Tamil Genocide Education Week

A historic announcement in Toronto as the city marked Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.

Olivia Chow, Mayor of City of Toronto announces her commitment to establish a Tamil Genocide Monument in Toronto alongside the National Council of Canadian Tamils and Tamil organizations across Canada.

The Greater Toronto Area is home to the largest concentration of Tamil people outside of Tamil Eelam. The establishment of the Tamil Genocide Monument in a city that welcomed and became home for hundreds of thousands of Tamil people sends a powerful message that truth, justice and remembrance matter in the City of Toronto.

In 2021, the Sri Lankan authorities bulldozed the Mullivaikkal Memorial at the Jaffna University. This destruction of Tamil people’s history and memory became the inspiration for monuments to be erected in the City of Brampton and now the City of Toronto.

Sincere thank you to Mayor Olivia Chow for standing with the Tamil community and for your commitment and leadership in establishing the Tamil Genocide Monument in Toronto.

This is a landmark moment for the Tamil people in Toronto and around the world.

Photo credits: Iya4u

Tamil Canadians commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day at Albert Campbell Square in Scarborough.

May we remember 🕯️

17 years since the height of the Tamil genocide.

164,796 innocent lives still unaccounted for.

May 2009, the Sri Lankan state orchestrated a heightened program of genocide marked by targeted shelling of government declared “no-fire zones” and hospitals, extrajudicial killings, rapes and denial of food and medicine to the Tamil people in Mullivaikkal.

As we mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, we remember and honour the innocent
lives lost in Mullivaikkal 2009.

May we remember.

Tamil Genocide Education Week in Ontario is observed from May 12th to May 18th. Through the passing of Bill 104, Ontario became the first international jurisdiction to proclaim Tamil Genocide Education Week.

This is a historic achievement made possible through years of advocacy by over 60 Tamil organizations, Tamil youth, survivors, community leaders, and allies.

Introduced by MPP Vijay Thanigasalam in the Ontario Legislature, Bill 104 ensures that the history, experiences, and voices of the Tamil people are recognized, taught, and remembered for generations to come.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) continues its recognition of Tamil Genocide Education Week in 2026, reaffirming its commitment to education, remembrance, and human
rights awareness.

Serving more than 86,000 students across 196 schools, the TCDSB plays an important role in ensuring students learn about the Tamil genocide through truth, reflection, and meaningful classroom discussions.

Through Bill 104, Tamil Genocide Education Week provides space across Ontario classrooms for education and remembrance.

By recognizing the Tamil genocide, we honour the lives lost, support survivors and families, and help ensure these atrocities are never forgotten.

Educating ourselves is one step towards acknowledging erased voices and understanding the impact of injustices towards the Tamil people.

Here are a few key terms and concepts associated with the Tamil Genocide, shared to encourage awareness, education, and meaningful discussion on a history that continues to impact many today.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) continues its vital recognition of Tamil Genocide Education Week, honouring a history that endures through memory, community strength, and dedicated education.

Representing nearly 50,000 students, the OCSB remains a steadfast advocate for historical awareness. It is through education that we can empower the next generation to ensure history is not repeated.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) continues its commitment to Tamil Genocide Education Week, honouring a history that persists through collective memory, community resilience, and classroom learning.

As one of the largest and most diverse school boards in North America, serving nearly 235,000 students, the TDSB plays a pivotal role in this recognition. By recognizing the Tamil Genocide throughout Ontario’s various school boards, we honour the lives that were lost and give a sene of hope to those who have suffered and represents the first step to healing.

Ontario is home to the largest Tamil diaspora across the world.

The Province of Ontario is the first international jurisdiction to recognize the genocide committed against the Tamil people. Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism continues to uphold its recognition and commemoration of the Tamil genocide during Tamil Genocide Education Week.