Tamil Genocide Memorial unveiled in Brampton after years-long wait

Naama Weingarten · CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 2:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

After a three-year delay, the Tamil Genocide Memorial, meant to grant lives mislaid successful the Sri Lankan civilian war, was unveiled successful Brampton Saturday nighttime to the dependable of applause, cheers and cannons of confetti.

Hundreds flooded Brampton's Chinguacousy Park for the unveiling ceremony, looking guardant to the infinitesimal the ample reddish veil would beryllium torn distant from the monument they've waited years to spot successful fruition. 

Mayor Patrick Brown promised to physique the monument backmost successful 2021 aft a memorial successful Sri Lanka was torn down, sparking outrage among the Tamil diaspora around the world. 

That includes Brampton, location to astir 12,000 Tamil people.

"Many of the civilians that escaped came to Canada arsenic portion of our nationalist story," said Brown aft the unveiling. 

"If you're not Indigenous, everyone has travel from determination else, and we observe the hard Tamil travel and we retrieve the atrocities that the assemblage went through." 

Tamil radical faced convulsive persecution successful Sri Lanka since its independency from the British Empire successful 1948. According to the United Nations, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Tamil radical were killed successful convulsive riots and hundreds of thousands much were displaced. 

"Almost everyone present has immoderate loved 1 mislaid successful the war," said Sri Ranjan, chairperson of the National Council of Canadian Tamils. 

"This spot serves arsenic a spot to stitchery and to retrieve the victims."

Project faced respective delays 

Local Tamil groups helped rise funds for the memorial, with Brampton metropolis assembly approving its last plan successful February past year. 

The purpose was to decorativeness the memorial by May 2022, a goalpost that kept getting pushed backmost due to the fact that of a hold successful the project's leadership, a backing shortfall and a plan change.

The archetypal plan was expected to beryllium a plant-like structure, which bushed 100,000 alternatives successful a competition. 

But that plan faced absorption and was scrapped successful favour of the 4.8-metre gangly stainless alloy operation featuring an outline of the historical homeland of Tamil radical successful Sri Lanka. 

The monument faced objections successful the past from the Sri Lankan High Commission and a delegation from Sri Lankan Canadian Association, who denied that a genocide took spot and alternatively wanted the monument to commemorate "all lives lost" successful the war. 

The National Council of Canadian Tamils volition person ownership of the monument and volition beryllium liable for maintaining it.