FGTO on Global News Media’s Potentially Foreign-Influenced Reporting on Tamils

June 12, 2025 — Tamil Canadians are deeply concerned about a June 6, 2025, Global News article titled “Public Safety Minister Asks Officials to ‘Screen’ Him from Conflict of Interest.” We view this article as xenophobic and potentially influenced by foreign narratives. The article mentions that “His father, from whom he is estranged, was the leader of a Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, where a civil war between Tamil Tigers separatist rebels and government forces erupted in 1983”. One of the article’s authors, Stewart Bell, has a history of writing pieces that echo the Sri Lankan government’s propaganda campaign, which for many years has depicted Tamils as terrorists while deliberately ignoring the deep-rooted and ongoing ethnic and religious persecution they have endured. This includes the 1956 anti-Tamil pogrom, the 1983 Black July genocide, decades of institutional discrimination, and the 2009 Mullivaikkal genocide, during which tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were systematically slaughtered in the final phase of the civil war.

Federation of Global Tamil Organizations (FGTO) on Global News Media’s Potentially Foreign-Influenced Reporting on Tamils_June11_2025

Historical Context and Concerns:

The “terrorism” label was heavily used against Tamils during the 2002–2008 Norway-mediated peace process, particularly when the European Union imposed a 2005 travel ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This ban disrupted peace efforts, favoured the Sri Lankan government, and enabled the 2009 Tamil genocide. After 2009, the ban extended to the Tamil diaspora as terrorists, helping Sri Lanka deny the genocide and erase Tamil Eelam history.

The Sri Lankan government has used Canadian media and post-9/11 “War on Terror” rhetoric to undermine the peace process and obscure its atrocities. This narrative, amplified by some Western governments’ focus on counterterrorism, framed Tamils as terrorists, justifying violence against them. Since 2009, China’s growing influence in Sri Lanka, culminating in the country’s 2022 bankruptcy, has further hindered accountability for these atrocities. Such media narratives harm Tamil Canadians and undermine Canada’s commitment to justice and reconciliation.

Call to Action Against Xenophobia:

Xenophobia threatens Canada’s social cohesion and democratic values. We urge all Canadians to stand against hate by supporting inclusive policies and celebrating our multicultural society. Irresponsible journalism, like the Global News article, endangers Tamil Canadians—many of whom are genocide survivors—and undermines Canada’s values of equality, inclusion, and human rights.

Commending Ethical Leadership:

We commend Minister Gary Anandasangaree for proactively implementing a conflict-of-interest screen regarding national security decisions related to the Tamil community. This decision reflects his commitment to ethical governance and maintaining public trust. As a Tamil Canadian and respected human rights advocate, his appointment as Minister of Public Safety is a historic milestone for our community.

Requests to Global News

We respectfully urge Global News to:

  1. Avoid Xenophobic Reporting: Refrain from publishing content that unfairly targets the Tamil community, and issue an apology for the June 6 article if committed to ethical journalism.
  2. Investigate Potential Bias: Review Stewart Bell’s past articles for anti-Tamil bias and investigate any monetary or non-monetary influence from the Sri Lankan government..

Requests to the Government of Canada

We respectfully urge the Government of Canada to:

  1. Review the LTTE Ban: Conduct a legal and policy review of the LTTE’s designation as a terrorist entity, recognizing its dissolution, the wrongful application of the ban, and its negative impact on the Tamil diaspora. Delist the LTTE, as it poses no ongoing threat to Canada.
  2. Engage with the Tamil Community: Consult Tamil organizations to ensure national security policies do not unfairly harm or stigmatize the Tamil diaspora.
  3. Promote Responsible Journalism: Encourage media to report on Tamil issues fairly and avoid amplifying foreign state propaganda.

Supporting Resources for more context, see the following:

  1. The Canadian Tamil Collective (CTC), National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), and Tamil Rights Group (TRG) all condemned a recent article published by Global News https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/tamil-canadians-condemn-racist-targeting-minister-anandasangaree 
  2. Second ITC Book of Proceedings –  the Sri Lankan government is able to control media in the country and as a result are able to frame Tamils as terrorists https://tamilconferences.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/second-itc-book-of-proceedings-129-137.pdf 
  3. Executive Summary on Delisting LTTE – The EU’s LTTE ban functioned as the lead domino in a domino effect that materially abetted the collapse of the GoSL-LTTE Peace Process. https://tamilconferences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Executive_summary_delist_public_mar15_2024.pdf
  4. Tamil Eelam in International Law – Tamil Eelam’s statehood means that the armed conflict with Sri Lanka was an IAC. https://tamilconferences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TE-in-Intl-Law-v2-Final.pdf 
  5. Court orders review of former informant’s human rights complaint against spy agency https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/court-commission-csis-1.6970875 
  6. Public safety minister asks officials to ‘screen’ him from conflict of interest https://globalnews.ca/news/11213453/public-safety-minister-gary-anandasangaree-border-security-conflict-of-interest/ 
  7. Public safety minister recuses himself from files on 2 terrorist groups https://globalnews.ca/news/11235500/public-safety-minister-recuses-terrorist-groups-ltte/ 

Federation of Global Tamil Organizations (FGTO) – https://www.fgto.org/

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