List of Sri Lankan Canadians
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Sri Lankan Canadians, including both original immigrants who obtained Canadian citizenship and their Canadian descendants, but not Sri Lankan nationals living or working in Canada. The list includes a brief description of their reason for notability.
Academics
- Veerasingham DhuruvasangaryVeerasingham DhuruvasangaryVeerasingham Dhuruvasangary was a scientist and inventor born in Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. His father named him after the Pole Star, "Dhuruvan Natchathra". He was the last born of 12 children....
- Scientist and inventor - Elagu V. ElaguppillaiElagu V. ElaguppillaiDr. Elagu V. Elaguppillai is a prominent Canadian of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, a businessman, nuclear scientist, university professor, medical researcher, municipal politician and a community services volunteer for over 35 years....
- Businessman, nuclear scientist, university professor, medical researcher - Ray JayawardhanaRay JayawardhanaRay Jayawardhana is an astronomer at the University of Toronto, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics, and an award-winning science writer...
- Astronomer at the University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada... - Lakshman MarasingheLakshman MarasingheProfessor Lakshman Marasinghe is a Sri Lankan academic and lawyer. A Emeritus Professor of Law of the University of Windsor, he is the current Chairman of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka and was the Legal Director of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process during the Sri Lankan Civil...
- Academic and lawyer - Janaka RuwanpuraJanaka RuwanpuraProfessor Janaka Ruwanpura is the Director of the Centre for Project Management Excellence at the Schulich School of Engineering at University of Calgary Canada.In 2007 he was honoured with a "Canada Research Chair Tier 2” in Project Management Systems....
- Director of the Centre for Project Management Excellence at the Schulich School of Engineering at University of CalgaryUniversity of CalgaryThe University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently... - Indira SamarasekeraIndira SamarasekeraIndira Vasanti Samarasekera, OC is the 12th and current President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta. Succeeding Roderick Fraser on July 1, 2005, she was the first female president of any university in Alberta.-Biography:...
- President of the University of AlbertaUniversity of AlbertaThe University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
Business
- Christopher OndaatjeChristopher OndaatjeSir Philip Christopher Ondaatje, OC, CBE is a Sri Lankan-Canadian businessman, philanthropist, adventurer, writer and Olympian. He lives in the United Kingdom.-Overview:...
- former athlete and philanthropist - Sayan NavaratnamSayan NavaratnamSayan Navaratnam was the CEO of Creative Vistas Incorporated from 2004 to 2008, he remained as the Director and Chairman as of 2008. He has held senior positions at Bell Canada, Satellite Communications Incorporated and few other companies. He is a graduate of University of Toronto & of Sri Lankan...
- Entrepreneur, CEO of Creative Vistas Incorporated from 2004 to 2008
Film and entertainment
- Rohan FernandoRohan FernandoRohan Fernando is a Canadian visual artist, painter and film maker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Fernando has directed two films for the National Film Board of Canada; Trudeau's Other Children and Cecil's Journey about his ambivalence towards his identity and his trip to Jaffna, Sri Lanka where...
- visual artist, painter and film maker - Suresh JoachimSuresh JoachimSuresh Joachim Arulanantham is a Tamil Canadian film actor, producer, and multiple-Guinness World Record holder who has broken 60 world records set in several countries in attempts to benefit underprivileged children around the world.-World records:...
- Actor, producer and multiple-Guinness World Record holder. - Pardis ParkerPardis ParkerPardis Parker is an award-winning director, writer, actor, and comedian.-Early life:Pardis Parker was born to an Iranian father and Sri Lankan mother in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
- Director, writer, actor, and comedian - Lenin M. SivamLenin M. SivamLenin M. Sivam is a Canadian filmmaker. He was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka and moved to Toronto, Canada in 1991. Sivam is a self-taught storyteller. He writes and directs all of his movies. His diverse and controversial body of work is well respected in Canada...
- Film maker
Journalists
- D. B. S. Jeyaraj - freelance journalist
- Anne-Marie MediwakeAnne-Marie MediwakeAnne Marie Abeyesinghe Mediwake is a Canadian television news anchor. Formerly co-anchor of Global Toronto's 6 p.m. News Hour, she was hired in September 2009 by the CBC News Network...
