The Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Ottawa Peace Assembly have joined Tamil protesters outside Parliament Hill in demanding stronger action by the Canadian government to broker an imemdiate ceasefire in Sri Lanka's civil war.
Saturday was the 12th day of demonstrations in downtown Ottawa.
Denis Lemelin, president of the postal workers' union, wants Prime Minister Stephen Harper to speak up during the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad.
"Instead of talking about free trade with the south, he needs to go and stand up and ask that what's happening in Sri Lanka finish," Lemelin said.
Tamil-Canadians and their supporters have lined Wellington Street - some weakened by a hunger strike - to pressure the government to take action to relieve the humanitarian crisis on the tear-shaped South Asian island. Dozens of people are dying every day, according to the United Nations.
Parliament resumes Monday, and the group hopes returning politicians will heed their words.
"We don't want this to go down in history as a big genocide," said Patricia Philip, 16, from Toronto.
"What we really need to see is the Canadian government recalling the high commissioner in Sri Lanka and applying economic sanctions," said Dylan Penner of the Ottawa Peace Assembly.
A larger protest is planned for Tuesday.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem
