Prime Minister Mark Carney tapped Anandasangaree as justice minister and attorney general last week
Prashanth Chandrapal clearly recalls the first time he met Gary Anandasangaree.
In 2009, Chandrapal was a student at the University of Waterloo, considering law school. As a first-generation university student, however, he was unsure of where to seek guidance – until he heard of a Tamil lawyer running a law practice in Scarborough, Ontario. Chandrapal searched Anandasangaree’s name and found an article speculating that the lawyer would become the first Tamil member of Parliament. He wrote him an email.
“He was the first Tamil lawyer I actually ever met, and partly the reason for a lot of us going to law school or being interested in the law,” Chandrapal says. “We finally knew someone that kind of looked like us, that was in the space that we wanted to also be part of.”
In the years that followed, Anandasangaree was elected a member of Parliament for Scarborough–Rouge Park and later appointed minister of Crown-Indigenous relations under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney further bolstered Anandasangaree’s portfolio by appointing him Canada’s justice minister and attorney general.
Chandrapal, who co-founded and now serves as the president of the Tamil Bar Association, calls last week’s development “historic.”
It’s a “deeply meaningful moment for our community,” Chandrapal says. “I think we celebrate it more than he does because he’s the first Tamil Canadian to hold this role.”
Chandrapal adds that Anandasangaree’s trajectory, from arriving in Canada in the 1980s – when the Sri Lankan civil war forced many Tamils to flee – to becoming Canada’s top prosecutor “represents the resilience of our community.”
Carney announced Anandasangaree’s appointment last week, along with members of the new prime minister’s “new, leaner, focused Cabinet.”
As minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, Anandasangaree has cited his status as an immigrant from Sri Lanka – which was colonized by the British crown – as fueling his commitment to reconciliation. Since last year, he has issued apologies to multiple Indigenous communities on behalf of the Canadian government for various injustices, including forced relocations, the slaughtering of sled dogs, and financial mismanagement.
In a LinkedIn post about his new role, Anandasangaree wrote, “I'm honoured to serve as Minister of Justice and Attorney General while continuing the important work at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.
“We will protect the Charter, uphold the rule of law, and stay true to Canadian values,” he added. “I'm ready to get to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney.”
In a statement last week, the Canadian Bar Association welcomed Anandasangaree’s appointment. “We look forward to working with him and his cabinet colleagues,” the CBA said. “We also want to thank former minister Arif Virani for his commitment to improving the justice system over the past few years, including his efforts to reduce judicial vacancies and strengthen access to justice.”
