The Ramblings of Munro

Amnesty International - A Human Rights Agenda for Canada

Amnesty International Canada has released a new report titled "Canada - Time to match international commitments with national action"

Alex Neve, Secretary General of the English branch of Amnesty International Canada states, "Concerted Action is needed, It will take leadership, and long overdue cooperation and coordination among federal, provincial and territorial governments. But it cannot wait any longer. Canadians whose rights are affected need assurance that Canada will meet the country's international obligations".

The report is broken down into 8 chapters and includes 8 recommendations.

The chapters are:
1. The Human Rights Crisis Facing Indigenous Peoples
2. Women's Human Rights
3. Business, Trade and Human Rights
4. Refugees and Migrants
5. Standing up for Canadians Abroad
6. All Rights Matter
7. The Shrinking Space for Advocacy and Dissent
8. Canada, Human Rights and Multiculturalism

The recommendations are:
1. The rights of Indigenous peoples
Canada should work with Indigenous peoples and organizations to develop a national plan of action to implement the united Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, people including clear measures for ensuring respect of the right to free, prior and informed consent.

2. Women's human rights
Canada should work with Indigenous peoples and organizations to develop a national plan of action to address violence and discrimination against indigenous women and girls in Canada.

3. Business, trade and human rights
Canada should adopt measures to hold transnational companies registered in Canada accountable for activities that have a negative impact on the protection of human rights, particularly the rights of Indigenous peoples, in other countries.

4. Refugees and migrants
Canada should reform its laws, in particular the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, to unconditionally uphold the principle of non-refoulement set out in article 3 of the UN Convention against Torture.

5. Canadian detained abroad
Canada should adopt legislative and diplomatic measures to guarantee equal protection of the rights of Canadian citizens who experience human rights violations abroad and access to effective remedies for any such violations, including through amendments to the State Immunity Act.

6. Economic, social and cultural rights
Canada should take all necessary steps, including concrete legislative measures, to create and ensure effective remedies for violations of economic, social and cultural rights.

7. Advocacy and dissent
Canada should strengthen protection of the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association in the context of protests by indigenous communities and other public demonstrations, including by ensuring independent inquiries are initiated into concerns about human rights violations during land protests at Tyendinaga, Ontario in 2007, demonstrations at the time of the 2010 G20 Summit, and 2012 student protests in Quebec.

8. Multilateralism
Canada should ratify without further delay the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The full report can be found here:

posted by Munro @ 10:19 AM