Tushara Williams first Lankan to become Deputy Minister in Canada

Tushara Williams has been appointed Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Privy Council Office of the Government of Canada effective 19 June 2023.

Williams becomes the first ever Deputy Minister of Sri Lankan origin in the Canadian federal public service.

She was born in Colombo and completed her primary and secondary education at Ladies College, Colombo before she immigrated to Canada in 1991. She has a B.A. and Masters from the University of Toronto. After completing her Masters, Williams worked at the Institute of Policy Studies in Sri Lanka for a brief period which started her career long interest in policy development.

Williams joined the Canadian civil service in 2001. She brings to this position years of experience in the Civil Service in a range of public policy areas – social, economic and finance.