The Sri Lankan Civil War and the Politics of Conflict in Canada
Wednesday 2nd December 2009
4.30-6.30pm
YRT Conference Centre
Room 519, 5th Floor
York Research Tower (YRT)
York University
The Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have
waged a civil war against each other for several decades. The experiences
and effects of the violence of this conflict have been registered in the
lives of Tamil and Sinhalese diaspora living in Canada.
As part of the YCISS Contentious Conflict and Canadian Society Series this
panel discussion will explore how diasporas affected by the Sri Lankan
civil war mobilize to shape public opinion and influence official views
and policy.
Key questions to be addressed may include:
1) How is the civil war in Sri Lanka represented by the diaspora living in
Canada?
2) What are the political options for members of a diaspora in terms of
both direct and indirect action and can they exert a positive influence on
Canadian foreign and domestic policies?
3) What should be the policy response in Ottawa to calls for intervention
or action from diasporas in Canada?
4) How can the diasporas contribute to developing an effective and
peaceful response to the problems within the community in both Sri Lanka
and Canada?
5) What should be the role of universities in providing a space for the
debate of contentious conflicts within Canadian society?
The panel consists of representatives from the communities affected by the
violence, subject matter experts and members of organisations with
knowledge of the conflict and its impact on Canadian society.
The panel includes:
Dr R. Cheran, University of Windsor
Ken Kandeepan, Canadian Tamil Congress
Stewart Bell, National Post
John Argue, Amnesty International
Clem Marshall, Moderator
Please note that due to space restrictions, participation for this event
is by pre-registration via this link
http://www.yorku.ca/yciss/forms/view.php?id=2
For further details on this event please see:
http://www.yorku.ca/yciss/news/upcoming.html
