Canada pledges support for Sri Lanka’s post-disaster rebuilding efforts

Saturday, 13 December 2025 00:40 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando (centre left) with Canadian High Commissioner Isabelle Martin

The Canadian Government has expressed strong support for Rebuilding Sri Lanka program and signalled its readiness to provide assistance, particularly for the recovery of the agriculture sector following the widespread devastation caused by recent extreme weather.

Canadian High Commissioner Isabelle Martin conveyed this assurance during a meeting with Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando at the Ministry of Finance yesterday (12).

She said Canada “greatly appreciates” the Government’s structured recovery plan and emphasised that Ottawa is prepared to extend support once Sri Lanka completes its formal damage and needs assessment.

The High Commissioner also noted that Canada’s interest stems in part from the large Sri Lankan diaspora working across various sectors in Canada, making Sri Lanka a priority country for sustained cooperation.

She stressed that the Canadian government values the Sri Lankan administration’s efforts to eliminate corruption and irregularities in post-disaster aid distribution issues that, she pointed out, had hampered trust and transparency in previous years.

Dr. Fernando briefed the High Commissioner on the scale of destruction and the government’s ongoing measures to assist affected families.

He said the administration is prioritising safer resettlement, with new housing to be constructed only in geologically and environmentally suitable locations to prevent repeat disasters.

He underscored that the Government intends to rely exclusively on the state administrative machinery from Grama Niladhari divisions upward rather than political patronage networks, which he said had influenced welfare distribution under earlier administrations.

The Minister emphasised that President’s overarching aim is to drive “a process of upliftment in which no one is left behind,” and expressed gratitude for the support extended by international partners, including Canada.

High Commissioner Martin reaffirmed that once Sri Lanka finalises its post-disaster assessment, Canada is prepared to provide “maximum assistance” in priority areas, with a particular focus on restoring agricultural livelihoods, which were among the hardest hit by the cyclone and associated floods.