Sri Lanka has blasted Canada's decision to impose sanctions on four officials, including former Presidents Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Colombo's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry met with Canada's high commissioner on Wednesday to convey the country's strong opposition to the Tuesday move.
Sabry described the sanctions as a "disobliging act" at a crucial juncture, where Sri Lanka is deeply engaged in economic and political reforms aimed at resolving outstanding issues and attaining reconciliation.
Ottawa's Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly claimed that the sanctions targeted state officials who were responsible for "gross and systematic violations of human rights" during Sri Lanka's armed conflict from 1983 to 2009.
The sanctions include a prohibition on dealings with listed individuals and the freezing of any assets they may hold in Canada, as well as rendering them inadmissible to the country under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The Canadian government alleges that the sanctions are a response to Sri Lanka's "lack of meaningful action" to address accountability for human rights violations.
Canada has continued to call on Sri Lanka to address these issues and to provide justice for victims and survivors of gross human rights violations.
Gotabaya, once known as "The Terminator", is credited with helping to end a nearly two-decade-long civil war between government troops and the insurgent Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The Tamil Tigers sought a separate state for Tamils in the northern and eastern regions of the country.
The conflict lasted for over 25 years and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including both Tamil civilians and government security forces.