The Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council (“the Council”) was formed in 1990, as a private sector Non-Profit Corporation. The origin of the Council is laced with the pioneering efforts of a core group of people who had a vision to have a structured organization in order to promote bilateral trade, investment, tourism, industrial cooperation and technology transfer between Canada and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa orchestrated the birth of the Council that was wholly supported by a spirited group of private businessmen led by Mr. Christopher Ondaatje (later knighted in June 2003). In October 1990, about 40 members from the Canadian business community attended a preliminary meeting in Toronto at the World Trade Centre that helped structure the Council. Mr. Ondaatje was unanimously elected president of the Council while His Excellency the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Canada (Mr. Walter Rupesinghe) was appointed ex-officio Chairman of the Council. The newly elected board of directors made a tremendous contribution in the formative years to build the Council to what it is today. Consequently, the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council was incorporated on April 22, 1992. . The pioneers of the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council have left a huge legacy behind.

On July 15, 2006, in a major step towards consolidation the Council moved to its own Secretariat in Toronto and functions as an independent entity in the furtherance of its objectives. To complement the efforts of the Canadian Council, a counterpart organization - The Sri Lanka-Canada Business Council (SLCBC) was formed in Sri Lanka in 1991. Well known businessman Hemaka Amarasuriya, Chairman of Singer (Sri Lanka) Ltd., was elected inaugural President of SLCBC. 14-years later in March 2005, the Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) to promote Joint Venture Partnerships between its members both in Canada and Sri Lanka. In addition to these pro-active measures, the Council works closely in Canada with the Toronto Board of Trade and other parallel business councils from the SAARC Region - Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Over the past 17-years, the growth of the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council has been phenomenal. It has gone from strength to strength creating an indelible mark in both Canada and Sri Lanka. After Sir Christopher Ondaatje, other dynamic business leaders have carried the torch and contributed towards the growth of the Council with their own leadership styles. Today, the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council is well known in the business community in both jurisdictions. Membership is open to all Canadians who have an interest in doing business with Sri Lanka and vice-versa.

The Council has done well to act as a catalyst in helping its members do business in Sri Lanka. The Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council enjoys a close relationship with both governments, be it Canada or Sri Lanka. The Council also interacts closely with the Canadian High Commission in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka High Commission in Canada and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Toronto. In general, the Council works closely with all relevant departments involved in foreign policy and international trade - such as Foreign Affairs Canada; International Trade Canada; Industry Canada; CIDA Inc., Export Development Canada; and in Sri Lanka with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion; Board of Investment of Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka Tea Board; Sri Lanka Tourist Board; and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board.

Under the leadership of President Louise Roberge and a board consisting of nine directors, the Operational Plan for 2007/2008 includes the following activities from May 2007 to April 2008.

• Promotion of bilateral trade, investment, tourism, technology transfer and industrial cooperation between Canada & Sri Lanka;

• Outbound Trade Mission to Sri Lanka in February 2008 to attend IMEXPRO;

• Taking a lead role in organizing a “South Asian Trade Promotion Exhibition” in Toronto in April 2008, along with other parallel Business Councils from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Nepal;

• Conduct “Business Networking Luncheons” sponsored by Canadian Banks;

• Conduct a “Tourism Seminar” – target audience will be Canadian business and leisure sector;

• Conduct the 3rd President’s Awards Gala-2007 – target audience of 350 people in October 2007;

• Produce six (6) Business Newsletters and regular updates to the CSLBC website www.cslbcbiz.com 

Disclaimer - Extreme care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information assimilated for the compilation of this website, however, the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council does not assume liability for errors or omissions in connection with such information. Links to other websites are for the purposes of information only, and the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council does not assume liability for the content of these sites.