January 23, 2007
No. 12
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced the nomination of Professor Bruce
Matthews to join the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP),
which will monitor the Sri Lankan Commission of Inquiry into recent human rights
violations in that country.
"I am encouraged by the Sri Lankan President's initiative to invite foreign experts to
participate as observers of the inquiry into allegations of human rights violations, and I
am very pleased to announce the participation of Professor Bruce Matthews in this
initiative," said Minister MacKay. "We look to Professor Matthews, in conjunction with
the other members of the Group, to try to ensure the Commission of Inquiry's work
proceeds in a transparent, objective and credible manner."
Conflict has raged in Sri Lanka between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for more than 20 years. Despite commitments by both sides to peace
talks, this conflict has brought with it a humanitarian crisis and accusations of gross
human rights violations.
Professor Matthews is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion, Asian Culture and
History at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. He has extensive experience studying the
links between religion, culture and conflict in Sri Lanka. He brings to the Group a vast
understanding of Sri Lankan history and culture, and of the dynamics of the conflict.
Matthews' nomination has been accepted by the Government of Sri Lanka, which
invited Canada to participate in this initiative. Matthews will join fellow IIGEP candidates
from the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, India, Japan, European Union,
Australia, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
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