Gary Anandasangaree

Sathiyasangaree "Gary" Anandasangaree (Tamil: சத்தியசங்கரி ஆனந்தசங்கரி) is a Canadian politician and a lawyer who has served as the minister of Crown–Indigenous relations and northern affairs since December 2024 and minister of justice and attorney general of Canada since March 2025. He was elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election and serves as a member of Parliament (MP). He was first elected in the Scarborough—Rouge Park, and now represents Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, as the riding was modified in 2023. Anandasangaree is a Tamil-Canadian, and the second minister of Tamil descent to hold office, following Anita Anand.

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree PC MP
கரி ஆனந்தசங்கரி
Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada
Incumbent
Assumed office March 14, 2025
Prime Minister	Mark Carney
Preceded by	Arif Virani
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Mark Carney Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Himself (Crown–Indigenous Relations) Dan Vandal (Northern Affairs)
Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
In office December 20, 2024 – March 14, 2025
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Dan Vandal
Succeeded by	vacant
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
In office July 26, 2023 – December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Marc Miller
Succeeded by	Himself
Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Rouge Park
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Riding established
Personal details
Born	Sathiyasangaree Anandasangaree October 14 1973 Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Parent	V. Anandasangaree
Residence(s)	Markham, Ontario, Canada[1]
Alma mater	Carleton University York University
Profession	Lawyer

Early life and family

Anandasangaree, born in Jaffna in 1973, is the son of V. Anandasangaree, a leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician,^[2] by his second wife, Yogam.^[3] His parents separated in 1980 and he and his mother moved to Ireland, where she had relatives.^[4] They had planned to return to Sri Lanka in July 1983; but when the Black July anti-Tamil riots broke out,^[4] Anandasangaree and his mother travelled to Canada on August 31, 1983.^[4][5] Anandasangaree is estranged from his father and has only met him twice since 1983.^[4][5]

After high school Anandasangaree attended Carleton University, graduating in 1996 with a B.A. honours degree in political science.^[5][6][7] He is married and has two children, Bairavi and Sahanah.^[7]

Career

Anandasangaree worked in real estate as a registered real estate broker between 1996 and 2006.^[8]

Anandasangaree studied at the Osgoode Hall Law School, the law faculty of York University.^[9] He graduated in 2005 with a LL.B. degree and was called to the bar in 2006.^[9][10] Anandasangaree is the principal lawyer at Gary Anandasangaree and Associates, a Toronto law firm specialising in business, real estate and international human rights law.^[11] He is a member of The Law Society of Upper Canada, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association.^[8]

Anandasangaree has served on various community groups: Canadian Tamils’ Chamber of Commerce (president); Canadian Tamil Congress (counsel); Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre (chairman); Newcomer Grants for the United Way of Greater Toronto (member); Toronto Board of Trade (member); Toronto City Summit’s Emerging Leaders Network (member); and Youth Challenge Fund (board member).^[6][8] He has also lectured at the Centennial College Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.^[8] He has received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.^[6] He has also been awarded the TREB Award and Henry Marshall Tory Award for Service.^[6][8]

Anandasangaree has been a vocal campaigner against human rights abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War and has attended several sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council.^[12][13] This has led to Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists labelling Anandasangaree as a member of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).^[14][15][16]

Political career

Anandasangaree became active in politics after joining the Liberal Party.^[12] In October 2013 Anandasangaree announced that he would be seeking the Liberal nomination for the Scarborough—Rouge Park for the 2015 federal election.^[7] He won the nomination election held in August 2014.^[17][18] He won the election held on October 19, 2015, securing 29,906 votes (60.1%).^[19][20]

Anandasangaree continued his advocacy for human rights in Parliament, speaking on International Human Rights Day about welcoming Syrian refugees and an Iranian scholar (Dr. Hossein Raessi) who was protected due to a joint program between Carleton University and University of Ottawa.^[21]

Anandasangaree sat on the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development committee in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.^[22] He was Parliamentary Secretary to Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller in May 2021, and on December 3 of that year was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.^[23]

On July 26, 2023, Anandasangaree became the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.^[24]

In the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, he endorsed Mark Carney.^[25]

Anandasangaree has faced criticism from Tamil-Canadians and his constituents for refusing to condemn the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip and failing to call for accountability for Israeli war crimes, despite his reputation as a human rights lawyer who has advocated for justice in Sri Lanka and his current role as Attorney General of Canada.^[26]

Electoral record

v t e 2025 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park
** Preliminary results — Not yet official **
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Gary Anandasangaree	35,343	63.94	+2.66
	Conservative	Suchita Jalan	17,529	31.71	+9.64
	New Democratic	Kingsley Kwok	1,770	3.20	–10.18
	Green	Troy Rife	635	1.15	N/A
Total valid votes/expense limit
Total rejected ballots
Turnout			55,277	65.89
Eligible voters			83,894
	Liberal notional hold		Swing		–3.49
Source: Elections Canada[27][28]

2021 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Gary Anandasangaree	28,702	62.8	+0.6
	Conservative	Zia Choudhary	9,628	21.1	+1.0
	New Democratic	Kingsley Kwok	6,068	13.3	+1.8
	People's	Asad Rehman	1,322	2.9	+2.0
Total valid votes			45,720	99.2
Total rejected ballots			350	0.8
Turnout			46,070	61.3
Eligible voters			75,105
	Liberal hold		Swing		−0.2
Source: Elections Canada[29]

v t e 2019 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Gary Anandasangaree	31,360	62.2	+1.96	$93,933.93
	Conservative	Bobby Singh	10,115	20.1	−7.26	$18,116.82
	New Democratic	Kingsley Kwok	5,801	11.5	+1.14	none listed
	Green	Jessica Hamilton	2,330	4.6	+2.57	none listed
	People's	Dilano Sally	467	0.9	–	none listed
	Christian Heritage	Mark Theodoru	353	0.7	–	none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit			50,426	100.0
Total rejected ballots			322
Turnout			50,748	66.4
Eligible voters			76,408
	Liberal hold		Swing		+4.61
Source: Elections Canada[30][31]

v t e 2015 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Rouge Park
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Gary Anandasangaree	29,913	60.24	+25.48	$144,189.04
	Conservative	Leslyn Lewis	13,587	27.36	-4.23	$59,291.73
	New Democratic	KM Shanthikumar	5,145	10.36	-20.63	$58,736.40
	Green	Calvin Winter	1,010	2.03	-0.36	$1,457.51
Total valid votes/expense limit			49,655	100.0	–	$204,974.26
Total rejected ballots			235	0.47	New
Turnout			49,890	69.98	New
Eligible voters			71,291
Source: Elections Canada[32][33]