024
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byMarc Miller
Succeeded byHimself
Member of Parliament
for Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park
Scarborough—Rouge Park (2015–2025)
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byRiding established
Personal details
BornSathiyasangaree Anandasangaree
1973 (age 52–53)
Jaffna, Sri Lanka
CitizenshipCanada
Sri Lanka
PartyLiberal
ParentV. Anandasangaree
Education
ProfessionLawyer

Sathiyasangaree "Gary" Anandasangaree (Tamil: சத்தியசங்கரி ஆனந்தசங்கரி; born 1973) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has been Canada's Minister of Public Safety since 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, Anandasangaree was elected to the House of Commons in 2015 and currently serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park.

Anandasangaree was previously Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs from 2024 to 2025 and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from March to May 2025. He is the second minister of Tamil descent to hold federal office, following Anita Anand.

Early life and family

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Anandasangaree, born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1973, is the son of V. Anandasangaree, a leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician,[1] by his second wife, Yogam.[2] His parents separated in 1980 and he and his mother moved to Ireland, where she had relatives.[3] They had planned to return to Sri Lanka in July 1983; but when the Black July anti-Tamil riots broke out,[3] Anandasangaree and his mother travelled to Canada on August 31, 1983.[3][4] Anandasangaree is estranged from his father and has only met him twice since 1983.[3][4]

After high school Anandasangaree attended Carleton University, graduating in 1996 with a B.A. honours degree in political science.[4][5][6] He is married and has two children, Bairavi and Sahanah.[6]

Career

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Anandasangaree worked in real estate as a registered real estate broker between 1996 and 2006.[7]

Anandasangaree studied at the Osgoode Hall Law School, the law faculty of York University.[8] He graduated in 2005 with a LL.B. degree and was called to the bar in 2006.[8][9] Anandasangaree is the principal lawyer at Gary Anandasangaree and Associates, a Toronto law firm specialising in business, real estate and international human rights law.[10] He is a member of The Law Society of Upper Canada, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association.[7]

Anandasangaree has served on various community groups: Canadian Tamils’ Chamber of Commerce (president); Canadian Tamil Congress (counsel); Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre (chairman); Newcomer Grants for the United Way of Greater Toronto (member); Toronto Board of Trade (member); Toronto City Summit’s Emerging Leaders Network (member); and Youth Challenge Fund (board member).[5][7] He has also lectured at the Centennial College Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.[7] He has received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[5] He has also been awarded the TREB Award and Henry Marshall Tory Award for Service.[5][7]

Anandasangaree has been a vocal campaigner against human rights abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War and has attended several sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council.[11][12] This has led to Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists labelling Anandasangaree as a member of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).[13][14][15]

Political career

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Anandasangaree became active in politics after joining the Liberal Party.[11] In October 2013 Anandasangaree announced that he would be seeking the Liberal nomination for the Scarborough—Rouge Park for the 2015 federal election.[6] He won the nomination election held in August 2014.[16][17] He won the election held on October 19, 2015, securing 29,906 votes (60.1%).[18][19]

Anandasangaree continued his advocacy for human rights in Parliament, speaking on International Human Rights Day about welcoming Syrian refugees and an Iranian scholar (Dr. Hossein Raessi) who was protected due to a joint program between Carleton University and University of Ottawa.[20]

Anandasangaree sat on the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development committee in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[21] He was Parliamentary Secretary to Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller in May 2021, and on December 3 of that year was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.[22]

On July 26, 2023, Anandasangaree became the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.[23] As minister, he introduced reconciliation-focused legislation, including the National Council for Reconciliation Act, which became law, as well as bills recognizing Métis governments and modern treaty implementation.[24] He also concluded seven modern treaties, signed a 10-year funding blueprint under the Nunavut Agreement, and announced more than 30 agreements and settlements advancing Indigenous self-determination and reconciliation.[24] In February 2025, he signed a historic agreement with the Haida Nation recognizing Aboriginal title over Haida Gwaii (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), marking the first time the federal government formally acknowledged title through negotiations.[25]

Carney government

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In the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, he endorsed Mark Carney.[26] In March 2025, following Mark Carney’s swearing-in as prime minister, Anandasangaree was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada while retaining his role as Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.[27]

Anandasangaree, as Canada's Minister of Public Safety, introduced Bill C-2, the “Strong Borders Act,” in 2025, the first bill tabled by the government in the House of Commons following Prime Minister Mark Carney's election. The legislation proposed stricter border and immigration measures, including a one-year deadline for certain refugee claims, expanded powers to suspend or cancel immigration documents, broader information sharing between government agencies, and changes to Canada's application of the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States. The bill drew criticism from refugee advocates and legal scholars who argued that some provisions could undermine refugee protections and conflict with Canada's international obligations under refugee law. Some commentators also described the bill as hypocritical in light of Anandasangaree’s previous advocacy on refugee and human rights issues affecting Tamils.[28]

In June 2025, Anandasangaree indicated he would step back from national security decisions related to the Tamil community. He stated “In an abundance of caution, and to ensure that there is no perception of any conflict, I have asked Public Safety officials to implement a screen on any national security issues relating to the Tamil community.”[29]

