Canada welcomes reinstatement of Shirani as CJ

Canadian Government said it welcomed the reinstatement of Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court. “Canada welcomes the reinstatement of Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court. In January 2013, at the time of the Chief Justice’s impeachment, I expressed deep concern about the opaque and politicized nature of her impeachment, an action that severely undermined the legitimacy of the rule of law in Sri Lanka,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. Issuing a statement Mr. Baird said it hoped that President Maithripala Sirisena fulfils the mandate given to him by the people of Sri Lanka to foster a transparent, responsive and pluralistic government and assured that Canada would continue to encourage progress in the devolution of power, accountability and genuine reconciliation. “Following the successful elections earlier this month, it is our hope that President Maithripala Sirisena fulfills the mandate given to him by the people of Sri Lanka to foster a transparent, responsive and pluralistic government. Canada will continue to encourage progress in the devolution of power, accountability and genuine reconciliation,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. Mr. Baird said they also welcomed the recent appointment of a civilian, H.M.G.S. Palihakkara, to replace a retiring senior military commander as governor of the predominantly Tamil Northern Province. “Canada continues to have serious concerns about the human rights situation, the need for reconciliation and the democratic deficit in Sri Lanka. Canada will continue to raise these concerns forcefully, without equivocation,” he said. Mr. Baird said Canada had strongly supported resolutions at both the United Nations and the Commonwealth condemning the Sri Lankan government’s lack of action on reconciliation and the country’s disturbing slide in human rights. “Canada is pushing for this latest troubling development to be addressed at the next meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), of which Minister Baird is a member,” he said.