- news anchor
Musicians
- Nirmala Basnayake - musicians of the band controller.controllerController.controllercontroller.controller was a Canadian indie rock band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consisted of vocalist Nirmala Basnayake, guitarists Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas and Scott Kaija, bassist Ronnie Morris and drummer Jeff Scheven. The band took its name from a song by Shotmaker. The band formed in 2002...
- Patrick Denipitiya - musician
Politics and law
- Lenin Benedict - Head of Global Sri Lankan Forum
- Asoka WeerasingheAsoka WeerasingheAsoka Weerasinghe was former Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Canada.He is also well known Sri Lankan born activist in Canada and was educated at Nalanda College Colombo, Sri Lanka....
- Former Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Canada.
Sports People
- Trevin BastiampillaiTrevin BastiampillaiTrevin Callistus Bastiampillai Trevin Callistus Bastiampillai Trevin Callistus Bastiampillai (born 26 October 1985 in Colombo, Sri Lanka is a Canadian cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman, and a right arm off-spin bowler. He has played two matches for Canada in the ICC Americas Championship...
- Canadian Cricketer - Manoj DavidManoj DavidRamesh Randeer "Manoj" David is a Sri Lankan-born cricketer who has played three One Day Internationals and four Twenty20 Internationals for Canada.- External links :**...
- Canadian Cricketer - Ruvindu GunasekeraRuvindu GunasekeraRuvindu Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan-born cricketer who has played one One Day International for Canada.-Early life:Gunasekara was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he began playing cricket at an early age, under the influence of his father, who was a player on the Sri Lanka A cricket team....
- Canadian Cricketer - Rohan JayasekeraRohan Jayasekera (cricketer)Rohan Stanley Amarasiriwardene Jayasekera is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who represented Sri Lanka in one Test match and two ODIs, and also represented Canada in four ICC Trophy matches....
- Sri Lankan and Canadian Cricketer - Arvind KandappahArvind KandappahArvindah Luxman Kandappah is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian cricketer. He is a right-handed middle order batsman.Kandappah started his international career well, scoring 69 not out against Kenya on his ODI debut, and 87 against the same opponent in his maiden first class match.-References:**...
- Canadian Cricketer - Ravishankar PuvendranRavishankar PuvendranRavishankar Puvendran usually known as Ravi Puvendran is a Canadian cricket player. He is a left-handed batsman and left-arm spin bowler. He has played two matches for Canada, against Kenya and Bermuda in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2006.-References:* ECB - July 28, 2006...
- Canadian Cricketer - Sanjayan ThuraisingamSanjayan ThuraisingamSanjayan Thuraisingam is a Tamil Canadian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler....
- Canadian Cricketer - Zameer Zahir - Canadian Cricketer
Writers
- Michael OndaatjeMichael OndaatjePhilip Michael Ondaatje , OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet of Burgher origin. He is perhaps best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film.-Life and work:...
- poet and author of numerous novels, including The English PatientThe English PatientThe English Patient is a 1992 novel by Sri Lankan-Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje. The story deals with the gradually revealed histories of a critically burned English accented Hungarian man, his Canadian nurse, a Canadian-Italian thief, and an Indian sapper in the British Army as they live out... - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-SamarasinhaLeah Lakshmi Piepzna-SamarasinhaLeah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is a Toronto-based poet, writer, educator and social activist. Her writing and performance art focuses on documenting the stories of queer and trans people of color, abuse survivors, mixed-race people and diasporic South Asians and Sri Lankans...
- poet and activist - Shyam SelvaduraiShyam SelvaduraiShyam Selvadurai is a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist who wrote Funny Boy , which won the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and Cinnamon Gardens...
- Novelist - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-SamarasinhaLeah Lakshmi Piepzna-SamarasinhaLeah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is a Toronto-based poet, writer, educator and social activist. Her writing and performance art focuses on documenting the stories of queer and trans people of color, abuse survivors, mixed-race people and diasporic South Asians and Sri Lankans...
- Poet, writer, educator and social activist - Siri GunasingheSiri GunasingheSiri Gunasinghe is a sanskritist, art historian, premier Sinhalese poet, novelist, literary critic and film maker.-Early life & Career:Siri Gunasinghe was born in Kegalle District of Sri Lanka...
- Sinhalese poet, novelist, literary critic