Less than one week later, Anandasangaree announced he would be recusing himself from “any matter related to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or the World Tamil Movement.”, both designated terrorist organizations in Canada.[30]

In July 2025, Global News reported that before his appointment to cabinet, Anandasangaree wrote letters urging Canadian officials to approve the immigration application of an individual who was a member of the LTTE.[31]

National Commitments to Combat Antisemitism

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On March 6, 2025, the federal government hosted the National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism, which brought together federal, provincial and municipal officials, law enforcement and prosecutors.[32] In January 2026, Anandasangaree and Justice Minister Sean Fraser released the National Commitments to Combat Antisemitism, developed with federal, provincial, territorial and municipal partners and law enforcement. The ministers stated that the government would publish a public report on progress twice a year.[33]

In October 2026, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) criticized a progress report published by Public Safety Canada. CJPME stated that the report described anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism in two instances without defining the term, called this "a dangerous attack on legitimate political speech," and urged the government to retract it.[34] The organization described the report as the federal government's most explicit conflation of the two concepts, following the government's 2019 adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and a 2024 handbook on the definition issued by Canadian Heritage.[34] CJPME also endorsed demands by Independent Jewish Voices, the United Jewish People's Order and the Jewish Faculty Network that the government clarify that anti-Zionism is not a form of antisemitism, acknowledge the harm of conflating the two, and affirm the legitimacy of anti-Zionism in political debate.[34]

The following day, CJPME launched a campaign calling on Anandasangaree to retract the statement and to affirm that anti-Zionism is a legitimate form of political expression. The campaign stated that the government "appears to be creeping towards the censorship of speech and activism in support of Palestinian human rights."[35]

Lobbying by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

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According to an analysis of the federal lobbyists registry published by The Maple, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) lobbied Anandasangaree five times in 2026, based on registry records as of September 29, 2026.[36] The analysis found that CIJA had lobbied at least 61 MPs by that date, some of them on multiple occasions. Anandasangaree was tied with Vince Gasparro as the third most frequently lobbied MP, behind Maggie Chi and Anthony Housefather, who were each lobbied six times.[36] The Maple noted that delays between lobbying activity and its posting to the registry mean the figures may be undercounts.[36]

CIJA is a registered lobby group that describes itself as Zionist and counts "rebuilding the Canada-Israel partnership" among its top priorities.[37][38] The Maple reported that CIJA has taken MPs on sponsored trips to Israel in the past.[36] Its registered lobbying goals have included making it easier for the Canadian government to revoke citizenship, training law enforcement officials to identify alleged hate speech using the IHRA definition of antisemitism, Canada-Israel military cooperation, Canada not resuming diplomatic relations with Iran, additional funding for police hate-crime units, and intensifying the monitoring done by the RCMP and CSIS.[39]

Bill C-233, the No More Loopholes Act

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In March 2026, Anandasangaree voted against Bill C-233, the No More Loopholes Act, a bill that proposed requiring Canadian military exports to the United States to undergo the same permit review and human-rights risk assessments applied to exports to other countries. The bill sought to amend the Export and Import Permits Act by closing a longstanding exemption that allows many Canadian defence exports destined for the United States to proceed without individual permits, case-by-case risk assessments, or public reporting. The bill was defeated at second reading in the House of Commons and did not proceed to committee study.[40]

Anandasangaree’s vote attracted criticism from some commentators and advocacy groups because of his earlier career as a human rights lawyer who had advocated for accountability in cases involving mass atrocities, including on behalf of Tamil Canadians affected by Sri Lanka’s civil war. Critics argued that opposing legislation intended to expand oversight and human-rights screening of arms exports appeared inconsistent with those earlier commitments.[40]

Electoral record

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2025 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalGary Anandasangaree35,29563.96+2.68
ConservativeSuchita Jalan17,48531.68+9.61
New DemocraticKingsley Kwok1,7723.21–10.17
GreenTroy Rife6331.15N/A
Total valid votes/expense limit 55,185
Total rejected ballots 321
Turnout 55,50665.42
Eligible voters 84,845
Liberal notional hold Swing –3.52
Source: Elections Canada[41][42]
2021 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalGary Anandasangaree28,70262.8+0.6
ConservativeZia Choudhary9,62821.1+1.0
New DemocraticKingsley Kwok6,06813.3+1.8
People'sAsad Rehman1,3222.9+2.0
Total valid votes 45,72099.2
Total rejected ballots 3500.8
Turnout 46,07061.3
Eligible voters 75,105
Liberal hold Swing −0.2
Source: Elections Canada[43]
2019 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalGary Anandasangaree31,36062.2+1.96$93,933.93
ConservativeBobby Singh10,11520.1−7.26$18,116.82
New DemocraticKingsley Kwok5,80111.5+1.14none listed
GreenJessica Hamilton2,3304.6+2.57none listed
People'sDilano Sally4670.9–none listed
Christian HeritageMark Theodoru3530.7–none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 50,426100.0
Total rejected ballots 322
Turnout 50,74866.4
Eligible voters 76,408
Liberal hold Swing +4.61
Source: Elections Canada[44][45]
2015 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalGary Anandasangaree29,91360.24+25.48$144,189.04
ConservativeLeslyn Lewis13,58727.36-4.23$59,291.73
New DemocraticKM Shanthikumar5,14510.36-20.63$58,736.40
GreenCalvin Winter1,0102.03-0.36$1,457.51
Total valid votes/expense limit 49,655100.0–$204,974.26
Total rejected ballots 2350.47New
Turnout 49,89069.98New
Eligible voters 71,291
Source: Elections Canada[46][47]

