Ontario court dismisses motion against Tamil Genocide Education Week Act

This week Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Canada dismissed a motion filed by a groups challenging the controversial Tamil Genocide Education Week Act.

The motion was filed by the Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition and other groups while at least sixty Tamil diaspora outfits came forward to defend the bill.

Delivering the verdict, Justice Akbarali said Ontario was permitted to recognise a Tamil genocide for the purpose of legislating with respect to educational initiatives related to it or indeed for commemorating it. This was no different than provincial legislation that recognised and commemorated the Holocaust or the provincial education policy of focusing on international aspects of world wars or any other international conflicts, they said.

Even though Ontario's higher court upheld the law, one wonders what the Foreign Ministry was able to achieve in this regard through diplomatic channels other than summoning respective diplomatic staff and merely "expressing severe concerns" over the matter alone.