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March 2, 2007
Focus on human rights
Hopefulness is key sentiment at conference.
REBECA KUROPATWA
According to Canada's ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights
Council, this country has earned itself a reputation for being a
defender of human rights on the international stage.
"Dialogue," said Paul Meyer at a recent Human Rights and
Social Justice Conference in Winnipeg, "is key to forward-moving
diplomacy.
"A result of 9/11 is a renewed respect for human rights,"
said Meyer, "along with combatting international terrorism.
If we could just get all other countries to participate like Canada,
it would be a much better world out there."
More than 300 participants attended the conference, which took place
Feb. 23-25 at the University of Winnipeg. Alongside Meyer were speakers
such as UN ambassador Paul Heinbeker, Dr. Hillel Neuer, executive
director of UN Watch in Geneva, and Winnipeg-based human rights
lawyer David Matas.
Dr. William Schabas, director of the Centre of Human Rights in Ireland,
addressed Canada's progress regarding capital punishment abolition.
"Since 2005, Canada has bound itself to never impose or reinstate
the death penalty," said Schabas. And like many other countries,
"once you bring in abolition, you almost never go back."
He noted some other positive steps that Canada has recently taken,
like peace building, electoral support and terrorism treaties.
"It is hard to measure whether or not we are making progress
regarding human rights," said Schabas. "Is there more
or less equality for women, more or less racism, more or less torture?
Are trials more or less fair and are more people in prison? These
are difficult to quantify and calculate. In the formal sense, Canada
has a good reputation with human rights. But when we are asked to
do something, we say, 'No, we don't have to.' This illustrates a
new kind of passive-aggressive defiance to the treaty bodies."
Former Canadian ambassador to the UN Allan Rock observed that, "the
responsibility to protect is important to Canada. We just ought
to show more leadership more often, more aggressively, less diplomatically
and more effectively, so we can bring important issues to the table
more often. Canada has a golden opportunity right now, with its
credibility in the right place – all we need is the leadership
to make it happen."
Bill Pace, executive director of the World Federalist Movement,
pointed out that there has been "enormous progress" in
Canada regarding human rights. He said there is a need for local
representatives and mayors to get involved to make positive change
– particularly with issues like climate change and the use
of SUVs. "International standards," he said, "are
not just for others, but for us as well."
Pace said he grew up in the United States when it was "like
an apartheid state. Canada trying to be 'the good little buddy'
to the U.S. won't get us far. We have to go with our 'good angels'
and try to avoid the bad."
Although there are many positive signs, "Canada still is lacking
in leadership, which is the main cause of our lacking in human rights
issues response," said MP Irwin Cotler. "Canada and the
United Nations can do a lot with issues regarding the torture convention,
forced deportation, the convention of the rights of migrants, more
rights and recognition of indigenous people, and women and minorities.
But there are also positive signs. We have opened ourselves up to
governmental scrutiny, have abolished the death penalty and are
working on land mine issues."
At the start of the conference, U of W president and former minister
of foreign affairs Lloyd Axworthy said that "the discussions
we have and the reflections we will share must have an outcome at
the end. There must be a result. It is not enough just to share.
We should come up with some propositions of what we as people, and
as a community, can do."
Participants spent the last day of the conference brainstorming
ways for Canada to have a stronger voice on human rights issues,
both locally and globally. Among the proposals was the idea of a
Human Rights City, wherein the mayor of a city declares it a human
rights centre and where ideas are regularly discussed and implemented
from the grassroots to the top governmental level.
Some of the other initiatives discussed at the close of the conference
were the institution of a human rights committee in Parliament,
a call for action in Darfur, vast improvements in human rights for
indigenous peoples and a review of the anti-terror legislation.
These ideas and others will be compiled by conference moderators,
transcribed into podcasts and publications and taken to sources
of power, with the potential to become institutionalized policy.
As well, a new human rights program at the U of W will begin this
September.
Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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