References

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  1. ↑ Ferdinando, Shamindra (January 3, 2014). "Canadian MP Rathika in hot water over Jaffna episode". The Island (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree Canada's First Sri Lankan Tamil Cabinet Minister - Opinion | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Statement from Gary Anandasangaree". ekuruvi.com. July 15, 2014. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Wong, Jan; Clark, Campbell (January 8, 2005). "Tamils force Ottawa to grab the Tigers' tail". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau visits Tamil Fest Street Festival". Monsoon Journal. 10 (4): 1. September 2015. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Gary Anandasangaree To Seek Federal Liberal Nomination In Scarborough". seithy.com. October 7, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gary Anandasangaree". Gary Anandasangaree and Associates. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Gary Anandasangaree elected to Canadian Parliament". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Global News. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Grads create first-ever scholarship in Tamil studies". York University. October 14, 2014. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Gary A'sangaree launches bid for Federal Liberal nomination". Ceylon Today. October 14, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  11. 1 2 "Sangaree's son Gary elected to Canadian Parliament". The Island (Sri Lanka). October 21, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree wins in Scarborough-Rouge for Liberals". Tamil CNN. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ Nathaniel, Camelia (May 25, 2014). "LTTE's Gary Anandasangaree To Enter Canadian Politics?". The Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ Jayasekara, Bandula (July 6, 2015). "Guerrilla diplomacy and Wild West tactics in Toronto". The Island (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  15. ↑ Fernando, Manjula (March 30, 2014). "Govt to ban LTTE fronts?". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree of Liberal party won the nomination election for the Scarborough Rouge Park constituency". Tamil CNN. August 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Anandasangaree's Son To Contest Canada's General Election". Asian Mirror. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree – A Sri Lankan Tamil Origin Elected To Canadian Parliament". Asian Tribune. October 21, 2015. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree wins Scarborough-Rouge Park for Liberals". adaderana.lk. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  20. ↑ Hansard, 2015-12-10 14:12 [p.236]
  21. ↑ McGregor, Janyce. "Meet the Commons committees of the 42nd Parliament". CBC News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Prime Minister welcomes new parliamentary secretaries". Prime Minister of Canada. December 3, 2021. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Prime Minister announces changes to the Ministry". Prime Minister of Canada. July 26, 2023. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  24. 1 2 MacFarlane, Sarah (March 12, 2025). "Carney, Trump and Trudeau's legacy, through the eyes of reconciliation: Anandasangaree". iPolitics. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Haida celebrate title agreement, Trudeau emotional at ceremony". The Globe and Mail. February 17, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Northern MP backs Carney in Liberal leadership race". TimminsToday.com. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  27. ↑ Cram, Stephanie (March 14, 2025). "Indigenous leaders welcome new PM, remind government of work still to be done". CBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  28. ↑ Shanmugathas, Pitasanna (June 6, 2025). Belczyk, Jaclyn (ed.). "Canadian Minister Anandasangaree's Border Bill Constitutes a Vicious Assault on Immigrant Rights". JURIST. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Public safety minister asks officials to 'screen' him from conflict of interest - National | Globalnews.ca".
  30. ↑ "Public safety minister recuses himself from files on 2 terrorist groups | Globalnews.ca".
  31. ↑ "Before joining cabinet, public safety minister wrote immigration support letters for terror group 'member' | Globalnews.ca".
  32. ↑ "National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism". Public Safety Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Ministers Anandasangaree and Fraser Present National Commitments to Combat Antisemitism" (Press release). Public Safety Canada. January 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  34. 1 2 3 "CJPME condemns conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism by Public Safety Canada" (Press release). Montreal: Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. October 1, 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Tell the Minister of Public Safety: Anti-Zionism is Not Antisemitism". Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. October 2, 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Mastracci, Davide (October 5, 2026). "A List Of MPs CIJA Has Lobbied In 2026". The Maple. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Is CIJA a Zionist organization?". Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
  38. ↑ "Revitalizing the Canada-Israel partnership". Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
  39. ↑ "Registration: Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs". Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada.
  40. 1 2 Shanmugathas, Pitasanna (March 11, 2026). "Canadian MPs reject arms oversight bill as Canadian weapons components flow into United States' war machine". JURIST. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Voter information service". Elections Canada. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  43. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  44. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  46. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Scarborough—Rouge Park, 30 September 2015
  47. ↑ Elections Canada – Final Candidates Election Expenses Limits
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