Gary Anandasangaree

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]

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]

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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

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]

Bill C-233, the No More Loopholes Act

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.^[32]

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.^[32]