Gary Anandasangaree

Gary Anandasangaree
MP
கரி ஆனந்தசங்கரி
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Scarborough—Rouge Park
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded by Riding Established
Personal details
Political party Liberal
Alma mater
Profession Lawyer
Ethnicity Sri Lankan Tamil

Sathiyasangaree "Gary" Anandasangaree (Tamil: சத்தியசங்கரி ஆனந்தசங்கரி) is a Tamil Canadian lawyer, human rights activist and politician. He was elected to represent the riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election.[1]

Early life and family

Anandasangaree is the son of V. Anandasangaree, a leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician.[2][3] His parents separated in 1980 and he and his mother moved to Ireland.[4] They had planned to return to Sri Lanka in July 1983 when the Black July anti-Tamil riots broke out.[4] Changing plans, Anandasangaree and his mother travelled to Canada on August 31, 1983.[4][5] Anandasangaree is estranged from his father and has only met him twice since 1983.[4][5]

After school Anandasangaree joined Carleton University, graduating in 1996 with a B.A. honours degree in political science.[5][6][7] He is married to Harini Sivalingam.[7] They have two daughters, Bairavi and Sahanah.[7]

Career

Anandasangaree worked in real estate as a registered real estate broker between 1996 and 2006.[8]

Anandasangaree studied at the Osgoode Hall Law School, the law faculty of York University.[9] He graduated in 2005 with a LL.B. degree and was called to the bar in 2006.[9][10] Anandasangaree is the principal lawyer at Gary Anandasangaree and Associates, a Toronto law firm specialising in business, real estate and international human rights law.[11] He is a member of The Law Society of Upper Canada, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association.[8]

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).[6][8] He has also lectured at the Centennial College Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.[8] He has received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[6] He has also been awarded the TREB Award and Henry Marshall Tory Award for Service.[6][8]

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.[12][13] This has led to Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists labelling Anandasangaree as a member of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).[14][15][16] However, LTTE supporters openly backed Anandasangaree's conservative opponent during the 2015 federal election campaign.[12]

Politics

Anandasangaree became active in politics after joining the Liberal Party.[12] In October 2013 Anandasangaree announced that he would be seeking the Liberal Party nomination for the Scarborough—Rouge Park for the 2015 federal election.[7] He won the nomination election held in August 2014.[17][18] He won the election held on October 19, 2015, securing 29,906 votes (60.1%).[19][20]

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.[21]

Anandasangaree sat on the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development committee in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[22]

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2015: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalGary Anandasangaree 29,913 60.24 +25.48 –
ConservativeLeslyn Lewis 13,587 27.36 -4.23 –
New DemocraticK. M. Shanthikumar 5,145 10.36 -20.63 –
GreenCalvin Winter 1,010 2.03 -0.36 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 49,655100.0 $204,974.26
Total rejected ballots 2350.5  
Turnout 49,890   
Eligible voters 71,95069.3  
Liberal notional hold Swing +14.86
Sources:[23][24][25][26]

References

  1. ↑ Tang, Veronica (October 20, 2015). "Gary Anandasangaree wins Scarborough-Rouge Park for Liberals in landslide victory". Global News.
  2. ↑ "Sangaree’s son elected to Canadian parliament". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Global News. October 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ Ferdinando, Shamindra (January 3, 2014). "Canadian MP Rathika in hot water over Jaffna episode". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Statement from Gary Anandasangaree". ekuruvi.com. July 15, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Wong, Jan; Clark, Campbell (January 8, 2005). "Tamils force Ottawa to grab the Tigers' tail". The Globe and Mail.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau visits Tamil Fest Street Festival". Monsoon Journal. 10 (4): 1. September 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Gary Anandasangaree To Seek Federal Liberal Nomination In Scarborough". seithy.com. October 7, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gary Anandasangaree". Gary Anandasangaree and Associates.
  9. 1 2 "Gary Anandasangaree elected to Canadian Parliament". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Global News. October 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Grads create first-ever scholarship in Tamil studies". York University. October 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Gary A'sangaree launches bid for Federal Liberal nomination". Ceylon Today. October 14, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 "Sangaree’s son Gary elected to Canadian Parliament". The Island (Sri Lanka). October 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree wins in Scarborough-Rouge for Liberals". Tamil CNN. October 20, 2015.
  14. ↑ Nathaniel, Camelia (May 25, 2014). "LTTE’s Gary Anandasangaree To Enter Canadian Politics?". The Sunday Leader.
  15. ↑ Jayasekara, Bandula (July 6, 2015). "Guerrilla diplomacy and Wild West tactics in Toronto". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  16. ↑ Fernando, Manjula (March 30, 2014). "Govt to ban LTTE fronts?". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka).
  17. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree of Liberal party won the nomination election for the Scarborough Rouge Park constituency". Tamil CNN. August 21, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Anandasangaree's Son To Contest Canada's General Election". Asian Mirror. August 22, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree – A Sri Lankan Tamil Origin Elected To Canadian Parliament". Asian Tribune. October 21, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Gary Anandasangaree wins Scarborough-Rouge Park for Liberals". adaderana.lk. October 20, 2015.
  21. ↑ Hansard, 2015-12-10 14:12 [p.236]
  22. ↑ McGregor, Janyce. "Meet the Commons committees of the 42nd Parliament". CBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  23. ↑ "Election Results - Electoral District: Scarborough—Rouge Park". Elections Canada.
  24. ↑ "Federal Election 2015: Scarborough-Rouge Park riding results". Global News.
  25. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Scarborough—Rouge Park, 30 September 2015, Elections Canada
  26. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates, Elections Canada Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
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